Islamic inspiration Archives - Education Enriched

Mu’adh – A Boy With A Gift

My journey towards becoming a hafidhah had become increasingly difficult. My sister was seriously ill, and coupled with my dwindling motivation, I had fallen behind. Yet someone would soon change this, and that someone was a young boy called Mu’adh. It was this young boy who would soon inspire me to not only continue on in my quest to complete memorisation of the Qur’an, but also give me the motivation to strive to become a better slave of the Almighty (subhaanahu wa ta’aala). Mu’adh was featured on a series of programmes on hifdh of the Qur’an across the globe. He couldn’t have been more than fifteen years old, yet had managed to complete memorisation of the entire Qur’an. For a teenage boy, reaching such a lofty goal is an immense achievement in and of itself, yet this boy had an extra obstacle in his way: he was blind. As the interviewer asked Mu’adh a series of questions, I became increasingly amazed at his articulate responses. In order to learn and memorise correctly from his teacher, Mu’adh used to travel a long distance, multiple times a week. Despite the long journeys, Mu’adh had exerted himself in his memorisation, just so that his teacher would give him even more lessons. Sometimes he would never even get a chance to play. Sometimes Mu'adh's teacher would stop him from memorising more than one verse in one lesson, just so that he would fully understand the powerful and deep meanings that the verse contained. Subhan’Allah. As the interview continued, Mu’adh went on to thank Allah for a gift that He had bestowed upon him. What gift, you may wonder? The gift of memorising? The gift of not wasting his time as a young boy? No...Rather, in his own words,

“He took my sight from me, subhan’Allah, and I praise Allah and thank Allah for His mercy.”

Allahu akbar. It was at this point that my eyes started to fill with tears. Faced with minor hardships in comparison to this boy, I had been struggling to memorise and revise daily. Yet this boy, despite being blind, had been blessed with such zeal to learn and memorise the Qur’an that he had strived, struggled, and succeeded in his endeavours, by the will and aid of Allah (subhaanahu wa ta’aala). Furthermore, his level of patience was truly inspiring – the boy was genuinely content that his sight had been taken away from him. When asked whether he ever became upset due to his disability, Mu’adh explained that he had only felt like this when he was younger. Now that he had matured, he was fully content with Allah’s decree. His contentment reminded me of the beautiful words of the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam):

“Amazing is the affair of the believer, verily all of his affair is good and this is not for no one except the believer. If something of goods befalls him he is grateful and that is good for him. If something of harm befalls him he is patient and that is good for him.” (Muslim)

Possessing deep insight into the true worth of this life, Mu’adh told the interviewer that he never hoped for his sight to be returned to him. When asked why, Mu’adh, with emotion in his voice, replied:

“So hopefully, I might have a case in front of Allah (subhaanahu wa ta’aala) on the Day of Judgement... when I stand in front of Him, afraid and shaking, and He asks me, ‘What did you do with this Qur’an?’ …perhaps Allah may make things easy on me. And Allah enters into His Mercy whomsoever He wills….”

His words enraptured my soul, and I felt my heart shaking from the reminder. It was at this point that the interviewer and those around him, including Mu’adh’s father, started crying. The boy, with tears in his own eyes, told the interviewer that Allah (subhaanahu wa ta’aala) had gifted him with the Qur’an. Subhan'Allah, what an amazing gift. It was clear that although his eyes were unable to see, Mu'adh's heart could see with clarity. Mu'adh then quoted the following saying of Ibn ul-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy upon him):

“Allah does not close a door to His slave, out of wisdom, except that He opens two others for him.”

How true, I thought to myself, and it reminded me of the verse in which Allah (subhaanahu wa ta’aala) tells us that he will make a way out of difficulty for whomsoever has taqwa of Him. With the end of the clip in sight, I had heard more than enough to stir my senses and bring me back to reality. Of course, my path towards completing the Qur’an was not going to be easy. Had I really thought that I would be able to sail through with ease at all times? Furthermore, the story of Mu’adh reminded me that the carrier of the Qur’an should be recognised by his actions, not by the certificate he receives on completing the Qur’an. For our Lord did not reveal the Qur’an for the purpose of memorisation alone, but rather for guidance. Each verse contains precious benefits, so it is upon us to strive to implement the lessons before moving on in our memorisation, just as the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) used to do. The last, and possibly the most important gem I had learnt from Mu'adh, was that hardships, other responsibilities, and whatever else life throws at us cannot prevent us from completing the Qur’an, as long as we have a sincere intention and ask Allah (subhaanahu wa ta’aala) to help us. And even if it takes us a year, a decade, or even a lifetime, we can, by the permission of Allah, become preservers of the Qur’an too. You can watch the full interview with Mu'adh here, along with all the other episodes of this amazingly beneficial series. May Allah reward all those who were involved, aameen.

Originally published in SISTERS Magazine

Be kind to yourself

"Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be kind to parents. Whether one or more attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honor. And out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say, 'my Lord! bestow on them your Mercy, even as they cherished me in childhood.'" (Al-Israa 17: 23)

Allah is talking about you, yes you. A parent, a mother. Not a working mother. Not a single mother. Not a stay at home mother. Just simply, a mother. A mother about whom only good should be said. A mother whose Lord asks others to make du'aa for her. A mother who deserves honour and respect.

“And We have enjoined on man to be dutiful and kind to his parents. His mother bears him with hardship. And she brings him forth with hardship…” (al-Ahqaaf 46:15)

This aayah is about you too. A parent, a mother. A mother whose right it is to be obeyed by her children. A mother whose Lord recognises her sacrifice and her hardship. A mother who deserves honour and respect. But I lose patience with my children, you may say. But I don't give my children enough attention, you may say. But I don't fulfil all of my children's needs, you may say. And I certainly don't deserve this great honour, you may say. But the One who gave you this honour knows you very well. He knows your weaknesses, your every little flaw. He observes your bad days, your down days, your guilt-filled days. He sees you when snap, when you shout, when you fall. And He also knows that you are trying, really trying, to be the best mother you can be, and the best everything else that life needs you to be...whether that be a wife, a working mother, a single mother, a stay at home mother, a sister, a daughter, a daughter-in-law, a carer... And He also knows that you are trying, really trying, to juggle a thousand responsibilities whilst fulfilling your ultimate duty towards Him. And He also knows that your heart is filled with regret when you fall. So accept this great honour, as a gift from your Lord. So accept this high status, as a gift from your Lord. So accept this respect, as a gift from your Lord. For there are no greater words than the words of Allah. And there is no greater truth than the truth of His words. So when your feelings of guilt try to pull you down, be kind to yourself. Because Allah knows that you deserve your high status, on your good days and your bad, because you are simply a mother.