A Month With Light

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Are there any desires harboring in your heart? Fear of failure prevents us from even attempting to accomplish some desires. Some great halal desires are left buried in our heart. Let me share with you my secret desire. It is to memorize the entire Quran before I enter the grave. I went to masjid to accomplish my goal. I stopped going to masjid once I was pregnant. I decided to go back after delivery. Now 6 years later, I’m a still at home with 2 kids.

Few months back, as I was casually browsing through messages in a WhatsApp group, my eyes fell upon a contest.  Do contests excite you? Well, this made me feel butterflies in my stomach. It was an invitation to MEMORIZE SURAT AN-NOOR in about a months’ time for sisters above 18 years of age! This rekindled my desire. But, I was afraid I could never do it within time.

I had been praying to Allah to make me a hafiz. I hardly did anything more to become a hafiz. This contest appeared to be an invitation just for me.  I recollected, this Madanee surah LIGHT spoke about chastity, hijab and related matters; I had found it even difficult to recite it in my tajweed(recitation) classes! Casting away the fear of failure, I decided to grab this smiling opportunity. I registered for the contest. Few days later I got a message stating that – I was selected! Contest was 35 days later.

This is when I opened the 24th chapter of quran – THE LIGHT. This chapter contained 64 long verses and occupied nearly 10 pages of the quran. Never in my life had I tried memorizing 10 pages within a month. Was this going to be something bigger than I can chew? I told myself Allah will make it easy for me.  I read the first line:

surah

 

The word obligatory/enjoined/ordained made me realize the weight of the surah.  First verse also stated – “it was revealed to be remembered.” More than memorization it is important to live by the rules set by quran. Memorization could help us remember/recollect the rules better. Next few lines spoke of penalty on false accusation. By night, as I rocked my baby to sleep, I attempted to memorize. I read a first word repeatedly. Then I read two words together and so on. Within minutes I had memorized a verse! Indeed Allah has made Quran easy for us.

Quran

 

The next day was usual. Daily chores and family had consumed all my time. By evening, memorizing noor appeared to be an impossible task for me.  Such whispers were silenced by “Auzbillahi minash shaitan nir rajeem – I seek refuge in Allah the Shaitan the outcast.”  Now with a clear head I wondered why I didn’t find time for Noor?

I felt like a kid at store who had blown the cash on candies instead of bread for family! Candy is something we DESIRE but bread is our NEED/ Requirement.  What was I toiling for –Family, Perfect Home, Good impression, High standards? These are the ‘candies’ of this world.  The real eternal life starts after death. I had to stock good deeds (my bread) to save my eternity. It was time for me to turn wise.

wealth quran

 

First I had work on my intention. It had to be strong enough to motivate. My dream, to memorize quran was in wrong category – DESIRE. I had to promote it to – MY NECESSITY / desperate NEED. I had to give Quran the first preference. There would always be 1000 excuses to stay away from quran. Such a ‘busy’ life would leave me alone in a dark grave with no hope. But just one good strong intention“To please Allah” would make life easy and fruitful.

quran chapter 102

Next, I focused on practical changes to fit Noor memorization into my life:

  • Fix target: I decided to memorize at least a page in 3 days. By doing this, I would have 1 spare week to revise and improve.
  • Multi task: World class reciters were now reciting Noor for me in my kitchen as I cooked! Alhamdhulilah, websites and quranapps came handy here. J
  • Involve family: So it was time for the whole family to connect to quran! I discussed the tafseer (explanation) of surah with my hubby.
  • Save time: This required avoiding unnecessary calls and visits. I had to curb my addiction to solve online puzzles.
  • Simplify chores: I settled for less complicated recipes with few ingredients. I allotted few chores to my family too.

 

Alhamdhulilah within a week I memorized 2 pages (20 verses)!

Little did I think – the contest was going to test much more than my memorization skills. It was to test my perseverance, dedication, patience, self-esteem and IMAN (faith) level too. Please read my next post to learn more about my journey.

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Showing 13 comments
  • Foz

    Mash’Allah what a lovely contest. It is amazing what we can do with the help of Allah (swt) once we put our fears aside.

    In sha Allah your dream of becoming a hafiz will become true.
    Foz recently posted…Flowers in the GardenMy Profile

  • Ruku

    What a terrific goal, may Allah make it easy for you! I’ve found the easiest way to memorize is if I teach my kids to do it. I think the subtle competition of whether I can learn faster than them keeps me on my toes 🙂

    • Haya

      Good tip. I used to follow it. During my memorization of noor, my son has overtaken me. SOB SOb. Insha Allah I’ll catch him soon. HA HA HA 😛
      Haya recently posted…On the Run: Blogging the European Refugee CrisisMy Profile

      • Jameela

        Too true. It used to work for me to be in competition with my children to learn the Qur’an but now they always outpace me. I’m getting old! Subhanallah, it’s so easy for children to memorise Qur’an.
        Jameela recently posted…Free Download: Parts of Speech Word SortMy Profile

  • Sahar

    I am so proud of you. This article was exactly what I needed right now…the desires and needs, the candy and bread…sigh..my priorities are so messed up right now. Jazak Allahu khairun for this super amazing reminder. May Allah SWT make you successful in this life and in the next. Ameen

    • Haya

      Ameen. We all mess up. We need to be reminded 🙂 you might like sequal of this post, where I am going to share about things which made me slip form commitment too.

      Glad to hear from you.
      Haya recently posted…On the Run: Blogging the European Refugee CrisisMy Profile

  • CreativeKhadija

    MashaAllah, great article & amazing content. So nice of you to share with us. InshaAllah your dreams will be fulfilling soon!
    CreativeKhadija recently posted…How To Decorate a Gift Box with Washi TapeMy Profile

    • Haya

      Ameen.

  • Azka Siddiqui

    MashaAllah
    This was such a good article
    It serves an excllent example and idea for all of us to follow . By reading your post I have pondered that taking out time for quran and tafsir or learning is not very difficult .I will In shaa allah manage all my Daily chores but taking out ample time and energy for building my deen . JazakAllah khair sister
    may Allah reward you with success .

    • Haya

      Yes sister, we have to alort time for quran. We have raised our standard of living. we shouldn’t forget standard of iman.
      May Allah reward us.

  • Mariam

    So inspiring, one of my dreams also is to finish the Quran Inshallah! Looking forward to reading more about your experience and progress with Surah An-Nur.

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