I feel that the Qur`an is meant for practicing its teachings and not for learning it by heart. Am I correct?

It is true that the Qur`an is primarily meant for implementing its teachings. However, this can only come about as a result of learning and understanding it. How is it possible for someone who has not read the Qur`an or learnt any part of it to implement it?

While the reader’s desire to act upon the teachings of the Qur`an and apply them in real life is highly commendable, he cannot do so without reading the Qur`an regularly and learning the meaning of its verses. The two go hand in hand.

Moreover, reading the Qur`an is an act of worship. God rewards us for reading it and recompenses us with ten rewards for each letter of every word. God says in the Qur`an, “Keep up prayers when the sun is on its decline, in the darkness of the night, and recite the Qur`an at dawn, for the recitation of the Qur`an at dawn is indeed witnessed. At night, rise from your sleep to recite it in prayer, as an additional offering from you. Your Lord may thus raise you to an honorable station” [Children of Israel — “Bani Israel”: 78-79]

This verse puts reading the Qur`an on par with prayers. Just as God commands us to offer prayers at the beginning of the night and the early hours of the day, He tells us to recite the Qur`an at dawn, because the recital is witnessed by the angels.

At night, we are meant to recite it, just like we are recommended to offer prayers in the depth of the night as voluntary worship.

Needless to say, the Qur`an is not meant for absent-minded reading, without understanding or implementing it. But even then, a person who does not know Arabic and reads the Qur`an as an act of worship is rewarded for his reading.