The journey of a Quran memorizer

Memorizing the Qur-an was a dream come true for me. I've dreamed of memorizing the Qur-an ever since I was a kid. I'm always inspired by those who have memorized the Qur-an by heart, the benefits/rewards I hear from our Islamic scholars, and from what I read on different articles as well, but finding a Halaqah class that doesnt conflict with my class schedule was not easy. I kept on asking other people about a Halaqah class that offers Satuday-Sunday schedule, for thats the only schedule that was convenient for me then. One day, I saw the FB post of Al-Jaariyah Organization Incorporated, offering Halaqah class, and students just have to choose time thats convenient for them. Ahamdulillah. I was so excited upon knowing it. Al-Jaariyah was having an orientation conducted at Mamitua Saber, and that was the time I decided to enroll. I asked for the Sat-Sun class schedule but they had no offered schedule for it. I went home with a heavy heart. I felt like I had no chance of pursuing my dream of becoming a Hafidhah. I kept making Dua that Al-Jaariyah would offer a Sat-Sun class schedule. I messaged the FB account of Halaqah Al-Jaariyah, asking for the Sat-Sun schedule if they could possibly offer it, and Alhamdulillah, Allah granted my prayer. Indeed, never underestimate the power of Dua. I started studying in Al-Jaariyah when I was Grade 10 during our second semester in school. I was taught about Tajweed lessons first, and afterwards, I started memorizing the Qur-an. I really had a hectic schedule when I was a junior high school student, and that’s when I realized that every second counts, but in my case, I dealt the challenges I faced through assiduity, patience, determination, and earnest prayers.

My journey in Qur-ān memorization has never been easy. Just like any student or moret memorizing the Qur-an, I also experienced numerous challenges and struggles, for we all have our own battles to deal with, but one thing we shouldn’t forget is we should always remember Allāh at all times in all our affairs. Allāh hears our cries. He knows our pains. He sees our struggles. I always adhere to the idea that "If you want to achieve something, work on it. Give your best effort. Hard work surely pays off." Allah knows the efforts exerted by his servants. The efforts one does in doing good deeds are never wasted. I have gone through many challenges in memorizing the Qur-an- there were encounters that let me feel demotivated, while there were challenges that lifted my motivation. Every time I hear of the immense rewards that one gets in reading and memorizing the Qur-an, it awakens my motivation. Some of the things I do when I feel that my motivation weakens are: I seek advice from people who have already memorized the Qur-an; sometimes, I watch Qur-an competitions, and I always read articles tackling about the benefits of reading and memorizing the Qur-an. I would say those are very effective. The most important thing that one should keep in mind is making dua and asking tawfeeq from Allah. How many are those who are blessed with good memory, but they havent dreamed of memorizing the Qur-an. That's one of the reasons why asking tawfeeq from Allah is a need. Along with making Dua, one must take an action as well. If you want to see how willing you are in attaining your goals, look at your efforts. Determination has whispered to me that a willing heart will always find ways amidst the myriad of challenges. Despite the challenges and hardships that I encountered along the way, I chose to continue reaching my goal, for it is one of my greatest dreams in life.

Life has taught us that it is full of struggles-struggles that would make us a loser or a winner. We lose when we give up on them, while we win, when we face them with confidence and belief that we could overcome those struggles. We should just remember that whatever situation we are in, or no matter how tough the situation is for us, we should just rely on Allāh and always seek His assistance. Life is a wave. We’ll experience ups and downs, but the real challenge is how we'll face and handle a certain situation. Be wise in handling any kind of situation by following what Allah says in the Qur-ān from Sūrah Al-Baqarah, Al-Āyah 153, in which part of its translation says: "Oh you who believe! seek assistance through patience and prayer; surely Allah is with the patient." Alhamdulillāh, because of Allah’s mercy, Allāh let me memorize the Qur-an. I thought I couldn't make it bacause of my hectic schedule. Indeed, Allah is the most gracious, the most merciful. Al-Jaariyah Organization Incorporated played a vital role in making my dream come true. Alhamdulillah.

For my Qur-ān revision, it's a lifetime commitment, and it's my priority amidst my hectic schedule in school. I'm still doing revision of what I've memorized in the Qur-ān for the sake of Allah, for I know that if one doesn’t review consistently what he has memorized in the Qur-an, he can easily forget it, and there’s a hadith that tackles about that. To my fellow students, if you do not want to stop schooling, and you want to become a Hafidhah, you can still pursue your dream by enrolling to Halaqah classes. There are many Halaqah classes these days, and Halaqah Al-Jaariyah Incorporated is one example. They offer Halaqah session for free. May Allah bless them Jannatul Firdaws. I firmly believe, one of the contributing factors, why I am who I am right now is because of Halaqah Al-Jaariyah Incorporated. Alhamdulillahi hamdan katheera.

We are living in this Dunya, full of temptations and sorrows. We will always experience pains and struggles, for we are in the world full of tests. These tests may get us closer to our Rabb, or these tests may get us further away from Him. We should strive the hardest to make these tests as means to get closer to Allah, for indeed we are Allāh's servants, and to Him we shall surely return. Learning the Qur-an is, I would say, one of the ways to safeguard our hearts from different forms of fitnah.

Norhafidah R. Moh'd Khalid

 [2nd year college student, BSED-English at Mindanao State University (MSU), Main Campus, Marawi City, Philippines]