The Role of the Quran in Developing Good Character: Manners of the Quran Class, Lessons From Madinah

In the Quran circles of the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, students learn more than recitation. They learn how to sit, how to dress, how to speak to the teacher and how to behave, because the Quran is meant to shape the person who carries it. This article explains the role of the Quran in developing good character, not in theory but in practice: the manners we keep in every class, how teachers build character through the verses, real stories from students and parents, and how we deal with bad behaviour.

The Manners of the Quran Class

Our classes are online, but they follow the manners of the circles of Madinah. Before a student learns a single new verse, he learns these:

1. Proper dress

   The student attends in decent clothing, such as a thobe or similar. Not shorts above the knee, not tight clothing, and nothing that goes against the teachings of Islam. Allah says: “O children of Adam, take your adornment at every place of prayer” (Surah Al-Aʿrāf 7:31). Sitting with the words of Allah deserves the same respect.

2. Respect for the place and the time

   A quiet, clean place, and arriving on time. The lesson is short, so every minute counts.

3. Respect for the teacher

   The student listens, does not interrupt, and speaks with courtesy, as students have always done with those who teach them the Quran.

4. Commitment to the tasks

   The teacher writes the student’s tasks for each day, and the student is expected to complete them. Keeping a commitment is itself good character.

A Lesson From My Teacher in Madinah

The founder of Quranic Values, Ustadh Abdul Rahman Yaqoob, remembers a moment with the teacher under whom he memorised the Quran. The circle had more than one hundred students, from ʿAṣr to ʿIshāʾ. Some of them attended but did not memorise and made no progress, so he suggested to his teacher: “The circle is crowded. Dismiss those who are not memorising, so you can focus on the outstanding students.”

His teacher replied: “No. Imagine I dismiss a student, and tomorrow I see him with bad company. The sin would be on me. It does not matter if he attends and does not recite. What matters is that he is away from what is forbidden and from wasting his time. Here he may hear a story and benefit, or hear a piece of advice that touches his heart, and he is among the mercies of Allah.” Then he mentioned the hadith:

The Prophet ﷺ said: “No people gather in one of the houses of Allah, reciting the Book of Allah and studying it among themselves, except that tranquillity descends upon them, mercy covers them, the angels surround them, and Allah mentions them among those who are with Him,” narrated by Abū Hurayrah and reported by Muslim (2699) (Dorar).

Building Character Through the Verses

Parents often contact us about their children: “He doesn’t pray,” “He goes to the mosque and just plays,” “He doesn’t listen to his father and mother.” This is where the teacher’s role goes beyond the lesson: to guide the student, teach him good manners and keep him away from what is forbidden.

One of the most effective ways is through the verses themselves. While the student is reciting, the teacher stops him at a verse, repeats it, explains its meaning, and plants the value it carries. For example:

• Kindness to parents: “And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and to parents, good treatment… and do not say to them ‘uff’, and do not repel them, but speak to them a noble word” (Surah Al-Isrāʾ 17:23).
• Luqmān’s advice to his son: establishing prayer, enjoining good, patience, not turning your cheek away from people in arrogance, and lowering your voice (Surah Luqmān 31:17–19).

A Real Story: One Week and a Gift

A boy attended the circle but used to play in the mosque and did not listen to his father. His father spoke to the teacher. The teacher sat with the boy, understood him, and made him a simple promise: “If you stay committed for one week, your father will buy you a present.” The boy committed, his father bought him the gift and encouraged him to keep going, and that one week became a habit. Understanding the child, and working together with the parent, achieved what scolding alone could not.

When a Student Misbehaves

In our experience, disrespect towards the teacher happens mostly when the teacher’s personality is weak. Our founder has not personally faced a student being rude to the teacher in the circle; what happens more often is a child who plays and does not listen. Our approach:

• A teacher with a leading personality: calm, but firm and respected, so that disrespect does not arise in the first place.
• Firm on manners: when the teacher sees a bad habit, he forbids it clearly and asks the student: “What is the benefit of learning the Quran if it does not affect your character and keep you away from bad things?”
• Working with parents: for a child who plays or does not listen, we ask the parent to stay close to him during the class.

Continue Reading

• The Spiritual Benefits of Reciting the Quran Regularly
• Fun Ways to Teach Kids Quran at Home
• How Learning the Quran Strengthens Faith

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.