What Ayat/Surah?

several friends asked me about "what is the ayat for this & that purpose?", "surah for this & that purpose?", example, "what is the ayat to calm my turbulence heart?", or "what surah to make my child/unborn child genius?", etc.

my standard answer would be "you read al-Quran, and ask forgiveness from Allah (istighfar)".

i believe that al-Quran had been sent to us through Muhammad SAW as a 'user manual' for us, not as a kind of 'medicine' or something to save you from any harm. and al-Quran is just a book, unless when we read it. and the whole al-Quran is asy-syifaa'.

should not read it during certain time or certain surah e.g. Surah Maryam, Yusuf, etc ONLY to be read during pregnancy for this & that purpose. should not only reading Yaasin on Friday night. and should not only read al-Quran only when you're on the praying mat.

i put myself in a lucky group for being born in a Malay family that made me a Muslim automatically. however, sometimes we take this for granted, cos we're born Muslim, it complacents us enough to 'no need to learn & do research bout Islam' until it makes us confuse between Islamic practice and Malay practice.

among the 'confusions' is how we treat the Holy Book. let's see...

MALAY PRACTICES:
1. keep al-Quran at the highest shelf to show our respect.
2. don't let children 'play' with al-Quran.
3. al-Quran is very exclusive & should be read on the praying mat/in the masjid.
4. be properly dressed to read al-Quran.
5. etc.

actually there's nothing wrong with above, cos they're also should be our manner toward al-Quran. but, what i can see the effects from 'improperly managed' those manners:
1. it's placed high and hard to get it frequently. then only the ants read.. or for exhibition. al-Quran should be 'treated' like other books and vice versa. keep it at lower shelf so that it is easy to access. and other books are also 'ilmu'. dont put them 'down'.
2. kids are not familiar with al-Quran and quite hard to make them love 'mengaji'.
3. when we're away from those places we do not familiar with reciting it at any other places, i.e., in the bus/train, while waiting for our order/friend in a restaurant, etc.
4. so many excuses for 'not able' to recite al-Quran.
5. etc.

i also heard many excuses to make them 'not able' to perform this practice:
1. don't understand Arabic so better read other articles.
2. can't recite al-Quran well.
3. -ditto- & afraid of sin if read it incorrectly.

but,
1. have you ever heard about Terjemahan or Translation? if you still confuse, go get an easy Tafsir. or find someone to help.
2. there's a hadith mentions 'for those who recite al-Quran well, he'll get 1 pahala. & those who can't do it well (but still reading) will get 2 pahala. so, enjoy the priviledge!
3. that's why we're asked to learn..

well, reading al-Quran is not a compulsory, meaning if you don't read it, you won't be punished. but imagine this, you entered exam hall and answer the paper without reading the instruction carefully. then after the paper is returned to you, you got 0% because of the instruction 'do not answer anything' that you didnt read. it is not compulsory to read the instruction, right? but for not reading it, you get 0%.

ok maybe it's a bit harsh. imagine you have a luxury car, with luxury color and fabulous look. but the speed limit is only 20km/h. how long will it takes you to your destination, compared to those cars with 240km/h speed limit?

and leave the mindset of 'i get this because i recite this surah/ayat'. it's not because the power of any ayat to bestow any bless, all comes from Allah's love (rahmat). the ayat/surah somehow is only our effort. do what He loves and leave things He hates. we'll get anything we want, insya-Allah (& at least a mind with serenity if we dont/cant have it).