The benefits of reading

“Nourishment of the soul is in concepts and meanings,
And not in food and drink”

1. Reading repels anxiety and grief.
2. While busy reading, one is prevented from delving into falsehood.
3. Habitual reading makes one busy to keep company with the idle and inactive.
4. By reading often, one develops eloquence and clarity in speech.
5. Reading helps to develop the mind and purify its thoughts.
6. Reading increases one in knowledge and improves both memory and understanding.
7. By reading, one benefits from the experiences of others: the wisdom of the wise and the understanding of scholars.
8. By reading often, one develops the ability to both acquire and process knowledge and their applications to life.
9. One’s faith will increase when one reads beneficial books, especially books written by practicing Muslim Writers. The book is the best giver of sermons and it has a forceful effect in guiding one towards goodness and away from evil.
10. Reading helps to relax one’s mind from distraction and to save one’s time from being wasted.
11. By reading often, one gains a mastery over many words and learns the different constructions of sentences; moreover, one improves his ability to grasp concepts and to understand what is written ‘between the lines.’

Excerpt from Don’t Be Sad
by Dr. Aid al-Qarni