A haafidha’s advise: The responsibility of the bearers of Qur’aan

30 Mar A haafidha’s advise: The responsibility of the bearers of Qur’aan

:::Guest Blog Post:::

Ibn al-Mubarak said: How many people carry the Qur’aan in the hearts but the Qur’aan curses them from inside their hearts! If the bearer of Qur’aan disobeys his Lord, the Qur’aan calls him from inside his chest saying, ‘By Allah, you have not carried me (i.e. memorised me) for this! Will you not be shy from your Lord ?

Hafidha.  What a title to have, what an amazing achievement!

And yet, how often do we think past the moment when we are awarded this undeserved honour? In the past three years of having attained this blessing, I have truly learnt the beauty of this ‘title’ and the weight of it. For indeed, it is a heavy title; supported by pillars of responsibility, dedication and sacrifice and of course tears and sweat.

For those of you who are currently on the path of memorising al Qur’aan, I don’t need to describe just how hard it can be sometimes. But the hardest part is what comes after you reach your destination and achieve your goal to memorise all of your Lord’s beautiful words. Your heart is no longer your own: you now share your emotions and your desires with a powerful companion.   And so begins the responsibility. For such a companion cannot reside in a tarnished, dirty abode. Such mesmerising words cannot live next to an immense human ego. Such poignant, beautiful and mighty verses simply do not deserve to have their light dampened with the temptations of a strong nafs. This is why this honour is such a weighty one!  And at times it can tear you apart knowing how you falter and how much of disservice you do to what is the only beauty in your bleeding heart.

Allah has chosen you out of millions of others. He has seen some good within you, something worthwhile in your insignificance and He gifted you with His words.  But every gift is a test, for its how you use and how you look after it that really matters.  You need to strive and sacrifice and break your nafs so that your every breath can be a testament to this blessing.   You need to prove that you are worthy of being called a hafidha.  Not to anyone else, but to your Creator.

There can be no place in your life for anything that is contrary to the commands of the Qur’aan.  As my blessed teacher (the founder of this blog) would always remind us, this Qur’aan is your moral compass.

And wallahi, it really is!

In my darkest moments, when I have succumbed to Shaytaan, somehow a verse will come to mind and it will be as if suddenly there is a light, a rope that you can grab on to when you are drowning. Guilt and remorse will overcome you for your heart will feel the pain of betraying something so pure as this speech. This Qur’aan will never let you get lost forever. Yes, you may dull its voice when your sins overtake you, but you will never totally silence its call as long as you are sincere.

You owe it to Allah’s Qur’aan that you give it a worthwhile abode to reside in. And this means that you need to strive to come closer to Allah, to advance on the straight path with determination and awareness. You need to work against the evil within you and the evil of that lifelong sworn enemy of yours, Shaytaan. You need to become the Qur’aan.

As Hadhrat A’isha (ra) described the beloved Master, the best Hafidh, Rasulullah (sallalaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) : “His character was the Qur’aan.”

In essence, your journey of hifdh never ceases. It continues after your Jalsah, when you have to maintain your dhor and continue striving to uphold the injunctions of all that you have memorised. It continues in the grave, when it is your only companion and the angels do review / revision with you. And it will, insha Allah, continue in the Aakhirah, when your parents wear robes of honour and you intercede for ten others and be raised with the huffadh, the greatest of whom will be the Prophet Muhammad (sallalaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam).

This is an eternal journey, a path you will love so much even when you stumble off it. There will always be beauty and joy on it even when there’s the pain of hitting the definite bumps and walls on the way.

You will falter and you will fall but you must constantly remind yourself that your way was chosen by Allah and if you keep coming back to Him, He WILL pick you up and help you to the end of this road.

The Qur’aan is that book which symbolises hope. If it was enough to bring the enemies of Allah to Islam, it is enough to keep you returning to Allah.

Raulullah (sallalaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “…The Qur’aan will meet its companion on the Day of Resurrection when his grave is opened for him, looking like a pale man, and it will say to him, ‘Do you know who I am?’ He will say, I do not know you.’ It will say to him, ‘Do you know who I am?’ He will say, I do not know you.’ It will say, ‘I am your companion the Qur’aan, who made you thirsty on hot days and kept you awake at night. Every merchant will benefit from his trade, and today you will benefit too.’ He will be given power in his right hand and immortality in his left and on his head will be placed a crown of dignity. His parents will be given two garments the like of which could never be made by the people of this world and they will say, ‘How did we earn these?’ It will be said, ‘Because your child learned the Qur’aan.’ Then it will be said to him, ‘Read and go up through the levels and rooms of Paradise. He will keep on ascending as long as he reads or recites.’” [Reported by Imaam Ahmad]

May Allah Ta’ala grant us all the understanding, make firm our footing, increase us in our love of the Qur’aan, make it our guide at all times and a light in both this world and the next. May He make us all walking, talking Qur’aans  and never let us be of those whom the Qur’aan has cursed, insha Allah.

Guest blog by: Mariam Vawda

Mariam is a hafidha of al Qur’aan al Kareem. She is currently a 4th year  student at medical school & is passionate about peace in Palestine.

Jazaakillahu Khayran, haafidha Mariam.             

If you wish to feature as a guest blogger or contribute research material on tahfeedhul Qur’aan, I’d love to hear from you! Please email: rayhaanah@gmail.com so that we can feature your writings & reflections in upcoming blog posts.