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Wasfeeya Altalib

~ Welcome to my blog, where I'll be sharing diary posts, bios, motivation & resources. | For hifdh mentorship, contact me on 0793500024 or email wasfeeya@gmail.com.

Wasfeeya Altalib

Tag Archives: Hifdh

8 years since day 1

03 Sunday Mar 2019

Posted by Wasfeeya in Hifdh Diary, Inspiration, Motivation, Reflections

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Haafidha, haafizah, hafidhah, Hifdh, Hifth, Hifz, Islam, memorising Qur'an, Qur'an memorisation, Quran, Qurʾān

Bismillah

All praises and thanks be to Allah SWT. Abundant salutations be upon His beloved Messenger SAW.

Why me?⁣⁣

People usually ask that when something bad happens to them, but this was the most blessed thing anyone could ask for. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

I couldn’t accept the fact that Allah chose me. Why me? Why not my brother with the impressive memory?⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

“Rather, it [the Qur’an] is distinct verses [preserved] in the chests of those who have been given knowledge…” (Qur’an, 29:49)⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

Allah says they have been *given* knowledge. Which means He granted me this gift; so I should appreciate it. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

It was not, however, handed to me on a silver platter. It was actually the most difficult thing I’ve done. I couldn’t even imagine completing and knowing the whole Qur’an at once. It seemed impossible. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

But I went to hifdh school day in, day out. I begged Him to get me though each and every day. I implored Him for sincerity constantly. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

“Then we caused to inherit the Book those We have chosen of Our servants…” (Qur’an, 35:32).⁣⁣⁣⁣

Alhamdulillah. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

May Allah SWT accept from me and you, and make us true people of the Qur’an, so that on the day it is said to us “Recite and ascend, and recite as you used to recite in the [previous] world…” we will be able to do so effortlessly🤲🏻 Āmīn⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

3 March 2019⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

8 years since my first Hifdh lesson, 3 March 2011. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

⁣

⁣#hifth #quran #hifdh #quranmemorisation #motivation #islam #alhamdulillah #inspiration #goals #aakhirah

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Thoughts along the road

24 Monday Apr 2017

Posted by Wasfeeya in Hifdh Diary, Reflections

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haafidh, Haafidha, haafizah, hafidhah, Hifdh, Hifz, huffadh, ijaza, Qur'an memorisation, Quran, Qurʾān, sanad

Bismillah. All praises and thanks are due to Allah, who blessed us with the Glorious Qur’an. Abundant salutations be upon our beloved, Nabi Muhammad SAW. 

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you’ll know that I like reaching milestones, and recording them. They are more for myself to look back on than anything else, ’cause I happen to be a rather sentimental being.

So today, despite my bare minimal effort, I completed my 20th juz, by the will and help of Allah, towards my khatm for sanad and ijaza in Hafs ‘An ‘Asim. Alhamdulillah.

But I find myself asking myself what I’m doing. Am I just doing this for the sake of achievement? To gain credibility? Is it really necessary? My tajwīd is good enough Alhamdulillah so why carry on?

Or is Shaytaan trying to steer me off the path I’m on? Am I being tested? Tempted?


Reminder to myself of some of the reasons I’m doing this:

  • To teach my future kids one day (inShaAllah). (Hopefully the future husband won’t need my help🙈)
  • To be a better teacher to my current and future students (inShaAllah).
  • To preserve the qirā-āt and make its knowledge widespread and as common as memorisation by the permission of Allah.

Oh Allah, I beg of You to grant me sincerity of deeds and actions. Don’t take my life until you’re pleased with me. Āmīn.

With best wishes for your worldly and Hereafter success,

Wasfeeya

+27793500024

wasfeeya@gmail.com

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Forgetting Qur’an

10 Tuesday May 2016

Posted by Wasfeeya in Advice

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Tags

Haafidha, hafidhah, Hifdh, Hifz, huffadh, huffath, memorising Qur'an, Qur'an memorisation, Quran, Qurʾān

Bismillāhir-Rahmānir-Raheem. In the Name of Allāh, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. All praise and thanks are due to Allāh (SWT), who blessed us with the Glorious Qur’ān. Abundant salutations be upon our beloved teacher and role model, the first haafidh, Nabi Muhammad (SAW).

One of my blog followers from Bangladesh asked me a question about hifdh and salaah. I was looking for the following hadith:

Regarding the salaah: The Prophet Muhammad said, “When the Companion of the Qur’ān performs Salah, reciting it by night and day, he retains it and if he doesn’t [use it in] Salah he forgets.”
Source: Silsilah Ahadeeth as-Saheehah no. صحيح – 597 [Sahih]
when I came across this on Islam Q & A and I couldn’t stop myself from sharing it. It is a reminder to myself first!

Undoubtedly forgetfulness is something that is natural in man, and man is only called insaan because of his forgetfulness (nasiy). Usually this varies from one person to another, according to the differences in the strength of the memory that Allaah has created in His slaves.

 The Qur’aan “escapes” from the heart if the Muslim does not constantly and regularly review what he has memorized of it.

The reason for this may be that it is a test of people’s hearts, to show the difference between the one whose heart is attached to the Qur’aan and regularly recites it, and the one whose heart is attached to it only whilst memorizing it, then he loses interest and forgets it.

The reason may also be to give the Muslim a stronger motive to recite the Qur’aan more frequently so as to attain the immense reward for every letter that he recites. If it were the case that he could learn it and never forget it, he would not need to read it frequently and then he would miss out on the reward for reciting and reviewing it regularly. Fear of forgetting it will make you keen to recite it so as to gain more reward with your Lord. For every letter you recite you will have one hasanah, and the reward for one hasanah is ten like it.

 The Messenger SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) urged us to read Qur’aan regularly lest we forget it. He warned us against being negligent in this regard, as was stated in numerous ahaadeeth, including the following:

 1-     The hadeeth narrated by al-Bukhaari from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The likeness of the one who memorizes the Qur’aan is that of the owner of a hobbled camel. If he tends to it regularly, he will keep it, but if he lets it go, he will lose it.” (al-Bukhaari, 5031).

 It is well known that if a camel escapes and runs away, it cannot be recaptured except with a lot of stress and difficulty. Similarly, if the person who memorizes Qur’aan does not regularly review what he has memorized, he will lose it and will require a great deal of effort to get it back.

 * Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar said in al-Fath (9/79), in his commentary on this hadeeth: so long as one constantly reviews it, what one has memorized will remain, as is the case with a camel, if it remains hobbled, you will keep it. The camel was singled out here because it is the most likely of domesticated animals to run away, and if it does run away, recapturing it is very difficult.

 2 – Muslim narrated in his Saheeh (no. 790 and 791) from Abu Moosa (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Read this Qur’aan regularly for, by the One in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, it is more likely to escape than a hobbled camel.”

 3 – Al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on him) narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah said: the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “It is not right for any one of you to say, ‘I have forgotten such and such.’ On the contrary, he has been made to forget. Try to review the Qur’aan, for it is more likely to escape from men’s hearts than camels.” (Saheeh al-Bukhaari, 5032).

 Al-Haafiz said in al-Fath (9/81): Ibn Battaal said, This hadeeth is in accordance with the two aayahs (interpretation of the meanings):

‘Verily, We shall send down to you a weighty Word’ [al-Muzzammil 73:5]

and

‘And We have indeed made the Qur’ân easy to understand and remember’ [al-Najm 54:17]

 So whoever strives to memorize it and recite it regularly, it will be made easy for him, and whoever turns away from it, will lose it.

 This is what encourages us to constantly review what we have memorized and to keep on reciting it, lest we forget it. The Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Alalah be upon him) gave this example because it is the best way to explain what he meant. He also confirmed it with his oath ‘by the One in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad’, to affirm the importance of constantly reciting the Qur’aan and reviewing what one has learned.

 3 – With regard to the report that Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: the Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Alalah be upon him) said: “The sins of my ummah were shown to me and there is no sin greater than that of a man who was given or  was helped to memorize a soorah or an aayah of the Qur’aan and then he forgot it.” This is a weak (da’eef) hadeeth which was classed as such by al-Bukhaari and al-Tirmidhi. See Takhreej Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh by al-Albaani, no. 720.

 Imaam Ibn al-Munaadi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Mutashaabih al-Qur’aan (p. 52):

 The Salaf were always afraid of forgetting Qur’aan after they had memorized it, because this was a shortcoming.

 Al-Suyooti said in al-Itqaan (1/106):

 Forgetting it is a major sin, as was stated by al-Nawawi in al-Rawdah and others, because of the hadeeth “I was shown the sins of my ummah…”

 One of the best ways to help oneself to remember what one has memorized and to make it firmly-entrenched is to recite it in one’s salaah, especially in Qiyaam al-Layl. The Salaf used to recite it during the day and when praying Qiyaam al-Layl.

 If you strive heard to review the Qur’aan regularly, there will be no sin on you even if you do forget some of it. The blame is on those who neglect it and fail to review it and read it regularly. We ask Allaah to forgive us.

 O Allaah, make the Qur’aan the life of my heart, the light of my breast, a departure for my sorrow and a release for my anxiety. O Allaah, teach us from it that which we do not know and remind us from it of that which we have forgotten, for You are the All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

Source: Islam Question and Answer

 

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Hifdh Diary (2)

23 Saturday Apr 2016

Posted by Wasfeeya in Hifdh Diary, Motivation

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Haafidha, hafidhah, Hifdh, Hifz, Qur'an memorisation

Bismillāhir-Rahmānir-Raheem

All praise and thanks are due to Allāh (SWT), who blessed us with the Glorious Qur’ān. Abundant salutations be upon our beloved teacher and role model, the first haafidh, Nabi Muhammad (SAW).

I apparently got my “jeems” right! I should’ve been ecstatic! But I didn’t believe my Mu’allimah this morning. I still don’t believe her. Last week I was contemplating giving up this whole reciting for sanad business. I even told my mu’allimah, “I don’t know if I should be doing this.” And then today, look.10353120_1007829825939266_5075930821533682018_n.jpg

 Sometimes you have to give yourself the pep talk, like,

“Hello you amazing human being. Don’t give up so easily. You’re doing great. Keep going!”  12742366_853079798154098_2711994799690933226_n.jpg

So to all the hifdh students out there, moms of hifdh students and to you, whatever you’re doing, keep at it! Just keep going. Put one foot in front of the other. Breathe. Take it a day at a time. 1795518_715329305165375_791364063_nWith best wishes for your hifdh success,

Wasfeeya

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Qur’an Goals

19 Tuesday Apr 2016

Posted by Wasfeeya in Inspiration, Motivation

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Haafidha, Hifdh, Hifz, Qur'an memorisation

Bismillāh
All praise and thanks are due to Allāh (SWT), who blessed us with the Glorious Qur’ān. Abundant salutations be upon our beloved teacher and role model, the first haafidh, Nabi Muhammad (SAW).

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As I renew my life goals tonight, I thought I’d share some with you to inspire you to write your own. Especially with the month of Qur’an coming up, first up should (ideally) be Qur’an goals, followed by spiritual goals. These are lifetime goals which should be broken up according to one’s ability and preference.

General Qur’an Goals

  • Learn to recite with tajweed (correct pronunciation)
  • Ensure your children or family recites with tajweed
  • Recite the entire Qur’an
  • Understand the Qur’an
  • Read tafseer of the entire Qur’an
  • Memorise suwar Mulk, Waaqi’ah, Sajda, Yaaseen etc. 
  • Memorise the entire Qur’an

Qur’an Goals for Huffaadh

  • Attain sanad & ijaaza in some or all of the 10 qira-aat (from memory)
  • Recite the whole Qur’an in one sitting (from memory)
  • Recite the complete Qur’an in salaah in one night (from memory)
  • Write down the entire Qur’an (from memory) 

Impossible? Actually, I personally know and have read or heard of people who have accomplished these goals, subhanAllah! May Allah preserve, reward and grant them the highest level of Jannah! And may Allah grant us tawfeeq (the ability and opportunity) to follow suit. Aameen!

Simultaneously work on life goals in other areas of your life.

Categories include:

  • Spiritual goals e.g. go on hajj
  • Skill-set goals e.g. public speaking
  • Physical goals e.g. exercise
  • Family goals e.g. get married 
  • Influence goals e.g. mentor others
  • Giving goals e.g. charity in cash or kind
  • Travel Goals e.g. all the continents
  • Financial Goals e.g. owning a successful business
  • Experience goals e.g. Mount Kilimanjaro

Once you’ve written these down, read them daily. This is a reminder to myself first. 

8e355989e12212c3efde652892d26ce0

with best wishes for your hifdh success,

Wasfeeya

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Hifdh Workshop [Course Book]

25 Friday Mar 2016

Posted by Wasfeeya in Advice, Motivation

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Hifdh, Hifth, Hifz, huffath, Qur'an memorisation, Qurʾān

Bismillāh
All praise and thanks are due to Allāh (SWT), who blessed us with the Glorious Qur’ān. Abundant salutations be upon our beloved teacher and role model, the first haafidh, Nabi Muhammad (SAW).

This post is a sneak peek into my course book for my upcoming hifdh workshop. Here’s the intro plus section one.

I write this course book with the intention of pleasing Allah by benefitting those who intend to memorise the Qur’an, those who are learning as well as parents of hifdh students.

I feel that hifdh has been glamourised. I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I made the intention to memorise the Qur’an. While I was learning, I always thought to myself, if I had known, I would never have started. Now that I’ve completed, I always think, if I had known, I would have thought about and done things differently.

It is my sincere intention to help others think about hifdh differently and do things differently, bi-ith-nillah (with the permission of Allah). With this in mind, this course book is written in the format of my thoughts, followed by what I should have done differently. It also integrates many of the resources I was fortunate to have access to while I was learning. This course book affords me the opportunity to compile and pass on these wonderful aids. I also aim to cover the “technical” aspect of hifdh such as correcting old mistakes and mutashabihat and the “other” side of hifdh: mental/emotional/spiritual etc.

I hope this compilation proves to be useful in-sha-Allah. I pray Allah grants us all tawfiq (opportunity and ability) to fulfill all that He loves. May Allah accept from me. All mistakes are from me and all that is good is from Him, Most Generous.

Section One

Mindset: “Box” vs “Journey”

My hifdh completion ceremony was perfect, Alhamdulillah. I looked like a bride and the ceremony looked like a small wedding. My mother and I had planned every detail, right down to the serviettes (for the cake ‘n tea afterwards).

My hifdh “journey” however, was the furthest as can be from perfection, glamour and beauty.

I put this word “journey” in inverted commas because I disagree with hifdh being a journey. Every journey has a destination, and with Qur’an memorisation, the supposed destination is completion. So being on the other side of completion, why do I feel like I’ve been fooled? Completion is supposedly an accomplishment, but how can it be when it’s still a work in progress? When every single day one still has to conscientiously revise, otherwise the memorisation will be forgotten. Forgotten in a flash, might I add.

When one is memorising, people ask, “How far are you?” but once one’s completed, nothing. Maybe one will get a “ma-sha-Allah” now and again. This proves people’s perception is all about reaching the finish-line.

I found memorising the Qur’an so difficult that I saw completion as the light at the end of the tunnel. In reality, the Qur’an was supposed to be the light. So what was I missing?

What I identify is that I had the “memorisation box” mindset as opposed to the “memorisation journey” mindset. I learned this from an awesome blog post by Qari Mubashir Anwar over at www.howtomemorisethequran.com. Here’s the post:

why-memorise-the-quran-1080x628.jpgWe need to start thinking beyond the ‘memorisation box’ and align our objectives to the Qur’an itself.

Why are you memorising the Qur’an?

When you ask people why they’re memorising the Qur’an or why they did so, you get typical responses.

– My mum or dad wanted me to do it;
– I did it for Allah;
– I wanted to gain the rewards for memorisation like the crown, the promise of ten and other things.

If I asked some of them whether they would have memorised if the case were different, I’d get a resounding no. No matter how worrying that might be, you can’t say the same for many hundreds of people. Many sacrifice everything to memorise and have clear intentions.

This is the matter I want to touch today: ‘mindset’.

There is a great truth that I have got to mention. We become too obsessed with ‘memorisation’. We become agitated and impatient for the finishing line. Parents get carried away with the desire for their children to memorise the Qur’an. Their thoughts get clouded by the great rewards in the hereafter and much more. Anyone would love to have a crown placed on their head on the Day of Judgment but, there’s a bigger picture to think about. Not for our sake but the sake of the memoriser.

What is it that people are missing?

There are two types of mindsets you can adopt:

(a) The Memorisation Box Mindset
(b) The Memorisation Journey Mindset

The Memorisation Box Mindset

This is looking at memorisation within the context of the Qur’an. The things mentioned above are examples. People concentrating on memorisation, the process, technique and completion. A focus on the mechanics but ignoring the dynamics. It’s a memorisation race mindset.

Frankly, it is a battle to move out of it.

You might change your mindset yourself but others around you might not. Your parents or your teachers may still have the same mindset. So you find yourself continually bombarded with questions and statements like:

– “How much have you memorised now?”
– “Why is memorisation taking you long for?”
– “You should be finishing within x number of years – what’s the matter?”
– “You should eat y and z, and recite a and b to boost your memory.”

Some of you may be thinking at this point, “Hey wait a minute, isn’t the work you do all about the memorisation box mindset?”

The content of what I advocate is that you should memorise the Qur’an with productivity. Which is why I concentrate on methods and practical advice. What I don’t do is advocate a sole concentration on ‘memorisation’. This is important. So in many ways it’s the memorisation journey that I explore, which is what we’ll look at now.

The Memorisation Journey Mindset

This is what you need to aim for. This is looking at memorisation in the context of Islam. In the context of Din: your transactional life with Allah. It’s about looking at memorisation as a journey of life as opposed to a journey to finish memorisation. And when that’s done, you’re done.

A shift from saying:

“What is my purpose in becoming a Hafidh?”

to

“What are my objectives for memorising in Islam, Din and life?”

This will work wonders for you.

Becoming a Hafidh is one thing, and memorising the Qur’an as a Muslim is another. If you make becoming “Hafidh” the end-goal of your mission there’s nothing wrong with that. It was my mission and it is likely to be or had been yours too. The thing is that it needs more depth. It needs context, it needs a step by step goal orientated journey.

For example, if it were a blanket statement: “I want to become a Hafidh in x number of days” what happens if you fail? You’ll make anew or you’ll think you’re a failure (maybe not).

If you said instead, “I’m going to start memorising the Qur’an because as a Muslim I believe that I have to do such and such a thing. And my first goal is to memorise the 30th chapter which I can then use to such and such a thing.” Like this you’re more likely to progress with better focus. You make small goals along the way that slowly build up to the finishing line.

Remember, memorisation is not a race or a marathon but it is a journey for life.

So what are some of the objectives of memorising the Qur’an under this mindset?

1. Seeking the acceptance and pleasure of Allah

This is without doubt amongst the most supreme intentions for memorising the Qur’an. Make this your aim. Remember these are the Words of Allah. You might tell me you are memorising because of your parents just like I might have. Perhaps instead say, “I seek the pleasure of Allah by fulfilling my duty to my parents.”

2. Seeking proximity with Allah and His Messenger

The Beloved of Allah, our master Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as narrated by ‘Umar b. Al-Khattab (May Allah be well pleased with him) said:

“Actions are valued according to the intentions, and every man is credited with what he intended. If someone’s emigration was to Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), his emigration was therefore to Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). And if someone’s emigration was to acquire worldly benefit or to take a woman in marriage, his emigration was to that which he emigrated.”

You may say I’m memorising because it is a dream of mine to be able to say “I have committed to memory 600+ pages containing the Words of Allah.” You should instead say, “I seek the pleasure and acceptance of Allah through aiming to protect His Words by Hifdh.”

One of the quickest ways to become close to Allah is to become closer to His Beloved (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). One of the prime methods to do so is through the Qur’an itself. So make proximity part of your mindset.

3. To improve your prayer and enjoy it

This is a basic thing, but it’s something that we’ve forgotten these days. Many Huffadh race to finish reading just like those who haven’t memorised. They always read the same verses when leading the prayer on rotate. Why would you memorise the Qur’an if you are just going to read certain chapters or portions all the time. There might be a genuine reason you’d do it like the Ansari mentioned in the Hadith of Anas, who used to recite Surah Ikhlas in every rak’ah. His reason was his love for the Surah because it speaks about Allah, upon which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said he would enter into Paradise.

But your memorisation should be a means to make your prayer better. You can recite long passages and short, you can recite from different places, or you can recite the whole Qur’an – why not.

This is something I never appreciated. My dad always told me to recite the Qur’an as revision in the daily prayers. He always told me to stop reading the smaller Suwar and recite other verses (when leading the prayer). I didn’t do it. Most people don’t do it. My reason for not doing so was in light of those praying behind me. I could easily start reading Surah Baqarah but you have to take into account others. There could be people who can’t stand for long and others who have to leave. Most people have to realise this through experience. I am no different. Start to recite the Qur’an as revision in the prayer. Just try it. Reciting in the prayer will make your memorisation stronger.

Remember a lot of people may only know between one to four chapters by heart, if not up to ten. Their prayers are on the same routine all the time. Pencil in your prayers as a goal.

A point related to this, and one that I find annoying is that memorisation has become about leading the Tarawih night prayers in Ramadan. As if memorisation is centred around it. I’ve found this to be the case in certain circles. Again this is all to do with mindset. This is wrong on so many levels. It illustrates one thing – people need to think more long term and adopt a broader mentality.

4. Enjoying recitation

The more you memorise the more you should enjoy it.

When memorising, you make so much repetition. Through that repetition, you make corrections and through that you improve your recitation. You should make the sweetness and enjoyment of the recitation of the Qur’an a goal. Memorising with this in your mindset makes listening to the Qur’an an enjoyment too. Don’t underestimate listening.

5. To inspire action according to the Qur’an

The Hadith which I discussed talks about the Sahib al Qur’an. As pointed out the word ‘Sahib’ can mean companion, friend, holder, keeper, or authority. Although I like to translate it as ‘reciter’, in the literal sense it is companionship. Here’s the Hadith:

‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Amr narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

“It will be said [on the Day of Judgement] to the reciter* of the Qur’an: ‘Recite and be uplifted [in your rank]! And recite in the distinct manner (Tartil) as you used to recite in the world. For indeed your rank [in Paradise] will be according to the last verse you recite.’”
– Al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Ibn Hibban, Al-Hakim, Bayhaqi, Ibn Abi Shaybah.

A companion holds a sense of friendship, loyalty, and most importantly – a continuum. If we took this Hadith to mean those who memorised the Qur’an, we can’t say so as a fact. But one thing for certain is the word ‘Sahib’. Memorisation itself is not the most spectacular thing according to this Hadith. It’s a means to an end.

Did you know that there are non-Muslims who read and memorise the Qur’an? What would make you different? – The emphasis on practice.

This is what the Hadith is indicating by the word ‘Sahib’. Some scholars have even said this reciter will only be able to recite those verses he or she had practised. The companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and may Allah be pleased with them) had this mindset. They would memorise something new until they’d put into implementation what they already had memorised. This is why this is a must in the memorisation journey mindset.

6. To become a guardian preserver of the Qur’an

Islam has always had an incredible oral tradition. Remember that we’re looking at goals within the context of Islam. The transmission of Islamic sciences has been through chains of authority. Hadith went through a rigorous transmission process and the principles then made solid. Likewise, the Qur’an is impossible to distort due to millions adhering to the same oral tradition.

Imam Muslim quotes from ‘Abdu’llah ibn al-Mubarak, who states: “The Isnad (chain of authority) is a necessary part of Din. If there was no chain of authority then everyone would have said whatever he wanted to say.”

So remembering this, no matter how much you memorise you are contributing to the preservation of the Qur’an.

7. Memorise as preparation for further studies

Knowing the Qur’an by heart creates a strong foundation for studying further and makes it easier. There are many traditional schools that make it a prerequisite that you are a Hafidh before you can study under them. Many great scholars also had and have the same policy.

Say you don’t intend to memorise the whole Qur’an, you can one day take what you’ve memorised to understand it, and act upon it. If you wanted to memorise the whole Qur’an but never made it there – you can use that memorisation to drive further study.

8. To inculcate a life-long love and engagement with the Quran

This process should already have begun before you learnt how to read the Qur’an. We learn, recited, and completed the Qur’an in the mosque but then left it. The reason is that there was no engagement. There was no love. I refuse to teach children aged 5 or 6 and have managed to do so 99% of the time. I prefer that they play and hear stories from the Qur’an instead. In this way, they grow up listening to the Qur’an knowing it as a story book from God! Following that they immerse themselves into the Arabic textual universe, all excited.

It seems, however, our aims are for children to despise the Qur’an. We have engineered everything in a way which it is void of any fun or meaning. In the context of memorisation, far too often we place we pressurise on ourselves or our children. The pressure is often the race to complete it. Despite wanting good, this results in the opposite.

When you’re memorising, you’re not doing it for the now but you’re going to be doing it for the rest of your life.

Those who find themselves pressurised either (1) quit (2) want to finish immediately or (3) finish and then never come back to it. When you sell a product or service and you do a great job, the customers remember it well but they won’t boast about it. If you got on their bad side, they’ll want to tell the whole world. Likewise, when you memorise under pressure you remember those days more than the good days.

9. Making engagement with the Qur’an easier

Engagement with the Qur’an centres around three things: (1) recitation, (2) study, and (3) reflection.

Recitation.

Memorising makes recitation easier. As a memoriser or someone who has memorised you are bound to recite more. Revision, prayers, invites, and wherever you may be. A Hafidh can make the simple plan of covering the revision via prayer – this is easy to do. You can cover at least a third of the Qur’an, so why read the last 20 surah all the time?

Study/Reflection.

Thousands of Huffadh do not study the translation of the Quran (if they have no understanding) even once ever.

After an amazing effort, they’ve done nothing. You have ample opportunity to do so. An opportunity far greater than those who haven’t memorised. Studying and reflecting over the Qur’an is for all mankind. Not just for scholars. Yes, perhaps there are a small number of verses to do with law that scholars attention is most needed, but the Qur’an is for us all to think over. Allah commands so. We just leave matters of derivative jurisprudence to the inheritors of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Thinking along in these three stages will improve your memorisation journey.

10. Making a life-long commitment to studying Islamic knowledge

If a child or adult has memorised the Qur’an, they’ve proven something: they can memorise, they are good at it. That means you can memorise anything else like the core texts of the Qur’an. So make it a goal when you memorise looking ahead whether that be texts of Tajwid or Hadith.

11. Gain the virtues of the Qur’an

You read and hear about many virtues from the salvation of the self and family members to the company of the elite angels and prophets. Notice that practice comes first, followed by virtue. Many of us make the rewards or virtues our sole goal. It should be within the mindset but in the end. The reason to include it in your mindset is that it allows you to contemplate over the hereafter and the rewards therein.

That’s it from me today.

Hope this is useful.

I pray Allah grants us all Tawfiq for all that He loves. All mistakes are from me and all that is good is from Him, Most Generous.

 

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Upcoming Hifdh Workshop

23 Wednesday Mar 2016

Posted by Wasfeeya in Hifdh Diary, Inspiration, Motivation

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Tags

hafidhah, Hifdh, Hifth, Hifz, memorising Qur'an, Qur'an memorisation

Bismillāh
All praise and thanks are due to Allāh (SWT), who blessed us with the Glorious Qur’ān. Abundant salutations be upon our beloved teacher and role model, the first haafidh, Nabi Muhammad (SAW).

I hate holidays! Okay maybe “hate” is too strong a word. Who hates holidays?!  It’s just that holidays are truly a test of self-discipline. I just want to read #dearfuturehusband quotes all day, but I’ve got reciting, academic readings and studying to do. I tend to waste a lot of time (embarrassed face). Astaghfirullah.

That’s why I decided to host my hifdh workshop this holiday. I chose a random date and put the word out, and then started preparing days later. That’s just how I roll. And I won’t apologise for it.

It’s a bit of a daunting task. There are so many videos, blog posts and hifdh guides to sift through. There is that hifdh workshop I attended as well, which I’d like to share, but I don’t want to copy anyone’s work. Blogging myself for the past year is definitely part of my prep, ’cause I’d like to share my journey. That way I definitely won’t be copying anyone’s work or sharing stuff that people can read on their own.

I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time now, and I’m looking forward to it in-sha-Allah. So if you’re in Cape Town and are a hifdh student, a prospective student or a mom of a student, then please come over and meet me in-sha-Allah! (Sisters-Only).

 

The Pursuit of Awesomeness (1)

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What are the Seven “Readings” of the Qur’an?

12 Saturday Mar 2016

Posted by Wasfeeya in Resources

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Haafidha, haafizah, Hifdh, Hifth, Hifz, huffadh, huffath, Qur'an memorisation

Bismillāh
All praise and thanks are due to Allāh (SWT), who blessed us with the Glorious Qur’ān. Abundant salutations be upon our beloved teacher and role model, the first haafidh, Nabi Muhammad (SAW).

13

Source: Ma’ariful Qur’an, Volume One by Moulana Mufti Muhammad Shafi’

14

Source: Ma’ariful Qur’an, Volume One by Moulana Mufti Muhammad Shafi’

15

Source: Ma’ariful Qur’an, Volume One by Moulana Mufti Muhammad Shafi’

16

Source: Ma’ariful Qur’an, Volume One by Moulana Mufti Muhammad Shafi’

17

Source: Ma’ariful Qur’an, Volume One by Moulana Mufti Muhammad Shafi’

 

 

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Hifdh Workshop (Session 2)

04 Friday Mar 2016

Posted by Wasfeeya in Hifdh Diary, Reflections

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hafidhah, Hifdh, Hifth, Hifz, memorising Qur'an, Qur'an memorisation, Qurʾān

Bismillāh
All praise and thanks are due to Allāh (SWT), who blessed us with the Glorious Qur’ān. Abundant salutations be upon our beloved teacher and role model, the first haafidh, Nabi Muhammad (SAW).

Today I was blessed to have conducted Session Two of my ongoing hifdh workshop, Alhamdulillah.

I honestly had no idea what I was going to present, but as I drove there, I said, “Allah, I have no idea what I’m going to speak about, but You do,” and I asked Allah to guide my words. All I knew was that I was going to learn from the last session and focus on one topic.

I brought along a book called “The Power of Your Subconscious Mind” by Dr. Joseph Murphy. It was already flagged at a story of a boy who was failing school and wanted to drop out, when the author helped him turn his life around by using the power of his subconscious mind.

So I first did a quick recap of my last session, to see whether the students remembered anything. Some points mentioned were:

  • “Why?” – Reasons for memorising the Qur’an
  • Ingredients for success: sincerity, humility, right action
  • A way to develop sincerity: Saying, “Oh Allah, this is for You” and “Oh Allah, accept from me”
  • Benefits of being a haafidha
  • Poem: “The Qur’an and Me”

Then I moved along and started with speaking about the subconscious mind  and I read and explained the story from the book. 

I also told them the story of how Jim Carrey went from being a nobody to being rich and famous, by using the power of the subconscious mind.

We did some practical excercises like an affirmation we did was to say, “I am a haafidha” and a visualisation of their hifdh completion ceremony. 

I ended off with the incredible story of Muhammad, who memorised the Qur’an in 50 days, subhanAllah! I had everyone contribute what lessons were learned from the story. Things like intention, sacrifice and effort. 

The girls came to realise that they had negative mindsets and they need change them into positive ones, in order to help them succeed. If I could change just one thing about my own hifdh journey, it would definitely be to constantly have a positive mindset.

If you’d like more tips to stay on track, tools to keep motivated or be mentored along your hifdh journey, you’re most welcome to contact me.

With best wishes for your hifdh success,

Wasfeeya

 

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A Haafidh in Two Months?!

04 Friday Mar 2016

Posted by Wasfeeya in Inspiration, Motivation

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Hifdh, Hifth, Hifz, Qur'an memorisation

Bismillāh
All praise and thanks are due to Allāh (SWT), who blessed us with the Glorious Qur’ān. Abundant salutations be upon our beloved teacher and role model, the first haafidh, Nabi Muhammad (SAW).

This story has been on the internet for a while on many websites, but I found that some people still haven’t read it or come across it, so if you haven’t, read this inspirational story and note some of the lessons afterwards.

“I recently heard an incredibly amazing account told by Shaykh Yasir Salamah, one of the leading Imams and recitors of Egypt. In his audio tape ‘When will I see you as a Haafidh?’ he speaks of the true account of Muhammad, a brother who after attending a workshop on memorising Qur’aan and utilising all the available mediums, went on to memorise the entire Qur’aan within just 50 days (i.e 2 months)

Within 2 months?!

Yes. Within 2 months. This is his account and he says:

“I declared a state of Jihad upon my soul and put death before my eyes. I made an intention to memorise the Noble Qur’aan. So I abandoned telephone calls and unnecessary visits, and I changed all the negative thoughts associated with hifdh (memorisation) to positive and practical ones e.g. When a thought came to me saying ‘I can’t do it!’ I’d say, ‘I can do it.’ If it said, ‘My memory is weak!’ I’d say ‘I take pleasure in having a great memory.’

I chose the masjid as the place of my hifdh as it preserves three:

1. The eyes
2. The ears
3. The tongue

I followed a specific dietary program consisting of eating dates, fruits and honey – and fasting helped me a great deal in that. I used to wake up before salaat al-Fajr by 2 and a half hours and I slept 2 hours after ‘Isha. I used to wake up for Tahajjud (the night prayer), prolonging my sujood wherein I would call upon Allaah ta’alaa to ease for me my affair. I would also seek forgiveness 100 times.

I began to memorise 5 pages and would recite them in the Sunnah prayers of Fajr. After salaat al-Fajr, I would begin the memorisation of 5 new pages and at the end, I would recite them in the 2 raka’ahs of salaat al-Duhaa, all the time thanking Allaah for easing the memorisation.

I would perfect the recitation of what I had memorised by listening to tapes of one of the recitors. I would read about the qiraa’ah in books or via the Muqaddimah al-Jazariyyah (poem on the ahkam of tajweed).

After salaat al-Dhuhr, I would repeat everything that I had memorised previously beginning from the 1st Juz, until salaat al-’Asr. After the ‘Asr prayer, I would repeat the new portion of hifdh and the juz before. After the Maghrib prayer, I would prepare the recitation of 10 new pages and it was only after salaat al-’Isha that I’d review the Qur’aan with my teacher, may Allaah reward him well.

Before retiring to bed, I would listen to all that I memorised in the day from cassettes and I would be sitting for 6 continuous hours, without any boredom or feeling tired. In the 1st week, I would sit for 6 hours, memorising and revising. In the 2nd week, I would sit for 8 hours. In the 3rd week, it was 10 hours and in the 4th week, it was 12 hours. In the last 10 days, I was sitting for 14 hours memorising and revising.

The hardest times for me were when it came to sleeping and eating. I ardently wished that the period of sleep would end quickly so that I could start my hifdh of the Noble of Qur’aan. Everytime I began to read the Qur’aan and memorise, I felt such delight and enjoyment that I had never felt before. Du’a was an important factor for me before and after hifdh. I would memorise a page whilst sitting down and then repeat it whilst walking. My teacher played an important role in encouraging me, in revision, in correcting me and benefiting me in terms of Tajweed.

In the last week, on the night of 20th Ramadan, only 4 and a half juz remained until completion of hifdh. So I turned to Allaah to open up my way and ease it for me. I went on to memorise it in 6 days with the Help of Allaah.

Laylatul-Qadr came, the night of delight and happiness – it was like a wedding night to me. My completion of hifdh took place between Maghrib and ‘Isha in the masjid with the Imam and those in I’tikaaf. We began the khatma (reciting from beginning till end of the Book). In the end, during the du’aa, my heart opened up greatly and I began to weep like never before. It was the most beautiful hour of my life. Allaah had honoured me with the memorisation of His Book.

During the du’aa, I remembered a dream I had more than 10 years ago… I was a Mu’adhin of a mosque and after Fajr salaah, I sat remembering Allaah in the mosque. I felt sleepy so I took a nap in the middle of the mosque, and behold! I found myself amidst a gathering. A powerful ray of light descended from the sky down to the middle of the masjid. From that light came many angels and between them were 2 big Angels. One of them turned towards me and took me to the light. I entered along with the 2 angels. I then found myself on top of a large green tree – I began to climb it in the companionship of the 2 angels. We found angels standing by the door of the 1st heaven. They said to me ‘Where are you going?’ They opened up a book and said, ‘We don’t have your name with us, so climb onwards to the top.’ And likewise, all the time (through each heaven), they said the same thing to me.

Upon arriving at the 7th heaven, we reached the end of the tree. I found angels standing at the door and they said, ‘Are you Muhammad?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ They said, ‘Enter, for the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) wants you.’ I said to the 2 angels that were with me ‘Come in with me.’ They said, ‘We can’t enter. But we will wait for you.’ So I entered Jannah and behold, I saw therein what no eye has seen, no ear has heard and had never entered in the heart of Man. Angels were surrounding me and there was a door, on top of it was written لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله. جنة الفردوس (There is no God but Allaah and Muhammad is His Messenger. Al-Firdaws Paradise).

The Angels opened the door and I entered. Before me was the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) sitting at the top end and beside him were men, some that I recognised and some that I didn’t. In front of him were a very large group of men, women and children. They wore white clothes, and they were so many that they had a beginning but no end. All of them were reciting Qur’aan. The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) called me and I went up to him. He got up and made some space for me. I kissed him and he sat me down besides him. I asked him ‘Who are these people O Messenger of Allah?’ He said, ‘These are the people who have memorised the Book of Allaah `azza wa jall.’

Inshaa’Allaah ta’ala, the dream ended in truth. I never spoke to anyone about it until the night that I completed the memorisation of the Qur’aan.””

Lessons:

  • He made a firm intention
  • He remained positive
  • He sacrificed
  • He put in a lot of time
  • He changed his diet
  • He made istighfar (asked for foriveness)
  • He had tawakkul, (he relied on Allah (SWT))

If you’d like more tips to stay on track, tools to keep motivated or be mentored along your hifdh journey, you’re most welcome to contact me.

With best wishes for your hifdh success,

Wasfeeya

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