Bismillah. One thing I always tell kids and adults alike is that “Iqra” was the first thing Allah, The All-Knowing, asked of us. He asked us to read. If this is the very first command He gave us, shouldn’t we oblige then? This is what He expects of us: to read, to learn, to spread knowledge. It must be something that benefits us. It must be good for us. It must be something that pleases our Creator. We should be thankful to be given the ability to read. We should do whatever we can to seek knowledge, irrespective of our age. We should never stop learning. We should love what Allah loves. So read. Read in the name of your Lord.”

Tayyaba Syed, award-winning author and journalist and a Research Specialist for Daybreak Press Publishing @daybreakpresspublishing. She has written for numerous publications, including a feature on National Public Radio. Islamic Writers Alliance awarded her first place for her fable called The Blessed Banana Tree.

Tayyaba is the co-author of four chapter books in the Jannah Jewels @jannahjewels children’s adventure series. She regularly conducts writing and publishing seminars for all ages, sharing her passion for the written and spoken word and her love of story-telling.

Thank You, Tayyaba Syed, for sharing your perspective on what it means to #bewellread. This forms part of our campaign to call people back to the first Qur’anic command to mankind which was ‘Read’. #callto1stverse