All praises and thanks be to Allah SWT. Abundant salutations be upon our beloved Nabi Muhammad SAW. 
I was invited to be a guest speaker at the Shukrul Mubeen 7th Annual Ladies Qira’at Program. I didn’t actually know about the program, as Mu’alimah Mariam Gallie messaged me on Facebook, but I didn’t check my messages until yesterday afternoon. If one of my friends was asked to speak she would have definitely declined, because her temperament requires lots of time to mentally and spiritually prepare. My spontaneous nature on the other hand didn’t think twice, even though I had little idea what I was going to speak about until shortly before it was my turn to address the audience.

As I sat there and listened to Mu’llimah Maghmoodah Taliep, I felt like Allah SWT was speaking to me as she recited the āyāt from Surah TaHa: 

رَبِّ اشْرَحْ لِي صَدْرِي وَيَسِّرْ لِي أَمْرِي وَاحْلُلْ عُقْدَةً مِنْ لِسَانِي يَفْقَهُوا قَوْلِي

I made du’a to Allah SWT to guide my words. So after an elaborate introduction, which made me feel uncomfortable, instead of speaking about what I had spent time preparing, I shared my story of becoming a haafidha. 

Prelude

At high school I was an ordinary teenager, with big ambitions to study business and become a success: to be wealthy and live the life. The materialistic life of a corporate career, fancy shmancy car, house, overseas holidays, handsome bae and 2.5 children. 

The story starts. 

I was 17 years old. I had just matriculated and was on a gap year before I was to start university. The year was 2011. The date was the 2nd of March – My teacher Ml. Radia Bawa’s birthday. Our class threw a little surprise party for her. Her mother, Ml. Hajir spoke about their hifth journey and not merely encouraged us, but urged us to make the intention to memorise the Qur’an. So I did. And the rest is history. 

So I urge you to make the intention to memorise the Quran. I never truly appreciated Ramadan and tarāwīh salaah until I memorised the Quran. 

Okay, when I said that the rest is history, I didn’t quite mean that. I was just being a bit dramatic. But what is noteworthy is how ALLAH facilitates for you. 

I didn’t think about the decision. I didn’t make istikhara about it. I didn’t discuss it with my parents. Sometimes we think, I don’t have transport, I don’t have money, I don’t have the brain capacity to memorise the Qur’an. Stop. The intention is upon you; the facilitation is upon Allah. 

At that same gathering, one of my classmates, Sister Najwa, told me about the hifdh schools at Masjidul Quds in Gatesville. I came home and told my mom that I want to start hifdh. We went to the masjid. I asked someone where the hifdh school was and I was directed to Ml. Mariam Londt. I had no idea who she was. My mother paid my registration fees and Ml. Mariam gave me a copy of Juz 30 recited by Sh. Ismail Londt. I had no idea who he was. (I came from a different world). But the point here is that there was effort made. Sometimes we make the best of intentions but don’t put in any effort. 

Back to my story, she said something to the effect that she’ll check my recitation and I’ll start with learning to recite if it’s not good enough. I really didn’t want to be put back. She made me recite the first page of Surah Baqarah, which I recited fluently only because my mother used to recite it in the car growing up. So she said I could start memorising the next day. SubhanAllah. If she asked me to recite anywhere else, I would have struggled. 

I looked for a 15-liner mus-haf (because that’s what Ml. Hajir recommended) and I found a colour-coded 15-liner. Colour-coded 15-liners aren’t readily available in South Africa but I found one – in my home. I needed a colour-coded one because I knew nothing about tajwīd at that point in time. 

A few short years later, I have memorised the Quran, with understanding, and I’m a teaching the Quran, Alhamdulillah. The Prophet SAW said that Indeed Allah has family amongst mankind. The people of the Quran are the family of Allah and His chosen ones. You’d have to be crazy not to want to be of the family of Allah. 

So my message is to take one step towards Allah, and He’ll take ten steps towards you. 

With best of du’as for your worldly and Hereafter success,

Wasfeeya

Bismillah 

All Praises and thanks are due to Allah SWT. Abundant salutations be upon our beloved Nabi Muhammad SAW

Something I learned (from a YouTube video):

6 things to know before getting married:

1. Your husband will not make you happy. Sounds simple enough, but don’t put that expectation on him. 

2. Allah is truly your only source of fulfilment. 

3. You won’t magically mature after marriage. The person you are before marriage is the same person you’ll be after marriage, with the same struggles. 

4. Cultivate more of a selfless, others-focused heart, instead of such an independent, self-focused mindset. 

5. Domestic skills are extremely useful

6. Selflessness is the key to a vibrant marriage. 

Something I contemplated 

“marriage is a funny thing- it’s kind of like reallllllly yummmmy-looking cake- but when you bite into it, it’s not that yummy anymore… most people can live with it being unsoyummy and eat it still, while some will spit it out, or waste it.”

The above is a comment I read on one of dreamlife’s posts about marriage. It had me in stitches😂. I’m still on the side of marriage where it looks reallllllly yummmmy. 

Something I experienced

(This one has nothing to do with marriage.) I played scrabble for class for the very first time! I’ve played Junior Scrabble before so this was the first time playing big people’s scrabble. We could only use words related to developmental psychology. Such a fun way to end off our term. 

I’m pleased that I didn’t miss a single session of my 12-week module (Developmental Psychology B). *Pats myself on the back* 

With best of du’as for your worldly and Hereafter success,

Wasfeeya 

Bismillah 

I was waiting all week for my period, but as Murphy’s law had it, there it was. Before Fajr. On the very first day of Ramadan. Alhamdulillah.

Counting my blessings

As a student of Qur’an, I’m extremely blessed that I even though for the past nine days, I couldn’t fast, I couldn’t make salaah or go to the masjid for tarāwīh, at least I could recite Qur’an. And that’s all that mattered to me. 

This is because I appropriate the Maliki math-hab with regards to the ruling for reciting during menses. May Allah SWT bless Imam Malik! Rahmatullahi Alayhi. What would I do without him? As a visual learner, listening to recitation doesn’t help much. And the Qur’an is of such a nature that the memorisation doesn’t stay if not revised. It’s like building a wall only to break it down again. 

I am grateful that in Cape Town this is the norm, and what most Qur’an institutes do, but in other parts of South Africa and the world, people are very strict about following their math-hab’s ruling. 

Excerpt from Islam Question & Answer:

“Preventing a menstruating woman from reciting Qur’aan deprives her of the chance to earn reward, and it may make her forget something of the Qur’aan, or she may need to recite it for the purposes of teaching or learning. 

…the evidence of those who allow a menstruating woman to recite Qur’aan is stronger.

If a woman wants to err on the side of caution, she can limit her recitation to the passages which she is afraid of forgetting.”

With best of du’as for your worldly and Hereafter success,

Wasfeeya

I once wondered why I’m not being tested. Allah tests those He loves, so doesn’t He love me? 

No one speaks about about being tested with ease. ‘Cause it seems glamorous. No one ever says “make du’a for those experiencing ease.”

I have family in the Middle East who are suffering on a daily basis, and here I am in sunny South Africa, in one of the most beautiful cities in the whole wide world, getting to learn (and teach) the best of books every day. I have nothing to complain about. Nada. Oh wait. Just maybe poor me is a lil lonesome and wouldn’t mind a companion. But I am pretty fulfilled within myself for the most part. Alhamdulillah. 

I once watched a video where the speaker was saying we pray for the people in Syria but we don’t pray for the people in Dubai. The difference is that the people in Syria are being tested with difficulty while the wealthy in Dubai are being tested with ease and luxury. He said that we should be praying for the people in Dubai [i.e. those who have it all]. The Muslims of Syria already have their Jannah earned and their ranks are being raised because of their hardships, whilst those who have it all are partying it up in Dubai [note: I know that’s a sweeping generalisation, but you get the point]. 

It took a friend to point out to me that good times/ ease is my test. And it is actually harder than the test of difficulty. Because it isn’t obvious. I mean, I didn’t even realise I was being tested. So it’s far easier to fail this type of test. (In which case, I probably am miserably failing.)

Tough questions I need to ask myself (every day😬), and you can ask yourself too: 

Am I grateful enough to Allah SWT?Am I making the best use of my time and resources?

Am I giving enough?

Am I fulfilling my obligations of knowledge? 

Am I fulfilling my obligations of time? trusts? family? wealth? Other?

If I took account of myself, would I be satisfied or would I fall short?

Someone once advised me to never ask Allah for which tests you want and which you don’t want. Why? Because HE is AL-HAKEEM. He tailor-makes your tests for you. And doesn’t He know you better than you know yourself?

Book review: “Towards Hifdhul Qur’aan: a Journey of Inspiration” by Haafidha Rayhaanah Omar

Format: ebook 

Price: tbc

Available: tbc 

I was really excited when this ebook was released. However, I generally don’t buy e-resources since I haven’t exhausted all of the free resources available online. So I was elated when one of my students gifted me with it. 

There are many inspiring stories and articles in the book which I have previously read online, and I would kinda expect original content if I were to pay for a book. 

Nevertheless, it is a collection of heartwarming pieces – one for each day of the month – that you can read over and over again to rekindle the desire for Qur’an within. 

I have to mention that it is neatly laid out and sprinkled with a touch of pink – my fave colour, and hearts – my fave shape. Plus, an inspirational ayah borders the bottom of every page. 

Every aspiring haafidha should have a copy to go to for motivation. 

Bismillah 

I decided to stay home today. I wasn’t prepared to read the same set of ajzaa for the third time. I hadn’t prepared it yesterday nor the previous day. It’s due to this block that I mentioned in my previous post. Self-sabotage. But then I remembered that it’s Thursday – which means that my friend-turned-student takes me home and we have class at my house after Thuhr. I didn’t want to break our routine. 

I ended up knowing the set of ajzaa after all. Not perfectly, but satisfactorily. I felt glad that I went to class and resolved to never miss class. 

I love teaching this students mine not only ’cause she’s a friend but ’cause she’s a student of deen, so all the Arabic terms in tajwīd aren’t foreign to her. I’m determined to write a tajwīd book InShaAllah, ’cause I am particular about explaining using my own terms and word order. But I felt like that would be disrespectful to my teachers. Being a student of deen, she reminded me that Imam Shafi’i disagreed with Imam Abu Hanifa’s work in his lifetime and formulated what we know as the Shafi’i math-hab. Talk about motivation💪. 

FYI I came across an excellent 4-part tajwīd series that I recommend you to watch. 

Then I had my developmental psychology class this evening, which I looked forward all week since last week. I love the stimulation of the subject and going to campus. One of my classmates, Gemma, brings me such joy just by being her entertaining, witty, authentic self. She really is a gem of a person. I’m going to miss her next term, but I’m sure our paths will cross again. 

Other stuff during the day:

• Attending to plans relating to Mom’s upcoming graduation lunch. 
• Seeing to my Quran Institutes directory admin. Watch this space. 
• Amending some Zahraa Institute admin. Check out the upcoming, exciting Qur’an Tour:

As always, with best of du’as for your worldly and Hereafter success,

Wasfeeya

+27793500024

Wasfeeya@gmail.com

Bismillah

I was nominated by Yusra; so check out her blog. Thank you Yusra. Your nomination is highly appreciated. 

The Rules:

 • Thank the person/persons who nominated you in a blog post and link back to their blog.

 • Answer the 11 questions sent by the person who nominated you.

 • Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.

 • List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo on your post and/or on your blog.

My 11 questions and answers:

What made you start blogging?
I’ve always loved reading other people’s blogs and toyed with the idea of starting my own until a friend encouraged me to actually start. I’ve been an active blogger ever since and I haven’t looked back. 

What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve ever made in your life?

The biggest sacrifices I made was during the time I was memorising the Qur’an – I had limited freedom to do me. 

Who is someone that has impacted your life and why?

Mu’allimah Radia Bawa has made the biggest impact on my life, because Allah changed my life through her guidance, Alhamdulillah. May Allah SWT grant her Jannatul Firdous bi ghari hisāb. Āmīn. 

What is something you hope to accomplish before you die?

I hope to accomplish the 10 qira-at before I die, bi-ithnillah (amongst many other things I’d love to accomplish). 

What is something kind that you did but nobody knew about it?

Well it would no longer be unknown if I broadcasted it now, would it? 

What is the craziest thing someone has said to you?

You’ll be Nouman Ali Khan’s best student. How I wish. 

What cause are you most passionate about?

I’m currently most passionate about people realizing what hifth is actually about so people go into it with open eyes, minds and open hearts of course. And also improving the journeys of those who have already embarked on it. 

What is something you’ve done for yourself?

I’ve bungee jumped – most amazing experience ever, Alhamdulillah. 

What makes you different?

My uniqueness. My mind. My perspective. I don’t fit neatly into a box. I’m blessed that I’m not just Islamically educated (to a certain extent) but also academically educated (Or at least currently in the process). Side note: Maybe that’s why I’m still single. Haha. 

If you could, would you live your life again, with the chance to make different choices?

I’d most definitely choose to live my life again with completely different choices. 

Who was the last person to smile at you? 🙂 

Sorry, I’m not sure.

My 11 Nominations:

1. Fatima-Zahra
2. Ayesha Salwary
3. ABK
4. Yacoob
5. Ruqaiyah
6.  The Secret Life of a Hafidha
7.  Hifthing 
8. HifzGems 
9. Umm Kulthoom
10. Al-Maher bil-Qur’aan
11. Hifdh Qur’aan

My 11 questions:

1. Why do you blog?
2. What is your greatest accomplishment?
3. What do you believe is your personal mission on this earth?
4. What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
5. What is your favourite quote?
6. Where would you love to be right now?
7. What was the greatest challenge you’ve faced and overcame?
8. Are you left-brain or right-brain oriented?
9. What is your dream destination and why?
10. Pick an all time favorite book that you think we should all read.
11. What piece of advice would you share as your last words before you pass away?

With best of du’as for your worldly and Hereafter success,

Wasfeeya 
+27793500024

wasfeeya@gmail.com 

All praises and thanks be to Allah SWT Who blessed us with the Glorious Qur’an. Abundant salutations be upon our beloved Nabi Muhammad SAW. 

I remember the first time I heard my teacher recite. Almost two years ago. “This is how Prophet Muhammad SAW recited” was the first thing that came to my mind. Her recitation was the hadith enlivened. I could clearly hear every letter individually within every word of the ayah, along with their sifaat – The very definition of tajwid. I had never heard anyone recite as meticulously as that before. There was no melody. But it brought a stillness to my heart. 

I could also hear that she was a little nervous. She’s not one for public recitals. Ever. It was only out of obligation due to being a judge at the (females-only) Qur’an competition that I was taking part in. She eventually stopped reciting; she selected ayat and asked her fellow judge to recite on her behalf. 
She’s not a lady of many words. Again, embodying the Prophetic teaching of not speaking unnecessarily. Something I couldn’t practice even if I tried. We live in a society where everyone is entitled to have an opinion on everything. 

I asked her to give us naseeha (advice) in class once, but I’m still waiting. When I’m asked to give naseeha I usually am happy to be asked and will immediately share whatever comes to mind without thinking about it. I remind myself that it’s rather dangerous to give naseeha when the Qur’an says, “Oh you who believe, why do you say that which you do not do?” It has happened that I’ve given advice and ended up stopping doing the thing I advised. (May Allah SWT forgive me and guide me and us all. Āmīn)

It’s my teacher’s birthday today so yesterday I joked with her to bring us cake. She wasn’t raised with celebrating birthdays. She said they sometimes forget it’s their birthday. I think that’s really admirable. Celebrating brings out one’s nafs – it’s about what I want as a gift, what I want to do, who I want to be with. I tried not celebrating my birthday once, and my nafs found it sad; ’cause it’s used to the wishes and the gifts and the feeling special for the day. 

Anyway, so I asked whether they celebrated when she finished memorising a juz and when she completed. She had to think for a moment and said she couldn’t really remember, but no. She shared that her father said (something to the effect that) the completion of the Qur’an is a gift in itself and they as parents can’t give her anything that comes close to it. SubhanAllah! That really blew me away. I used to imagine my future kids’ gifts and parties for memorising Qur’an but now I know that the best gift is no gift. No physical gift, but the gift of what true sincerity & humility means. 

With best of du’as for your worldly and hereafter success,

Wasfeeya

+27793500024

wasfeeya@gmail.com

Some things I learned this month (March). This post is overdue, but rather late than never, right?So here goes:

Something I read:

If you could choose your destiny/fate, you would choose what Allah chose for you. SubhanAllah. 

Something I’ve struggled with up until I studied ‘Aqeedah last year was reconciling what I chose for my life and what Allah chose for me. I wrote my Moulana a letter after class, out of gratitude for facilitating the contentment that that precious knowledge brought me. 

Something I learned:
I love asking people for marriage advice, so I asked the lady who kindly drops me home for some advice. She’s been married for 30 years. She said that before you make du’a for Allah to grant you a pious husband, first ask him to make YOU pious, and to grant YOU all the good qualities you want in a husband. 

Something that works for me:

I have two email accounts, both gmail, and they’re linked so it’s convenient to switch between the two. One is for business and one is for pleasure. So one is used for subscriptions and some social media accounts while the other is for things to attend to. I don’t use the gmail tabs, I’m still old school. But this works for me. I’m not the most organized person in the world but I star things that I want to read later and I have labeled folders to categorise various topics. I’m proud of myself for keeping up fairly neat inboxes. 

Some things I heard:

It was an absolute pleasure to learn from Sheikh Yahya Ibrahim in person after having watched him on YouTube. “Love Stories from the Qur’an” was something different and I learned new stuff I didn’t know before, like the story of Ayyūb AS, the fact that Yusuf AS married the wife of the Aziz after all, and the test of Dawūd AS mentioned in Surah Saad. 

“This lady said to me, “I married a man with a Fajr beard.” I said, “What’s a Fajr beard?” She said,”He’s got a beard that looks like he prays Fajr. I got the beard but not the Fajr!”” – Sh. Yahya Ibrahim.

“Love is the peak of ‘ubudiyyah to Allah.” – Sh Yahya Ibrahim 

Some places I tried

I read on a blog that I cannot recall the details of, that you should regularly experience adventure. Adventure doesn’t have to be outrageous, even just trying a new restaurant can be an adventure. So I tried breakfast at Caturra Coffee Bar, lunch at Syriana and supper at Saray – not all on the same day! 😅 They’re all strictly halāl places btw. I was excited to eat kunafa at Syriana – a delicacy I last had in Dubai years ago! 

Breakfast at Caturra Coffee Bar

Virgin Cosmo at Saray

The most sunnah Nikaah I’ve ever witnessed. It was simple, jovial, blessed. From the day they chose, Monday, being a favourite day of the Nabi SAW, encouraging everyone to fast and offering a simple iftaar, on the floor, according to the sunnah. I arrived after Maghrib to jovial nasheed. There were short talks, the actual Nikaah and Salawaat. They gave out a little plate of snacks and an ice cream to take home. Sweet. May Allah SWT grant me a simple, most blessed nikaah one day. Āmīn. 

Iftaar on the floor of the masjid

The Bride

Standing for the Salawaat

I’m at the point in my life where I’m finding the balance between the perception of practicing Islam in a more rigid manner and approaching an adaptable lifestyle that I believe Islam’s meant to be. I mean a sort of balance between the strictly “no movies, no music, black abaya-only, get married young and have babies” type of Muslim to pleasing Allah by being authentically, comfortably me, and open to respecting and practicing differences of opinion. As I’ve studied, I thought I’d become stricter but I’ve actually become more accepting and tolerant, of myself firstly and of others.   

That’s a wrap for March’s edition of “Some things I learned”. Don’t be shy to comment or contact me directly to get in touch. 

With best of du’as for your worldly and Hereafter success,

Wasfeeya

+27793500024

wasfeeya@gmail.com