How to Balance Modern Life With Learning the Quran: Your Phone, Your Family and Busy Seasons
Work, study, family, commuting, notifications that never stop: modern life, especially in the West, leaves many Muslims feeling they simply have no time for the Quran. But the problem is rarely a lack of time; it is where the time goes. This guide explains, practically, how to balance modern life with learning the Quran: how to protect your time from the phone, how much time you really need, how families can make the Quran part of their day, and what to do in busy seasons such as exams, with advice from teachers who learned and taught in the Quran circles of the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah.
Your Time Is a Trust You Will Be Asked About
Time is not ours to waste. The Prophet ﷺ said: “The feet of a servant will not move on the Day of Resurrection until he is asked about his life and how he spent it…”, reported by at-Tirmidhī (2417), who graded it ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ (Dorar). And he ﷺ said: “There are two blessings in which many people are at a loss: health and free time”, reported by al-Bukhārī (6412) (Dorar).
A Muslim is responsible for his time and will be asked before Allah about the time he wasted. So he guards it carefully and spends it in what pleases Allah.
The Phone: The Biggest Thief of Time
The phone and social media are like a straw that sucks time away: a few minutes here and there, and the whole day is gone with nothing to show for it. You will not “find” time for the Quran left over at the end of the day; you have to take it first.
-
Fix at least half an hour a day for the Quran
Set aside a minimum of thirty minutes daily: to memorise, to attend your class, and to recite to your teacher. Put it in your day like an appointment you do not cancel.
-
Put the phone away during that half hour
Silence it and put it out of reach while you memorise and during the lesson. The Quran deserves your full attention, and memorisation needs it.
-
Use the phone for the Quran, not against it
Use it to join your online class, listen to your teacher’s recitation or review your portion, then close it.
The Barakah Students Feel
Students who committed to the Book of Allah, even with only a little time each day, have told our teachers themselves that they felt blessing (barakah) in their lives and their time, and more stability and calm in themselves. Time given to the Quran is never lost; it comes back as blessing in everything else.
Making the Quran Part of Family Life
If a parent has memorised the Quran
The best thing is for the father or mother to review the Quran with the children: a fixed time when the whole family sits together, reads and memorises. Alongside that, each child can have his own teacher, or the children can be enrolled together in one circle; both are fine.
If the parents have not memorised it
Then the teacher gives the family the correct method for memorising and reviewing, and helps choose the most suitable time for them, so they can keep to it. At Quranic Values, parents follow their children’s daily record and monthly plan, so they always know what to review at home.
Exams, Deadlines and Busy Seasons
Life has seasons. During exams or a period of heavy pressure at work, our advice is:
- Lighten, do not stop. Reduce the amount, but keep the daily connection.
- Pause new memorisation if needed. During the pressure, it is fine to stop new memorisation and limit yourself to review only, until the exams or the busy period are over.
- Make up in the open seasons. Use opportunities such as Ramadan and holidays to catch up and double the amount.
“I Have No Time at All”
We hear this often, from university students, professionals and parents alike. The answer is almost always the same: when they fix a real time, put the phone away and start small, they discover the time was there. The student who said he had no time for the Quran usually had time for his phone. Start with half an hour, keep it daily, and let Allah put the blessing in it.
Common Questions
How much time do I need each day to learn the Quran?
At least half an hour a day: to memorise, attend your class and recite to your teacher. Consistency matters more than length.
How do I stop my phone from taking my Quran time?
Fix your Quran time like an appointment, silence the phone and put it out of reach during that time, and use it only to join your class or listen to your portion.
Should I stop memorising during exams?
You may pause new memorisation and keep to review only until the exams are over, then make up in Ramadan and the holidays.
How can a busy family make the Quran part of their day?
Set a fixed family time to read and memorise together. If a parent has memorised the Quran, they review with the children; if not, the teacher gives the family a method and a schedule to follow.
Find Your Half Hour for the Quran
Book a free 3-day trial: a teacher from the Quran circles of the Prophet’s Mosque assesses your level, builds a plan around your schedule and gives you a first real lesson, with payment only after the trial.
Continue Reading
- Learning the Quran Online as a Working Professional
- Flexible Online Quran Classes for Busy Students
- Daily Quran Recitation: How to Build a Daily Portion
Quranic Values is an independent online academy. It is not affiliated with Al-Masjid an-Nabawi or the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques; our teachers learned and taught in the Quran circles there.
Sheikh Abdul Rahman Yaqoob is a certified Quran & Tajweed scholar, holding a Bachelor’s Degree with Honors in Noble Quran and Islamic Studies from the Islamic University of Madinah. He is the Lead Instructor at Quranic Values, dedicated to bridging the gap for Muslim families in the West by providing authentic Islamic education and nurturing a generation connected to their faith and identity