The Most Often Read Book

• Did you know that the most often read book in the world is the Holy Quran?
• Did you know that the Holy Quran has been read and memorized by generations of Muslims since 1,400 years ago?
• Did you know that parts of the Holy Quran are read in the daily five prayers by more than 1 billion Muslims worldwide?
• Did you know that the Holy Quran is the only book memorized by thousands of Muslims?

A Reader or Not

Yesterday, I put three labels on the entrance door for the department I am currently working in. The labels were written in both Arabic and English. These were “Pull”, “Push”, and an announcement for the current working hours. The door has two sides, one of which is locked so it cannot be pushed or pulled, and here is the problem we were facing: when someone pushed the locked side of the door, they usually pushed it with force. You can imagine the noise we heard many times during the day because of this.

What I was thinking after putting the labels is that maybe a few will read it, or even notice it. I am living in a community where reading is of no interest among the majority of the people. I thought that those who will miss reading it either do not like reading, usually look at the ground while walking, are busy with something, or they have no bit of curiosity.

I like to read the notices and memos posted on the walls. I like to read the newspaper from back to back. I enjoy reading the small advertisements hidden between the long articles. I like to read blogs of interest on WordPress.com and share my thoughts and ideas with the users. Indeed, I have been addicted to blogging.

Oh! You know what, while I was typing the last words in the previous paragraph (in a Microsoft Word document at work), someone missed reading the labels. I cannot say he/she is not a reader because I could not see, but maybe that person was looking at the watch or was talking, I am not sure. But, I think that those who pay attention to written words are those who like reading and they have no problem with it.

By the way, I cannot say that I am a 100% avid reader. My problem is that I do not have the time to open a book.