The word ahruf is the plural of harf. Linguistically, ‘harf’ has a number of meanings, including:

1) ‘A letter or a word.’ Al-huruf al-abjadiyya, for example, means the letters of the alphabet.

2) ‘The border, the edge of something, the brink.’ For example, Allaah says,

“And among mankind is he who worships Allaah (as it were) upon a harf (i.e., upon the very edge, or in doubt)” [22:11]

3) ‘To swerve from the truth, to distort.’ Allaah says concerning the Jews,

“…they have displaced (lit., yaharifuna) words from their right places…” [4:46]

Its exact definition in Qur’aanic sciencs is the subject matter of this chapter, and therefore cannot be defined at this point. However, a temporary definition maybe given as follows: The ahruf are the various ways that the verses of the Qur’aan are read. Imaam al-Qurtubee (d. 671 A.H.) said, “Every variation of a word in the Qur’aan is said to be a harf. So, for example, when we say the harf of Ibn Mas’ood, it means the way that Ibn Mas’ood used to recite that verse or word.” (1)

Most English authors translate ahruf as ‘modes’ or ‘dialects.’ However, in this book the word will be left in Arabic since the meaning is broader than these translated words.

II. The Number of Ahruf of the Qur’aan

The Qur’aan was revealed in seven ahruf. The proof for this is found in many narrations from the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam), so much so that it reaches the level of mutawaatir. (2) Jalaal ad-Deen as-Suyootee lists twenty-one Companions who narrated that the Qur’aan was revealed in seven ahruf. (3) Some of these narrations are as follows:

1) Ibn ‘Abbaas reported that the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) said, “Jibreel recited the Qur’aan to me in one harf, and I recited it back to him, but I requested him to increase (the number of harf) and he continued to increase it for me, until we stopped at seven ahruf.” Ibn Shihaab az-Zuhree (d. 124 A.H.), one of the narrators of the hadeeth, said, “It has reached me that these seven ahruf are essentially one (in meaning), they do not differ about what is permitted or forbidden.” (4)

2) ‘Ubay ibn Ka’ab reported that the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) was once on the outskirts of Madeenah (near the tribe of Banoo Ghifaar) when Jibreel came to him and said, “Allaah has commanded that you recite the Qur’aan to your people in one harf.” The Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) replied, “I ask Allaah’s pardon and forgiveness! My people are not capable of doing this!” Jibreel then came again and said, “Allaah has commanded you to recite the Qur’aan to your people in two ahruf.” The Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) again replied, “I ask Allaah’s pardon and forgiveness! My people are not capable of doing this!” Jibreel then came a third time and said, “Allaah has commanded you to recite the Qur’aan to your people in three ahruf.” The Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) replied for a third time, “I ask Allaah’s pardon and forgiveness! My people are not capable of doing this!” At last, Jibreel came for the fourth time, and said, “Allaah has commanded you to recite the Qur’aan to your people in seven ahruf, and in whichever harf they recite, they would be right. (5)″

3) ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab narrated, “I was sitting in the masjid when I heard Hishaam ibn Hakeem recite Soorah al-Furqaan. I was almost about the jump on him in his prayer, but I waited until he finished, and then grabbed him by his garment and asked him, ‘Who taught you to recite in such a manner?’” He replied, ‘It was the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) himself!’ I responded, ‘You are mistaken, for indeed I learnt this soorah from the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) and it was different from your recitation!’ Therefore, I dragged him to the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) and complained to him that Hishaam had recited Soorah al-Furqaan in a manner different from what he (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) had taught me. At this, the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) told me to let go of Hishaam, and asked him to recite Soorah al-Furqaan. Hishaam recited the Soorah in the same way I had heard him before. When he finished, the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) said, ‘It was revealed this way.’ He then asked me to recite the same soorah. When I had finished, he (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) said, ‘It was (also) revealed this way. Indeed, the Qur’aan has been revealed in seven different ahruf, so recite whichever one is easy for you.’” (6)

4) In a story similar to ‘Umar’s, ‘Ubay ibn Ka’ab also heard two people reciting the Qur’aan in a manner different from what he had learnt. After some discussion, both parties went to the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) and recited the same portion to him. He (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) approved of both parties’ recitations. At this point, Ubay narrates, “…there occurred in my mind a sort of denial and doubt that did not exist even in the time of Jaahilliyah (before Islaam)! When the Messenger (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) saw how I was affected, he struck my chest, whereupon I started sweating, and felt as though I were looking at Allaah in fear! Then the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) said, ‘O Ubay! A message was sent to me to recite the Qur’aan in one harf, but I requested (Allaah) to make things easy on my nation. A second message came that I should recite the Qur’aan in two ahruf, but I again made the same request. I was then ordered to recite the Qur’aan in seven ahruf.’” (7)

5) Ubay ibn Ka’ab narrates that once the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) met Jibreel, and sais, “O Jibreel! I have been sent to an illiterate nation. Among them are old and young men and women, and those who have never read any writing!” Jibreel answered him, “O Muhammad, the Qur’aan has been revealed in seven ahruf!” (8)

There are many other hadeeth that confirm that the Qur’aan was revealed in seven ahruf, but these narrations will suffice for the present discussion.

Footnotes:

1. Ubaydaat, p. 153.

2. A mutawaatir hadeeth is one that is reported by a large number of narrators in every stage of the chain, so much so that they could not all be mistaken or agree upon a lie.

3. as-Suyootee, vol. 1, p. 45.

4. Narrated by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim

5. Narrated by Muslim.

6. Narrated by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim.

7. Narrated by Muslim

8. Narrated by at-Tirmidhee

Extracted from ‘An Introduction to the Sciences of the Qur’aan’

Umm Zayd doesn’t mention when she started her journey towards memorising the Qur’aan but she mentions how she felt the task would be unattainable and extremely difficult. She says she never dreamt in her wildest dreams that she would ever complete memorising the entire Qur’aan. When she first started to memorise, she began with Soorah al-Baqarah and Aali-‘Imraan, thinking they would be the hardest and take the longest. Her memorisation of these two chapters was extremely prolonged and lasted 7 years.

During one Ramadhaan, her husband told her that he would be spending the last fifteen remaining days performing I’tikaaf (seclusion) in the Haram (Makkah). This was difficult for Umm Zayd as she would be left alone with her four sons and they lived in a remote place, far away from family and friends, and the few neighbours she had did not mingle and preferred to keep to themselves. So when the time came for her husband to travel, she says, “I raised my hands to the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful and supplicated with a supplication of one in distress and tears poured from me, O My Lord, You are the Most Merciful of those who show mercy. Grant me righteous companions who are more virtuous than me so that I may (strive to) be like them and so that they may be for me the best of companions.” So Allaah answered her du’aa quickly. Whilst sitting in front of her computer one day, she came across an online academy for memorisers of the Qur’aan and at the time she did not realise that her entering this website was the answer to her supplication but she says she entered the website in a state of sadness and when she left, she was in a completely different state to that which she was when she entered. She met through this online academy the best of sisters who inspired her with their striving to reach this noble goal. She says, “There were sisters there who had memorised the Qur’aan in three days and (here) I was, in seven years I haven’t managed to memorise anything other than two chapters!” So Allaah removed Umm Zayd’s sadness and replaced it with a new found spirit and she said to herself, this Ramadhaan will be different from previous ones. She decided she would strive her utmost to complete memorising the Qur’aan in the last ten blessed days.

Umm Zayd reminded herself of the various ahaadeeth speaking of the virtues and rewards of the memorisers of the Qur’aan, those who are the best of mankind and who have gained the pleasure of Allaah and His abundant blessings! She wrote all these things down and placed them with her mushaf, which was to be her close companion on this journey.

She performed wudhoo (ablution), sat down and opened the mushaf. She began by placing her trust in Allaah and repeating out loudly the verse from the Qur’aan, ‘And We have indeed made the Qur’aan easy to understand and remember, then is there any that will remember (or receive admonition)?’ (Soorah al-Qamar 54:17). She set herself a target of memorising one page in ten minutes and so she memorised, page after page and each time she completed one page, Umm Zayd supplicated to Allaah to make firm her memorisation and said, “O My Lord, I commit to you what you have taught me so guard it for me.” She began to memorise from the time of Dhuhaa up until 2.30pm in the afternoon. She took a short break and returned to memorising up until close to the time of ‘Ishaa prayer. By the end of the day, she had memorised three juz!! Glory be to Allaah who grants these great blessings but unfortunately we do not know how to show due gratitude!

After six days, she had completed memorising twelve juz and started to contemplate whether she should continue memorising or review what she had covered so far. She sought the advice of the sisters she met via the online academy and they encouraged her to continue memorising. She looked forward to the return of her husband and for ‘Eed day to come, when she will have two joys; the joy of completing the fast of Ramadhaan and the joy of completing her memorisation.

But Allaah brought upon her trials to test her resolve and the sincerity of her intention; was she going to give in to the tests or would she continue to achieve her goal? On one particular day, she only managed to memorise two pages, not because she was unable to do so but because she became extremely busied by many things. Amongst them were that all her four sons fell ill with an extreme fever and she was awakened throughout the hours of the night tending to them, especially her youngest child who wept profusely. Then by the Will of Allaah, Umm Zayd herself fell ill but she did not stop memorising. She strove to do as much as she could until Allaah cured them all and kept saying to herself, “I will complete it soon InshaaAllaah.”

Their remained for her only ten juz to memorise and by the grace of Allaah, she memorised them quickly and easily. On the final day, she woke up that morning having dreamt a beautiful dream that this would be the day she completed memorising the Qur’aan and she was filled with immense joy. She had three juz remaining and by now, she was able to memorise an entire page in five to eight minutes. At 9pm that night, she completed her memorisation and she tells of how she was overcome with strange feelings and emotions, the like of which she had never experienced before, nor could she describe to the readers in words.

When she read the final verse, she threw herself onto the ground and prostrated a prostration of thankfulness, weeping out of happiness that she was finally carrying the Qur’aan in her chest. She thanked Allaah for granting her the ability to do so before death approached her and she hurried to share this happiness with her husband.

At the end of her account, she gives some final words of advice saying, “I am a woman like any other woman. I have a husband and children and they study in select schools known for their demanding curriculums and teaching methods. I memorised the Qur’aan without neglecting any of my duties and responsibilities, I put my children and (helping them with) their education first, and always hastened to do what would please my husband without falling short in giving him his rights and always fulfilled my obligations completely. And to Allaah is all Praise. O you mothers! By Allaah! Do not ever make excuses for your not memorising the Qur’aan. So how about those young girls who are not married and do not have such responsibilities upon them?”

She goes on to say, “When I thought that Soorah al-Baqarah and Aali ‘Imraan would be hard to memorise and take a long time, Allaah gave me that which I thought, for my memorisation of these two chapters was extremely prolonged. It took 7 years because I did not have good thoughts but when I placed my trust in Allaah and thought well of Him, and said I will memorise the entire Qur’aan in a short space of time, Allaah honoured me with the memorisation of His Book and made it easy for me….O you who wishes to memorise the Qur’aan! Place your trust in Allaah and be true and sincere and have good thoughts about Allaah that He will direct and facilitate that for you, for By Allaah, you will find that (you will reach that goal) quickly.”

1) Soorah an-Naazi’aat in the recitation of Warsh ‘an Naafi’

2) Soorah Aali-’Imraan, Verses 133-144 (Recitation of Hafs ‘an ‘Aasim)

3) Soorah al-Baqarah, Verses 258-259 (Recitation of Ibn Thikwaa ‘an ‘Aamir)

4) Soorah an-Nisaa, Verses 123-129 (Warsh ‘an Naafi’)

5) Soorah al-Israa, Verses 9-21 (Hafs ‘an ‘Aasim)

Qiraa’aat technically: Articulation of the words of the Qur’aan as they were articulated by the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and was taught or heard from him by his companions.

The subject matter of this science is the words of the Glorious Qur’aan with regards to the manner and method of pronunciation of such words as well as that of implementing the said method. It is from the Noblest of sciences since it guards one from making mistakes when pronouncing the Qur’anic  vocabulary, thus protecting it from distortion and alteration, as well as helping to distinguish between that which is read and that which is not.

Qiraa’aat and Revelation: The sole source for the “Qiraa’aat” is the revelation send down from the heavens to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. [The Messenger of Allah sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam] then relayed this revelation in minute detail, with every diacritical mark, to his companions. He would recite to his companions as it was revealed to him; Ibn Mas’ood may Allaah be pleased with him, narrates: “He would recite to them ten [verses] and they would not continue on to ten others until they had learned that which was contained in them from knowledge and actions. After this, if he had taught them the Qur’aan and they had perfected its recitation, he would like to listen to them recite to confirm [their ability to recite properly.]“

Qiraa’aat and alteration: A Qiraa’ah (a varying recitation) is a followed Sunnah. It was transmitted through both oral and written narration from the mouth of the Messenger of Allah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. It is the Qur’aan in and of itself, not in any way separate from the Qur’aan, nor is there any difference to be made [between one recitation and the other]. A Qiraa’ah are different wordings [and or pronunciations] which the Holy Spirit was sent down with on various occasions [to recite to the Messenger of Allah sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam].

Imam Muslim narrates from Ubay Ibn Ka’b may Allaah be pleased with him, who said: “I was in the Masjid and a man walked in to pray, he then recited in a manner which caused me to censure him. Then another man entered and recited in a manner different than the manner in which the first one recited. After each of us had finished praying we went to the Messenger of Allah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam; I said to him “this man recited so I censured him, then another entered and recited differently than the first” The Messenger of Allah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam then ordered both of them to recite. They did and he endorsed both of the manners [in which they recited]“.

The scholars of “Qiraa’aat” have divided the Qur’anic  recitations into two main categories: Acceptable Recitations and irregular recitations.

As for the Acceptable Recitations, then they are those in which three pillars are fulfilled:

1-     That it agrees with a sound principle from the principles of the Arabic language.

2-      That it agrees with the written scripture as collected by Uthm’aan may Allah be pleased with him

3-     That it has reached us through an authentic successive chain of transmission.

Every Qiraa’ah wherein these three pillars are met is then to be considered a Qur’anic recitation, permissible to recite in Prayer, as well as to recite separately as an act of worship. This is the opinion of the vast majority of the people of knowledge.

As for the irregular recitations, they are those in which one or more of the previous pillars are missing.

Those Qiraa’aat (recitations) that have reached us through an authentic successive chain of transmission are ten in number. They were transmitted by a group of Reciters who were known for precise narration and accurate pronunciation, as well excellent proficiency. Those mentioned in the following are the Narrators of these recitations along with their most famous students:

1.      The recitation of Naafi’ Al-Madani. The most famous of those who narrated from him are Qaaloon and Warsh.

2.      The recitation of Ibn Katheer Al-Makki. The most famous of those who narrated from him are Al-Bazzi and Qunbul.

3.      The recitation of Abu Amru Al-Basri. The most famous of those who narrated from him are Ad-Doori and As-Soosi.

4.      The recitation of Ibn ‘Aamir Ash-Shaami. The most famous of those who narrated from him are Hishaam and Ibn Thakwaan.

5.      The recitation of ‘Aasim Al-Koofi. The most famous of those who narrated from him are Shu’bah and Hafs.

6.      The recitation of Hamzah Al-Koofi. The most famous of those who narrated from him are Khalaf and Khallad.

7.      The recitation of Al-Kisaa’ee Al-Koofi. The most famous of those who narrated from him are Abu Al-Haarith and Hafs Ad-Doori.

8.      The recitation of Abu Ja’far Al Madani. The most famous of those who narrated from him are ‘Eesa Ibn Wardaan and Jimaaz.

9.      The recitation of Ya’qoob Al-Basri. The most famous of those who narrated from him are Ruwayis and Roouh.

10. The recitation of Khalaf Ibn Hishaam Al-Bazzaar Al-Baghdaadi. The most famous of those who narrated from him are Is-Haaq Ibn Ibraaheem andIdrees Ibn ‘Abdul-Kareem.

When attributing the Narration of a narrator from among those mentioned to the Imam which he narrates the recitation from we call the said narration a “Riwaayah”. Thus, for example, we would say this is the Qiraa’ah of ‘Aasim with the Riwaayah of Hafs, or the Qiraa’ah of Naafi’ with the Riwaayah ofWarsh, et cetera.

Attribution of the seven recitations to the seven reciters is one of selection and fame, not one of opinion and desire; rather it is done through following transmission and narration. The Qiraa’aat are based on learning and narration, not opinion and interpretation. All of the Qiraa’aat which have reached us with an authentic chain are revelation from Allah the Most High, having been revealed to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. It is for this reason that we find the scholars warning about learning the Qur’aan in a method other than one based on education, audition, and oral transmission.

Allah Alone grants success and guides to the right path. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.

Taken from: Islamweb

After Umm Al-Sa’ad completed her memorization of the Quran at the age of 15 she went to the Shaykha Nafeesa bint Abu Al-Alaa, who was known as “The Shaykha of her time” to request from her to learn the 10 Qira’aat (recitations). Nafeesa agreed on an peculiar condition; that Umm Al-Sa’ad never marry. She used to refuse to teach girls because they would marry, become busy, and neglect the Quran.

What was even more amazing was that Umm Al-Sa’ad accepted the condition from her Shaykha who was known for her strictness and harshness against those whom she did not feel were proper for this honorable task. But Umm Al-Sa’ad was encouraged by the fact that her Shaykha herself had never married, even though there were many of the great scholars who had sought her hand, and she died in that state while in her eighties, having secluded herself to the Qur’aan!

Umm Al-Sa’ad said, ” It is from the blessings of my Lord that anyone who has obtained an ijaaza in the Qur’aan, in any Qiraa’ah, in Alexandria either received it directly from me (munaawala) or from someone whom I had given an ijaaza to. ”

And what proved her unique status was that she was the only woman to whom recitors and huffaadh (memorisers) of the Qur’aan would travel to receive ijaaza in the ten qira’aat.

Umm Al-Sa’ad Ali Najm,age 77, is considered to be the most well known woman in the world of recitations of the Qur’aan. The only woman to specialize in the ten qira’aat, and has spent over fifty years granting ijaazas in the ten qira’aat.

Waves of people could be seen entering and leaving her humble apartment, students who dreamed of memorizing the Qur’aan, comprised of different age groups and both genders.

Classes for the women and girls would begin from 8 AM until 2 PM after which the classes for men and boys would start until 8 PM. Umm Al-Sa’ad would continue all day with no breaks except for salah and a light meal to sustain her.

Umm Al-Sa’ad was born into a poor family in a town called Bandaariya, one of the towns of the larger city Munofiya (north of Cairo). She was afflicted by blindness shortly after her first year and, as was the practice of many in rural areas in dealing with blindness, her family sent her to learn the Qur’aan. She completed her memorization in Alexandria at the age of 15. She then completed the memorization of the ten recitations of the Qur’aan from Shaykha Nafeesa when she had reached the age of 23.

Umm Al-Sa’ad mentioned that when she had completed her memorization of the qira’aat the number of huffaadh were few. Families used to request from her, as they had requested from her Shaykha before her, to recite Qur’aan for them at occasions and religious festivals. It was acceptable at that time for a woman to recite the Qur’aan with tajweed in the presence of men who- as she recounted- used to praise her recitation and the beauty of her tajweed. She mentioned however that this practice disappeared after Qur’aanic recitors became widespread, as well as the spread of radios and televisions, and the most that could be done by a female recitor now is to recite at occasions that were female only. She believed that the real reason for this however was the belief that had increased in the recent years that the voice of the woman is ‘awrah.

Many different types of people would return to her, seeking the completion of the Qur’an or ijaazah in a Qiraa’ah, from all ages and levels in society. In a day she would teach old and young students, men and women, engineers, doctors, teachers, university professors, college students, high school students, etc.

She would single out for each student a time, not more than an hour in a day, in which the student would recite what they had memorized and she would correct their mistakes bit by bit, until they memorize the Qur’aan in one of it’s qira’aat.

Umm Al-Sa’ad once commented:

“Sixty years of memorizing the Qur’aan and it’s recitations has made me unable to forget any of it. I can recall every ayah, it’s surah and its juz, I know the ayaat that are similar (mutashaabih) and how to recite the same ayah in different qira’aat. I feel like I know the Qur’aan like my name, I cannot imagine forgetting a letter of it or making a mistake in it. I don’t know anything other than the Qur’aan and its recitations. I never learned a science, listened to a lecture, or memorized anything other than the Qur’aan and the mutoon that were related to the Qur’aan and tajweed. I don’t know anything other than that.”

Her students:

When asked about her students Umm Al-Sa’ad said:

“I remember every one of them, there were some who received Ijaaza in one of the recitations, and there were some (and they were very few) who received ijaaza in all ten recitations. They are the ones who receive an ijaaza with a special seal that I have that I always keep with me, I never give it to anyone no matter how much I have trust in them.”

The happiest days for Umm Al-Sa’ad are the days of khatma, when she would grant a student an ijaaza, even though she has experienced this day over 300 times! She keeps a copy of every ijaaza, the most recent one being to a sister in the recitation of Qaloon from Naafi’.

On the day of khatma, a waleema is normally done, or a tea party with sweets. The student who is receiving the ijaaza normally gives a gift to the Shaykha; a jilbaab, a ring, golden earrings, all according to what they can afford. As for the most beautiful gift that the Shaykha received was a Hajj and ‘Umrah trip accompanied with being hosted in Saudia for an entire year! The best part of the trip, after the hajj and ‘umrah, was that she reviewed the Qur’aan, and granted ijaazas in all ten recitations to students from all over the world; Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Sudan, Palestine, Lebanon, Chad, Afghanistan…

The most beloved of those ijaazas that she granted was to a student from Saudi Arabia who received it when she was seventeen years old!

The wives of her students become jealous…

And from the most interesting things that Umm Al-Sa’ad recounts is that some of the wives of her students became jealous and fearful that she might “snatch” their husbands. Especially since their husbands would continually speak about their Shaykha with pride and endearment. To the extent that some of the wives would accompany their husbands to the class to ensure that their fear had no real cause, for the Shaykha was old and blind!

“And some of the men hesitated to recite to me considering that I’m a woman, and some refused, but Shaykh Muhammad Isma’eel (the most well known shaykh of the Salafi Da’wah in Alexandria) gave a fatwa that they could when he learned of my age, and he sent his entire family to me to recite to me!”

And what about her marriage?

When she was asked about the closest student to her, she replied “My husband, Shaykh Muhammad Fareed Nu’maan.”

Shaykh Muhammad Fareed, who- before his death some years ago-was the most well known recitor on Alexandria radio. He was also the first one to receive an ijaaza from Umm Al-Sa’ad.

She said about the story of her marriage, “I was not able to keep my promise to my Shaykha Nafeesa. He used to recite to me the Qur’aan in all ten recitations, I became comfortable with him, and he was like me in that he was blind and memorized the Qur’aan at an early age. I taught him for five years, and when he finished he asked me for my hand in marriage and I accepted.”

She was married to him for forty years and had no children.

But she had students who were huffaadh and recitors of the Qur’aan, so all praise is due to Allaah.

She commentated on that saying, “Alhamdullilah, I feel like Allaah chooses for me the good always. Maybe if I had children I would have become busy with them and neglected the Qur’aan or forgot it.”

Adapted from http://ahlalhdeeth.com/vb/showthread.php?t=34855

Umm Al-Sa’ad Rahimahallaah passed away to the Mercy of her Lord in 2006.

You can listen to what Shaykh Muhammad Isma’eel (the one who gave the fatwa to study with her) said at her passing here.

http://www.islamway.com/?iw_s=Lesso…lesson_id=56469

“So verily the Arabic language is from the religion so knowing it is Fard Waajib for indeed understanding the Book and the Sunnah is Waajib and they are not understood except by understanding the arabic language and that which is needed to fulfill an obligation is itself an obligation. So you have from it that which is waajib upon each individual and you have that which is waajib alal kifaayah.”

Shaykhul Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah said:

“It is known that Arabic is Fard Alal Kifaayah and the salaf used to discipline their children for making grammatical mistakes ….”

Al-Fataawa Vol. 32, Pg. 252

Shaykhul Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah said:

“And likewise for indeed Allaah revealed his book in the Arabic language and he made his messenger convey this from him in the Book and Sunnah (Hikmah) in the Arabic language….So knowing the language becomes part of the religion and due to speaking with it (The Arabic language) it becomes easier for the people of this Deen to understand the religion of Allaah, to implement the religious ceremonies and easier to imitate the First generations from the Muhaajiroon and the Ansaar in all of their affairs.

Iqtidaa Siraatil Mustaqeem 1/406

Imaam Ash-Shaafi’ee said”

“The language which Allaah favored was the Arabic language as he revealed his noble book in this (Arabic) and he made this the language of the seal of the prophets Muhammed. And that is why we say that it is befitting for everyone who has the ability to learn Arabic that they learn it as it is the best language.”

Iqtidaa Siraatil Mustaqeem 1/464

This is because I started memorising when I was still in primary school and would memorise at my afternoon madrasah. It continued during high school, where I would attend the hifz class they had there after school each day. So by the time I completed my schooling career, I had managed to finish about 25 ajza. However, my dhor (old lessons) was extremely weak; practically non-existent I’d say. I didn’t really know what I had memorised.

I continued to do hifz part time while studying at university (doing Islamic Studies). However, this time it was different. Previously I had just been memorising because my parents had sent me there. But now I was motivated to do this myself. I had actually wanted to do it fulltime, but my mother advised me not to.

My teacher at this hifz school was excellent, may Allah ta’ala reward him and have mercy on him, and the programme was quite rigorous. For full time students it was from eight in the morning till five in the afternoon, with a two hour break from 12:00 till 2:00. There were no holidays, except for public holidays, Ramadan, and for a short time at the end of the year. I would attend from 2:00 till 5:00 after my university lectures. When I came there I started my memorisation from the beginning again. I also had to improve my tajweed: so progress was painfully slow at first, which was difficult, but alhamdulillah, I’m grateful for it now.

I had learnt some Arabic at high school and was also learning it at university. This was a major reason in speeding up my progress in memorising, as understanding what I was reciting made it much easier to commit it to memory. Previously I had done a page a day – now I had increased it to a quarter Juz, bi fadlillah. So a year and eight months after starting at that school, I completed my hifz, alhamdulillah. I would still attend the school for about another 8 months or so to make the memorisation firm. After that there was a graduation ceremony of sorts, where I was tested on how well my hifz was.

For about a year thereafter I was just revising on my own. I had now started listening to Qur’an recitations. This was a new phase in my memorisation: I would take the recitation of a Surah, put it on my phone, and listen to it over and over and over. This took the memorisation of that Surah to another level – the ease with which I would recite was far greater than with other Surahs. I could recite it from memory without having to revise it first and without using the mus-haf. For other Surahs I would have to recite while having the mus-haf with me. I’m still busy improving my hifz in this way. So far I’ve done 17 ajza like this, alhamdulillah. Make du’a that Allah ta’ala lets me complete this soon please. Progress has been slow recently, for some reason.

When I completed my degree I wanted to go back to my shaikh to recite to him again. However, he had left the county. So I started reciting by another Egyptian Shaikh, who had learnt the different qira’at. He had previously led Taraweeh with me, and he was also one of those who had tested me at my graduation. It took about a year to recite the Qur’an to him, after which I received a sanad in the riwayah of Hafs ‘an ‘Asim.

Alhamdu lillaahil-ladhee hadaanaa li haadhaa wa maa kunnaa li nahtadiya law laa an hadaanallah - All thanks and praise is due to Allah who guided us to this; and we could never have been guided if He had not guided us.

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