Do You Really Want to Memorize the Qur’an?

The Qur’an Series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX

Many of us make excuses for why we cannot memorize the Qur’an. Some of us are too busy. Some of us simply feel it’s too insurmountable a task. However, we make these excuses while having many blessings, countless of which others pray to have.

Mu’ath, the young boy in this video, has memorized the entire Qur’an. What’s so unique about Mu’ath? He’s blind.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him) taught us that there are only two people we should be jealous of, one of whom is, “…A person whom God has taught the Qur’an and he recites it in the day and night, and one of his neighbors hears him and says, “Woe to me! I wish I had been given what he has been given, then I would do what he is doing…” (Bukhari).

I used to be of the people who sat back and complained, those who were jealous of others who had memorized the Qur’an, those who but didn’t seriously apply themselves to learning it. I would watch videos like this and think, “Man. This kid has been blessed by God. I have it all—health, technology, time…” and instead of working, I’d sit back, think about how jealous I was, how much I wished I could be like them, and then continue wasting time with unproductive habits. But finally, I made a commitment and Allah (swt) helped me accomplish one small step in that continuous goal.

We do not have to watch this young boy, who memorized the Qur’an while blind, and simply say, “Wow. Ma sha’ Allah (what God wills). He’s blessed.” WE can be of those who follow in his footsteps. WE can be of those who are blessed, if Allah grants that to us—if we show Him we want it.

Do we want to be of the Companions of the Qur’an? Do we really? If we do, what are we going to do to become one of them?

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Translation of the video [Please note: this video was translated in general to reflect the meanings of the interview through the translators’ understanding of the conversation]

Shaykh Fahad: When you would go to the Shaykh, and you had something to review with the Shaykh—a juz [1/30th of the Qur’an], for example—and you made a mistake—I mean, this long way you would go, this travel you’d make to go…

Hafidh Mu’ath [the young boy]: Yes, yes.

Shaykh Fahad: [Explaining to the audience] Shaykh Muath travels to the Shaykh—he is the one who goes to him. The Shaykh is not right next to his house to come to him.

Hafidh Mu’ath: Yes, yes.

Shaykh Fahd: He travels a long distance just to memorize.

Hafidh Mu’ath: Imagine, I used to go the Shaykh, [when memorizing] the first part of the Qur’an, do you know how many days?

Shaykh Fahad: How many days?

Hafidh Mu’ath: Three days.

Shaykh Fahad: Three days a week?

Hafidh Mu’ath: Only three days a week. And at first, he would only let me come two days and I fought with him until he let me come three days. He would stop me and have me focus on the meanings very intensely… Sometimes, he would only give me one verse.

Shaykh Fahad: Only one?

Hafidh Mu’ath: Only one.

Shaykh Fahad: With this whole distance [that you’d travel], he’d only give you one verse?

Hafidh Mu’ath:  I swear to God, he used to do that [just give him one verse to memorize.]

Shaykh Fahad: God is the Greatest.

Hafidh Mu’ath: Somedays, I would not play at all.

Shaykh Fahd: Yes, but I’ve heard you’re quite active 🙂

Hafidh Mu’ath: All praise is due to God, He has given me a great blessing, and that is that He has taken from me my eyesight. And this is a great blessing. When I pray, I don’t beseech God to give me back my eyesight.

Shaykh Fahad: You don’t want Allah to return your—

Hafidh Mu’ath: [Cuts him off] [Do you want to know] Why?

Shaykh Fahad: Why?

Hafidh Mu’ath: Because it could be a witness against me on the Day of Judgment…so that perhaps He lightens for me some of the punishment.

Shaykh Fahad: [Begins to cry]

Hafidh Mu’ath: And I stand, in front of Him, scared, fearful, and He asks me: What did you do with the Qur’an? So I hope He will lighten it for me and He enters whom He wills into His Mercy. But He has blessed me with the Qur’an. And I, all praise and thanks be to God, if I want to go anywhere, I go on my own—I go all by myself and no one is with me…but my dad, he gets scared for me.

Shaykh Fahad [thinking to himself]: I thought in these moments about the situation of many Muslims, those who are able to see, who have become lazy with regards to memorizing the Qur’an. Ya Allah. What will be their excuse with Allah?

Hafidh Mu’ath: So all praise and thanks be to God in all situations.

Shaykh Fahad [to Shaykh Mua’th]: Ma sha’ Allah, I’ve heard you have a rule from Ibnul Qayyim.

Hafidh Mu’ath: Yes.

Shaykh Fahad: What is this rule?

Hafidh Mu’ath: Ibnul Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said, “Allah does not close one door for His slave out of Wisdom except that He opens two doors (for him) by His Mercy.”

Shaykh Fahad: So you never get upset when you’re with your friends that you don’t have the ability to see?

Hafidh Mu’ath: No, no…well, when I was younger, I’m not going to lie to you, I used to get upset sometimes. But now, all praise and thanks be to God, I don’t get upset. This is what God has willed.

Shaykh Fahad: Yes. The Prophet ﷺ says, “Whoever Allah tests by taking away two things beloved to him (i.e. his eyes) and he is patient, Allah will replace them for him with Paradise.”

Hafidh Mu’ath: We ask Allah to make us of the inheritors of the highest Paradise.

Shaykh Fahad: Allahumma ameen (O God, amen).