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In a journey to everywhere
Between cities and nations
In the presence of the Wise Remembrance
The Lord of all hearts Has unified us... Has unified us all.
And for the sake of memorizing the book
We have knocked every door
and we shall continue this path, before things come to an end
Morocco
In the year 670 AD, Islam reached Morocco through the leadership of Uqbah Ibn Nafi'
Up until this year, Islam has been striving and taking over this place, Morocco!
I have read a lot about the unique Quranic experience of this country, and it is indeed an astonishing experience and worth looking into.
This is why I came to this country. We will explore this experience, and so will you.
Since the early days of Islam, Moroccans have been keen on teaching their children Quran at a very young age
However, does memorization only work through reading from books? No, there is another way!
Moroccans learn Quran using a unique way, "writing boards"!
How does it work? You will see this with us, by Allah's will
[Morocco]
[Morocco] At Fas, the Intellectual capital of Morocco, we visited a Quranic Education Centre
It is the Quranic centre of the Masjid of the mother of believers, Hafsa, may Allah be pleased with her.
We have seem there that which we never saw before: The traditional Moroccan method of memorizing the Quran, employing the use of boards
Look at the board of this young boy! He is memorizing the all these verses, starting from the beginning of the second juzz
This is his own work
- What did I just see? Explain to me sheikh! - This is a student who will write verses on the board
If he had memorized them, he can write it from his memory, otherwise, I dictate it to him
- You personally dictate on him - Yes I do
Then I go over it, either I approve it if it is good, make him write it again, or correct it
- What if the mistake was of vowel signs, do you just correct it - If it is a minor mistake here or there, we just fix it
And I make sure that he sees his mistake so he doesn't repeat it
Sheikh, I don't see any Quran books in your centre! How comes?
- Quran books are not allowed here! - Not allowed?
There are some but those students are not allowed access to them nor are they allowed to revise from them
Then how can they correct their revision mistakes?
- If one makes a mistake, his peer corrects him, I would correct him too - ...but never correct through the book! - Yes never
We only allow going back to books in very rare situations
I don't want them to get used to using books, because if they do, they will continuously be afraid of mistakes and anxious to go back and look into the book
- But if they learn on their own.. - They learn stronger!?
- Yeah let them read the words with difficulty and keep trying until they perfect it - So they don't miss the reward of difficulty!
Yes he keeps struggling with the words until he grasps it, and then, he will never forget it.
Quran scripts are absolutely forbidden in this place! If in doubt, a student asks his peer. If his peer doesn't know, he asks the other peer, and so on!
They never open the book unless it's an absolute need for it
Can you imagine my dear viewers that each of these students is reading from a completely different material?...
...one in Albaqarah, one in juzz Am'ma, and another in juzz Tabarak
You might think it's too much noise to memorize here, but they can do it; they are used to this wonderful atmosphere; and they come out with the best memory of the Quran
"..Our Quran...is a clear light...for the worshipers...over the centuries."
" It is a light upon light for us. It is our way to eternal happiness."
"It has the cure of the hearts... and its clear evidence is within its lines.... It is our interceder on the day of judgment. It was descended with the trusted angel"
We are still on our visit to the Quranic centre of the Masjid of the mother of believers, Hafsa, may Allah be pleased with her, here in Fes, Morocco.
I am glad to interview one of the special examples from this centre of the memorization of the book of Allah swt
He is indeed distinguished, my beloved sheikh Ashraf
Tell me sheikh, when did you start memorizing the Quran? And how old were you at that time?
- I started at the age of 13 - ...at the age of 13! And when did you finish memorizing it for the first time?
- In a year and a half - So you were about 14 and a half when you finished memorizing it
Just to clarify, when I say he finished it for the first time, I mean that he finished writing the Quran all in that period
When he is able to hand-write the whole Quran on his own for the first time, this is his khatmah
If he made mistakes and was corrected on this first khatmah, he is required to start a second khatmah
Are you okay if I test you now?
"In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Gracious"
"In both of them are two springs, spouting."
" In both of them are two springs, spouting."
" So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
" In both of them are fruit and palm trees and pomegranates."
" So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
"In them are good and beautiful"
" So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
" Fair ones reserved in pavilions"
" So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
Enough is that! May Allah Almighty bless you and bless what you memorized. I ask Him Almighty to make this on your scales of good deeds, and the scales of your parents and teachers
Ma sha Allah he did not make any mistake.
It may sound a bit different because we recite according to Hafs in Gulf countries, but he was reciting according to Warsh
May Allah preserve him. He is definitely an excellent example to anyone who wants to memorize the Quran
Since we are talking about memorizing the book of Allah swt and how to memorize it
and since you are seeing a lot of encouragement to start your own journey
I must then introduce you to this very important rule
Never ever procrastinate when it comes to memorizing Quran, and never delay!
Now, and while you are listening to me, start setting your plan to reach this goal
Do not fear failure, and do not be scared of not reaching your goal
Don't fear because Quran memorization is not hard, but rather made easy by Allah Almighty. It only needs determination and commitment from your side!
So start right now and plan within yourself, '...this portion, this much, is what I am gona start with!'
When you think of the beginning, think of a person who wishes to learn swimming for the very first time
This person would probably be scared when he sees the pool that he has to jump in deep.
He will be sacred at 1st time, 2nd time, and even 3rd time.
If he doesn't throw himself in, he will never learn swimming
It doesn't matter if he felt helpless in water, because these difficulties only mean that he has officially started learning to swim!
Learning the Quran is a much greater task
The minute you start, you will find much facilitation from Allah swt
So, the important rule is: Start Right Now!
[ Morocco]
We heard about a student called Taha. The hafidh of Chefchaouen province of Morocco
Let's meet this special young man, let's go!
Taha is a distinguished young man. He memorized the Quran at the age of 10. Today he is 16
He achieved the first place at the Golden Flute Competition, in Morocco
I am enjoying his company, and I hope you will see in him an example for you and your children
- How are you sheikh? - Praise is to Allah - We are honored to meet you - We are more honoured
How was Taha's life with the Quran, and specifically the beginning?
I thank Allah that I found myself growing up in a family who admired Quran, my elderly, my uncles, and my siblings
My parents especially! They always filled the house with the sound of Quran, either my father recites, or testing my siblings' memorization, or even interpreting it to us.
[Taha's Father] Taha was born to us after a series of trials and tests for our love for the Quran
- How old were you when you started memorizing? - At the age of 9
- And you finished at? - Around 10 years old
Only one year!...and was it difficult for you to memorize the Quran?
Maybe a little bit at the beginning, which is natural. But my father always gave me the example to follow
He was not a hafidh by then, but he used to memorize a Hizb every single day [about 10 pages]
Speaking about setting an example, we were once in the US, attending a community family gathering
And they asked Taha to tell the children how to memorize the Quran just like he did while keeping up with school and what's not
- The question was for your son? - Yes for Taha! And he answered them -may Allah preserve him and all our kids- he said:
- If you wish your children to be like me, you must be like my father - Allah is Great! - The problem is not the children, the problem is the parents
Taha many youth would ask, seeing how you became distinguished with the Quran at the age of 16, they would wonder did this relationship with the Quran prevent Taha from enjoying a child's life?
You know, chilling, playing, traveling, recreational activities. Did it prevent you from doing all these things?
Usually when you make a young child do things they do not necessarily prefer, they would still do it. And my father took me down this road with great wisdom
Quran for me is a hobby that I've always enjoyed! Yes I had time to play, watch movies, go out, and play sports, but I always considered Quran as something I enjoyed more!
I prefer to spend my time reading it, memorizing it, and perfecting it's recitation than just playing
My father shaped my relationship to Quran in this way through his wisdom. It indeed was my most joyful childhood memories
That's Allah's will! Quran was the joyful memories of Taha's childhood!
" From deep in our hearts ... we love the Quran of our lord...the light of life... we follow its guide... as long as we live"
" Our heaven is its Amazing verses.... sent down!"
" And by its service, the highest rank... is achieved."
" Its study circles causes angels to surround us; And through it, we are connected to our Creator"
This is a message, from my heart, and out of love, to every parent amongst you...
... to every mother, and father, who are keen on having their children memorize the book of Allah Almighty
The message is, Start Right Now! If you have a very young boy or a baby girl, start teaching them right away to connect to Quran.
Start, right now, developing their love relationship to this noble book
The words of Allah is indeed great, and it is the greatest investment for you first, as a mother, and for you, as a father
Some of you might think, 'Oh, Quran memorization is hard! I can't make my children memorize it all', but allow me to disagree!
Take it as a large investment project. Investments are usually made to gain some revenue.
However, all investments of this life are not guaranteed to produce profit. This is the single investment that has 100% success guarantee
Because the one who promised this profit is non but Allah Almighty, then His prophet may peace be upon him!
Also, every investment project needs research. Make things easy for yourself. You need a Feasibility study.
You begin with that to have that guaranteed success in this life and hereafter
I know what you'll say, ' how can I make Feasibility Study of such thing? I don't know how to write such a study? who can do it for me? etc'
Don't worry, your loving brother, Fahad, will give you a full outline for this Feasibility Study.
All I want from you, is to hold on to me, and keep focused and you will see eventually how easy it is to teach Quran to your children
All you need from assets are: solid determination, dedication, and strong desire for the profits that it gives you.
Your children are too young? Trust me, that is the perfect time to memorize. 'Learning in early age, is like engraving on stones' [Old saying].
So start now with them, and you will see how strong they will memorize Quran
So, decide now, and I will give you this beautiful and easy study as you follow along, by the will of Allah.