بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Assalamu Alaikum.
Every Ramadan, many Muslims feel sad that they cannot understand what is being recited in Taraweeh and Qiyam Al-Layl. They also feel sad because they cannot understand the duas (supplication) of the Imam at Witr. And every year, they decide that NEXT year will be the year that they understand Arabic.
Are you one of those Muslims? If so, did you start working on that goal after Ramadan? If the answer is yes, that’s great. However, if the answer is no, you’ll have to start working on that goal NOW because we have a little over two months to ago before Ramadan. Otherwise, you risk letting another Ramadan go by without understanding what is being recited.
What can you do in these two months, you wonder? Well, quite a lot but you have to have a strong desire and good work ethic (and more importantly, the help of Allah).
The first thing you need to do is dua (supplication) to Allah every single day to help you understand Arabic.
After this, you should try to join an Arabic grammar course (if you have never studied it before). You should consider taking courses in Sarf (morphology) and Nahw (syntax). These will REALLY help.
Even if the courses are more than two months long, take them. At least you’ll be ready for Ramadan 2026, if not 2025. Don’t delay, just choose a good Arabic course and stick with it until you finish.
Another recommendation would be to go through a portion of the Quran translation every day. In order to finish by Ramadan, you would need to cover half a Juz per day. If you are very busy, you could cover a quarter juz early in the morning and the remaining quarter at night before sleeping.
If you cannot do half a juz a day, that is fine. Just start today and keep going. It will benefit you both in this life and in the Hereafter.
Muhsin Khan and Taqiuddeen Al-Hilali’s The Noble Quran translation (1 volume) published by Darussalam is very good to start with as it is based on authentic sources. Darussalam also has a 3 volume word to word translation based on the Khan/Hilali translation which is great.
This is for those that want English translations. If you prefer another language, please make sure to choose a translation by trustworthy individuals.
Another option is to read a summarised tafsir (explanation) of the Quran.
You could also listen to one of the translations available online. This will enable you to listen to the Quran as well (as the Quran is recited first and then the translator states the translation) so your ears will get used to listening to the Quran, which will be very beneficial during Taraweeh and Qiyam Al-Layl.
You could also do both reading and listening to the same section daily. That would be the best option for those that have the desire to do more. Either way, the point is to at least go through the translation of the Quran once before Ramadan.
After you do your daily ready or listening, try to summarise what you’ve learnt in a notebook and choose the most important words from that section as the “link” to help you remember. So, if the section is about Sulaiman (alaihissalaam) and the Queen of Saba, the words that will help you recall this story will be Sulaiman, naml (ant), Saba, arsh (throne), jinn, etc. When you come across these words in Taraweeh, you’ll realise that this is the story being recited. This will help you taste the sweetness of the prayer.
What about the duas recited by the Imam in Witr? Well, some are his own words but most come from the Quran and Sunnah.
The Fortress of the Muslim, a famous little book of adhkar (remembrance) by Shaikh Saeed Al-Qahtani (and available in multiple languages), has a small section on Qunoot Al-Witr. Three of the duas of witr have been mentioned. Try to go over their translation so that you can understand them in Ramadan.
Shaikh Saeed also has another little book on duas which comes together with his book on Ruqyah. This has been published by Darussalam. The Shaikh has mentioned the duas in the Quran followed by the duas in the Sunnah. So, try to go through the duas and their translations (a bit every day) so that in Ramadan you would be able to at least understand some of the duas being recited.
Keep doing all the above until Ramadan. If you have not finished the translation of the Quran or the duas by Ramadan, then continue doing it during Ramadan.
However, if you have finished by Ramadan, then try to take another translation or short explanation of the Quran to read from during Ramadan. If you can do 1 Juz a day, that would be great. However, you might have to delay some of your other work to after Ramadan, or try to finish that before Ramadan, Either way, it is worth it because there is nothing like spending Ramadan with the Quran. The Quran was revealed in Ramadan after all.
Make sure to go over your notes of the section being recited in that day’s Taraweeh or Qiyam Al-Layl on a daily basis.
The above might sound like a lot of work but so what? If our ultimate goal is the Pleasure of Allah and Paradise, then how can we not work for that? We work for everything else but we forget that what is waiting after death needs more of our time and attention.
So, please start preparing for Ramadan now, if you have not already. Do dua, strive and put your trust in Allah.
And if you need some motivation, then this ayah (verse) should be enough:
إِنَّ الْمُتَّقِينَ فِي جَنَّاتٍ وَنَهَرٍ
فِي مَقْعَدِ صِدْقٍ عِندَ مَلِيكٍ مُّقْتَدِرٍ
Verily, The Muttaqun (pious), will be in the midst of Gardens and Rivers (Paradise). In a seat of truth (i.e. Paradise), near the Omnipotent King (Allah, the All-Blessed, the Most High, the Owner of Majesty and Honour). [Surah Al-Qamar (54) : 54-55]