The Qur’an lies squarely at the center of the Islamic system of guidance. It is the fountainhead of Islamic learning and the ultimate standard for judging the veracity and merit of all other propositions. Accordingly, Muslims maintain a reverence for it inasmuch as it is the word of God; we regularly read it in Arabic whether or not we understand it, and the particularly conscientious among us may even study its translation and exegesis. All withstanding, I believe many of us lack a sophisticated understanding of the precise role the Qur’an is meant to play in the guidance of humankind. In what follows, I offer some thoughts to help develop such an understanding and to outline a methodology for practically and realistically benefitting from the Qur’an.