By A S Rabiath Sameenah

Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala says in the Quran:

‘Say, “It is He who had produced you and made for you hearing and vision and hearts; little are you grateful.”
Quran 67:23

This verse made me rethink my purpose in life and how I have been living with heedlessness. It reminded me that Allah ﷻ has blessed me with the ability to see, hear and think. Yet, I haven’t been using these blessings to worship Allah ﷻ properly.

As a born Muslim, I had the head start in learning on how to recite the Quran as my parents sent me to Madrasah.

Alhamdulillah for that, may Allah ﷻ reward my parents.

Due to worldly commitment, I neglected reciting the Quran on daily basis, which lead to forgetting what I learnt in Madrasah. I became the person who will only touch Quran during Ramadan, and that is only when I have “free time”, which I thought it was okay since I’m putting in some effort once a year.

But deep down, I knew that’s not how I should be treating the Quran. When Ustad Sameer started the Saturday Quran Circle, I couldn’t bring myself to attend as I had other commitments at that time, but I always had the intention to start back on my Quran Journey properly.

One day, while scrolling through Instagram, I see many celebration posts of adults and kids in Gaza for memorising the Quran.

Despite living under unimaginable hardship, they were overjoyed with their faced filled with light and peace. It humbled me.

I THOUGHT TO MYSELF , “IF THEY CAN DEVOTE THEIR LIVES TO THE QURAN AMIDST CONSTANT STRUGGLE, WHAT EXCUSE DO I REALLY HAVE?”.

That moment hit my heart, and I finally grabbed the opportunity and started to attend the Saturday Quran Circle.

It has been a month since I’ve started attending and Alhamdulillah, I am utterly grateful for this class.

Ustad Sameer generously dedicated his Saturdays to go through with us the Tafsir of selected ayats, which makes me ponder and reflect on how important this knowledge is.

Ustad also read through etiquettes of the Quran book. I learnt how to respect and behave when reciting the Quran and learn different Tajweed ruling which helps me with proper recitation of the Quran.

This helped me in purifying my heart and aligning our behaviour with the adab (manners) that the Quran teaches.

This Saturday circle has become a space that allows me to spiritually grow, connect with Allah ﷻ, and deeply reflect on the Ayats mentioned in the Quran.

Through this class, I have come to understand that reading the Quran without true knowledge keeps me from perceiving the real nature of our existence in this world , An Abdi (Servant of Allah ﷻ).

From having little Quranic knowledge to learning how to recite again and now striving to understand the meanings behind every word, I can see how Allah ﷻ guided me step by step.

The Quran is a guide and a light that never fades. I pray that Allah ﷻ guide all of us to return back to Quran with sincerity and make the Quran the light of everyone’s heart, comfort of souls, and the path to bring us closer to our Rabb.

A Quran verse that reminds me as to why I need to understand the words of Allah ﷻ:

“We have not sent down to you the Qur’an that you be distressed but only as a reminder for those who fear [Allah].”
Quran 20:2-3

All the goodness and mercy come from Allah ﷻ, and all the shortcomings come from me. Please forgive me for my shortcomings.

I pray my reflection brings you closer to Allah ﷻ, Islam and Quran. Insha’Allah, May Allah ﷻ grant us beneficial knowledge and may He guide us to the straight path, Ameen.