Documentation
How to use Tafsir Notebook
Tafsir Notebook takes the friction out of taking notes on the Quran. No copy-pasting ayat, no screenshots, no separate docs — click the surah, ayah or word you want to note, type, save. This guide walks you through each piece.
Getting Started
Create your account
Go to tafsirnotebook.com/signup and create a free account with your email or sign in with Google. You'll receive a confirmation email — click the link to activate your account.
Navigate the Quran
Once signed in, you'll see the sidebar listing all 114 surahs with their Arabic names and English transliterations. Use the search bar at the top to find a surah quickly by name or number. Click any surah to open it.
Reading view
Each surah displays the Arabic text in large, clear font with the English translation below each ayah. The ayah number appears on the right. Annotated words are highlighted in amber.
Your dashboard
The dashboard gives you an overview of your study activity — total notes broken down by word, ayah and surah, your most recent annotations, recently visited surahs, and any surahs you've marked as complete. It's your home base for picking up where you left off.
Annotating Words
Word-level notes attach to a single Arabic word. Perfect for a root meaning the teacher just explained in class, a vocabulary note from your Arabic textbook, or a grammatical observation — tied forever to the exact word it belongs to.
Click any Arabic word
Hover over any word in the Arabic text and click it. A note modal will appear.
Write your note
Type your annotation — the root meaning, grammatical form, a tafsir excerpt, or a personal reflection. Up to 4,000 characters.
Save
Click Save. The word will now appear highlighted in amber to indicate it has an annotation. Click it again anytime to view or edit.
Word translation:When you click a word, the note modal shows the English translation of that specific word (from Saheeh International) beneath the Arabic — handy for quickly confirming which word you've selected before writing your note.
Tip: Watching a tafsir lecture that keeps digging into word roots? Pin the video on one side of your screen, keep the ayah open here, and click words as the sheikh mentions them.
Ayah Notes
Ayah notes attach to a full verse. Ideal for tafsir points from a class, a reflection you had while doing tadabbur, a cross-reference to another ayah, or a teaching point you want ready before your next halaqah.
Click "Note this ayah"
Below each ayah's English translation, click the Note this ayah button (pencil icon).
Write your commentary
Add your verse-level note — tafsir excerpts, lessons learned, questions for further study, or personal reflections.
View existing notes
Ayahs with notes show them inline below the verse. You can edit or delete at any time.
Surah Notes
Surah-level notes sit at the top of each surah — great for the themes a teacher covers in the introduction of a tafsir series, Makki/Madani context, or the overarching lesson you want your students to walk away with.
Open the Surah Notes panel
At the top of every surah page, there is a collapsible Surah Notes bar. Click it to expand.
Click "+ Add note"
Click the amber button to open the note editor and write your surah overview.
Tip: Prepping a halaqah? Start with a surah-level note — themes, revelation context, what you want your students to take away — then drop ayah and word notes for the specific stops you'll pause on.
Managing Notes
Editing a note
Click any highlighted word or existing note to open it. Make your changes and click Save — your note always stays attached to the exact word, ayah or surah you wrote it against.
Deleting a note
Open the note and click the Delete button. This action is permanent and cannot be undone.
Note privacy
Every note is private to your account by default. Whether it's a raw tadabbur reflection or lesson plans you're still drafting — no one else can see it.
Exporting Notes
Your notes are yours — export them whenever you want as a PDF, JSON, or Markdown file.
Export a single surah — Notes only
On any surah page, click the Export PDF button in the top-right corner of the surah header and choose Notes only. This exports a clean PDF of just the ayahs and words you've annotated, with your notes alongside them.
Export a single surah — Full surah + notes
Choose Full surah + notes from the same dropdown to export every ayah in the surah — Arabic text and English translation — with your annotations displayed inline where they exist. Useful for printing a complete study copy.
Export all your notes
Go to Settings → Export to download all your notes across every surah at once. Three formats are available: PDF (printable, formatted), JSON (structured data), and Markdown (plain text, works in Notion, Obsidian, etc.).
Reminder:We don't run automatic backups yet. Export your notes regularly to keep a local copy safe.
Tracking Progress
Keep track of which surahs you've finished studying so you always know where you are in your tafsir journey.
Mark a surah as complete
On any surah page, click the Mark complete button in the top-left of the surah header. It turns green with a checkmark. Click it again to unmark.
View completed surahs on the dashboard
Your dashboard shows a Completed surahs section with a X/114 counter and links back to each completed surah.
Your Account
Dark mode
Toggle dark mode using the moon/sun icon in the top-right corner of the app. Your preference is saved automatically.
Signing out
Click your name or initials in the top-right corner and select Sign out.
Send feedback
Found a bug or have a suggestion? Click the Feedback button in the bottom-right corner of the app, or open your user menu (top-right) and choose Send Feedback. You can attach a screenshot and we'll get back to you.
Need help?
Contact us at salaam@tafsirnotebook.com and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.
ٱقْرَأْ
Ready to take your first note?
Create a free account. Open any surah. Click, type, done.
Create free account