This part of the forum seems dead. Allow me to fuel it up with some encouraging words... Also because I feel guilty for not participating here in the good cause. Anyway, it's an article I'd like to share.
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Experience
By Hafiz Raakin Hossain & Rashad Abdullah
An experience is usually viewed as an encounter or an action of undergoing something. Experiences can take one through jungles, cities, deserts, and even the planets. But through these experiences, only two thoughts remain in the mind. That is the memories and morals learnt during the encounter of which you had experimented. When the waves wash the sands, what remains are only shells and rocks. These shells and rocks hold the hardships which we had endured and the lessons which we had learnt throughout the experience of life. With that said, I would like to share a personal experience of mine which I thought had sparked an inspiration in my early life.
There is an English saying, “to turn a new leaf”. In that tree of life, I had chosen the opportune leaf to turn. In late sixth grade, my physical and mental self literally jumped towards the local Qur’aanic memorization school. For an eleven year old kid, sitting in a class from early morning to late in the evening is not at all easy. The only two things that had kept me refueled were the support of my parents and the prayers which I had recited. I had yearned and strived for four long years to complete the memorization of the Glorious Qur’aan. After much perseverance and patience on my teacher’s and parent’s part, I had completed only a few months back.
A parent’s concern when considering to enroll a child in any Qur’aanic memorization school is regarding the future of that child. Livelihood is from Allah’s infinite mercy, and not through our schooling. If anything, the Qur’aan opens up the mind and soul to the reality of life. Children who memorize or have memorized the Qur’aan do not sit idle in front of television sets or computer games. Rather, they look at striving in the path of Allah, hoping to spread what is true to every corner of the world. In my four years of experience, never have I seen a sincere Hafiz who suffers or suffered from hunger, poverty, or any type of infliction.
Spending a few years in any field is a huge sacrifice, but what makes a sacrifice easier is to recognize the benefits. Our previous teachers and scholars had told us that when we do good deeds, we should always remember the reward we will be receiving, as that will motivate us. It is also said in Hadith that the measurement of reward is based on the sincerity of both the intention and the action. The Qur’aan alone has medication for both our spiritual and physical body. Not a Surah (chapter) has been revealed without a benefit; let it be to identify a thief, find a proper partner in life, or even to protect yourself from poverty.
I had addressed this topic mainly towards parents, as in recent days I have met and have been approached by a few brothers who have made much effort to practice Islam, but have failed to do many parts due to the lack of concern on the parents’ part. As the prices of fuel, homes, and food increase, we must put our trust in Allah. The bigger picture of keeping the Qur’aan alive has been accomplished by the previous companions, and the least we can do to show our appreciation is to make effort in memorizing the Qur’aan not through our tongue, but through our heart. May Allah Ta’ala make it easy for us to memorize, retain, and practice the Holy Qur’aan.
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