learning and reciting the Quran
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One should strive to be sincere when learning and reciting the Quran . Learning and reciting the Quran are acts of worship for which one seeks only the pleasure and reward of Allah. The validity of any act of worship must meet the following two conditions: sincerity and al Mutaaba’ah ( the Prophet peace be upon him in how to perform the act of worship).

Intention is not a statement of the tongue, nor is it simply a thought of the mind. Rather, it is a motivating force from the heart to solemnly perform an act of worship seeking the satisfaction of Allah.

An-Nawawi explained that the one who recites the Quran is first of all commanded to be sincere, to seek the satisfaction of Allah and not to intend to seek any goods and gains of this lower world by this recitation.

The Prophet – peace be upon Him – warned against reciting the Book for one who seeks respect and reverence from people. Abu Hurairah – may Allah be pleased with him – reported that the Messenger of Allah – peace be upon him – said: “ The first man to be judged on the Day of Resurrection… is a man who learned (religious) science and taught it, just as he recited the Quran. He will be presented and his blessings received will be presented and acknowledged to him. He will be told “What have you done for them?” The man will reply, “I have learned science, taught it, and recited the Quran to satisfy You.” “He will be told:” you are lying, rather, you have learned science so that we can say: “he is a scientist! And you recited the Koran so that we could say “He is a reciter” and that is what was said. Then an order will be given and he will be dragged over his face until he is thrown into the fire… ” (Reported by Muslim)

Sincerity towards the book of Allah involves believing in what the Quran teaches us and having no doubts about what it tells us. We must know that the Quran is the word of Allah which was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him.

Submitting to the Quran and living according to its teachings is also an integral part of sincerity towards the book of Allah.

We have to believe that the laws listed in the Quran are the best laws that can never be matched by the laws made by men.

Another aspect of sincerity is to defend the Quran against those who aspire with their tongues, to corrupt it, abuse it, and misinterpret it. Allah has taken upon Himself the responsibility of preserving the Quran against any falsification . However, that doesn’t mean that people won’t try to corrupt or falsify how people approach and understand it.