This interview has
been taken from its original format which was published in Ad-Da’wah Magazine,
no. 1552, 17th of Rabee al-Awwal 1417, corresponding to August 1,
1996. It was later presented on the 1st of Muharram 1426, February
10, 2005 by the late Dr. Saleh as-Saleh, rahimahullah (May Allah have mercy on
him), one of the foremost student of Shaykh ‘Uthaymeen, rahimahullah,
well-known lecturer and author of numerous Islamic books. This interview was
originally transcribed by Umm Maahir al-Amreekiyyah, rahimahullah. You can find
the transcribed interview online at www.abdurrahman.org
What was the reason
that drove you to memorize the Qur’aan after so many years?
“I always hoped to memorize the Qur‘aan from the time I was young.
My father always used to invoke Allaah for me to become one of the memorizers
of the Qur‘aan, like himself and like the elder brothers of my family who
memorized it. So I memorized in the beginning about three parts and then after
I completed the age of thirteen, I got married and became busy with the
household and the children. After I had seven children, my husband died. They
(the children) were all young so I took the time to raise them and educate
them, and then after they grew up and got married, I had more time for myself.
Therefore, the first thing I directed myself to focus upon was the Qur‘aan.”
Tell us about your journey
with the Noble Qur‘aan.
“My younger daughter was going to high school and she was
the closest of my children to me and the most beloved, because she stayed with me
after her older sisters got married and got busy with their lives, and because
she was a quiet girl, upright, loving, and good. In addition, she was interested
in learning the Noble Qur‘aan, and her teachers encouraged her. Furthermore, she was very enthusiastic and
always told me of many women who were driven by this great motivation to memorize
the Qur'aan, and this is where I started.”
Tell me about your
way of memorization.
“We assigned ten verses (meaning her and her daughter who
was going to high school). So each day after Asr, we used to sit together. She reads
and I repeat after her three times. Then she explains the meaning to me, and
after a while, she repeats that three times. On the next morning, she repeats
them to me before she goes to school. She recorded also the recitations of Ash
Shaykh al Husary, Rahimuhullaah, repeating each verse three times and thus I
continued to listen most of the time. Therefore, the next day we would go to
the next ten verses if my memorization was good. Otherwise, we would postpone
taking additional verses until the day after. Moreover, we assigned the day of
Friday to review the memorizations of the entire week. And this was the journey
from the beginning.
Over four years and a half, I memorized twelve juz’ according
to the way I described to you. Then this young daughter got married. When her
husband knew of our task concerning the memorization, he rented a house close
to me, close to my house, so that he could allow the continuation of the
memorization. In addition, he, May Allah reward him used to encourage us and
sometimes sit with us listening, explaining and teaching. Then after three
years of her marriage, my daughter got busy with the children and the household
and our schedule was interrupted, but that did not make her give up. To the
contrary, she sensed that my eagerness for the memorization was still
established so she looked for a special good teacher to continue the journey
under her supervision. So, I completed the memorization by the success of
Allaah and my daughter is still working to finish the memorization of the
Glorious Qur‘aan. She has a little left, In Shaa Allaah Ta‘aala.”
This motivation of
yours, did it have an effect on other women around you?
“It really had a good strong effect. My daughters and
stepdaughters were all encouraged and worked on learning and teaching the
Qur‘aan to their children and learning it themselves.
After finishing the
Noble Qur‘aan, don’t you think about working on memorizing hadith?
“Now I have memorized ninety hadith and In Shaa Allaah I
will continue the journey. I depend, in my memorization, upon the tapes and upon
the Qur‘aan radio station. At the end of each week, my daughter comes and
checks for me the memorization of three hadith, and I am trying now to memorize
more.”
Over this period of
memorization of the Qur‘aan, did your life change? Was it affected in one way
or another?
“Yes, I went through a major change and I tried always, all
praise is due to Allaah, to obey Allaah before I started the memorization.
However, after I started the task of memorization, I began to feel a
self-comfort, a great self-comfort and all worries began to move away from me.
I even reached the stage of freeing myself from all these excessive worries concerning
fearing for the children and their affairs, and my morale was boosted. I had a
noble objective to work for and this is a great Ni’mah (Favor) from Allaah upon
me, since we know that some women, when they get old and they do not have a
husband, and their children got married, may be destroyed by the empty time,
thoughts, worries, and so forth. But, Al Hamdulillaah, I didn’t go through this
and I made myself busy with a great task and a great objective.”
Didn’t you think at
one point, to join one of the circles focusing on teaching the Noble Qur‘aan?
“Yes, some of the women suggested this to me, but I am a woman
who got used to staying at home, and I don’t like to go out every day, and Al
Hamdulillaah, my daughter sufficed me from all difficulty and I was so happy
while I was learning from her. My daughter had set an example in goodness and
righteousness which we rarely find in our days. She started this task and
journey with me while she was an adolescent and this is a critical age many
people complain of. She used to pressure herself so that she could have spare
time to teach me, and she used to teach me with kindness and wisdom. Her
husband was a good help to her and he exerted a lot of effort. I ask Allaah to
give them success and to bring their children up on uprightness.”
What do you say to a
woman of your age who wishes to learn and memorize the Qur‘aan yet she is worried
about it and feeling unable to?
“I say to her that there shall be no despair with the firm,
sincere and truthful determination. Begin with sincerity, firm determination
and dependence on Allaah at each time. And remember that at this age you should
have the time for yourself. However, do
not use your time to only go out or to sleep and so forth. Rather, busy
yourself with righteous work.”
Now what would you
say to a woman who is still young? What would you advise her?
“Preserve Allaah and He will preserve you. Make use of the
favor of Allaah bestowed upon you from health and ways and means of comfort.
Use that to memorize the Book of Allaah. This is the light which enlivens your
heart, your life and your grave after you die. And if you have a mother then
exert the effort to teach her, and there is no better favor upon a mother than one
of her righteous children aiding her to be close to Allaah.”
