I am a Hafiz… You Too Can Be!

Alhamdulillah; infinite Thanks and Praises are due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, Who has certainly made the Qur'an easy for remembrance. May His Peace and Blessings be upon the best reciter, the best Hafiz and the best teacher of the Qur’an, Habibi Muhammad, his family members, companions and all those who follow their path till the Day of Judgment.

Did I say I’m a Hafiz? Yes I did and I humbly mean it… Alhamdulillah. But wait! What does “Hafiz” mean? And what does it mean to be a “Hafiz”?

The term “Hafiz” is an Arabic word which literally means “The protector” or “The one who memorizes something, protects it with his memory and can remember it at any time by heart”. It’s (the term Hafiz) widely used Islamically to refer to the one who can read the whole Qur’an by heart. It’s also used to refer to the one who has memorized a significant number of the Hadeeths of Rasulullah SAW.

To be a “Hafiz” simply means to change your life style! Whether you like it or not, you will change the moment you become a “Hafiz”. Many things will be visibly seem to have changed in you. You become unique in a way or another.

Do you remember when you passed from Primary level to Secondary (Junior High School)? Your attitude changed including your handwriting. Something similar happened when you moved on to tertiary education. Isn’t it? The same way, some changes obviously occur in one’s life the moment he becomes a Hafiz truly.

So, “I am a Hafiz…” is a humble invitation for all to relate to the Qur'an and change their life forever, insha Allah.

It's narrated that the Apostle of Allah (SAW) said in a Hadeeth narrated by Anas Ibn Malik, compiled by Imam Ahamd and Ibn Majah:

إِنَّ لِلَّهِ أَهْلِينَ مِنْ النَّاسِ. قَالُوا: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، مَنْ هُمْ؟ قَالَ :هُمْ أَهْلُ الْقُرْآنِ، أَهْلُ اللَّهِ وَخَاصَّتُهُ.

It means, “Verily, Allah has special ones amongst the people.” Then the companions said “O Messenger of Allah, who are they?” He said, “They are the people of Qur'an; the people of Allah and His special ones”.

Imam Al-Mannawi [a prominent scholar in the Shafiee school of thought, 952-1031H] said in his book, Faidhul Qadeer, “It means, the protectors (those who have memorized it) of the Qur’an who practice it are the allies of Allah and are special to Him just like one’s family members are special to him. They are called so (People of Allah) as an honour for them, just as it can be said, “The house of Allah”.

It's narrated that Abdullah Ibn Mas'oud r.a. said:

يَنْبَغِي لِحَامِلِ القُرْآنِ أَنْ يُعْرَفَ بِلَيْلِهِ إِذَا النَّاسُ نَائِمُونَ، وَبِنَهَارِهِ إِذَا النَّاسُ مُفْطِرُونَ، وَبِحُزْنِهِ إِذَا النَّاسُ يَفْرَحُونَ، وَبِبُكَائِهِ إِذَا النَّاسُ يَضْحَكُونَ، وَبِصَمْتِهِ إِذَا النَّاسُ يَخُوضُونَ، وَبِخُشُوعِهِ إِذَا النَّاسُ يَخْتَالُونَ…

It means, “A Hafiz should be known with his night (awake) when people are sleeping, with his day [fasting] when people are consuming food, with his sorrow when people are happy [with dunia], with his cries when people are laughing [unnecessarily], with his silence when people are engaged [talking meaninglessly], with his submissiveness when people are arrogant…”

So far, I’m not talking about “Ikhlas”. That’s something I’m not in the position to share with you how to decide on it. Ikhlas is something no one can tell you what it is. But, always remember that “Whatever is genuinely done for Allah remains connected, no matter how you hide it. Contrarily, whatever is made pretentiously for Allah will never get connected, no matter how it’s been publicized”.

Did I say “You too can be!”? Oh yes! You too can be… And I mean it! This is because I’m not better than you. You should not believe that someone is better that you. Everyone has his strengths as well as weaknesses. What is important is to ‘cut your coat according to your cloth'. Take your medication according to your sickness. Take a rest when you feel tired and eat only when you need to do so, not because your neighbour or friend needs to.

Someone may need 10 minutes to run a 1km distance, but you may not be able to run a 1km distance in 10 minutes. You may need 15 minutes instead. Someone else may need 20. What is most important is that the three of you should be able to run the distance of 1km at the end of the day, each according to his capability and strength not on the same par. Albert Einstein once said, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

I won’t repeat to you the great Hadeeths of Rasulullah which each enlightens us with the rewards awaiting those who memorize the Qur’an genuinely. You may read or reread them in “The Hadeeth that Changed my Life, Forever”. But at the same time, I can’t proceed without reminding ‘myself and you’ of the very famous Hadeeth of Rasulullah SAW narrated by Sayyidina Uthman Ibn ‘Affan r.a. and reported by Imam Bukhari, which says:

خَيْرُكُمْ مَنْ تَعَلَّمَ القُرْآنَ وَعَلَّمَهُ

It means, “The best amongst you is the one who learns the Qur’an and teaches it [i.e., to others]”. Masha Allah! (Wow!)

The best musician you know (whether he’s still alive or not) may not want to enter the ‘jannah’ as a musician, if he was a Muslim. The best chef you know, may not want to go to ‘jannah’ as chef. The best businessman you know may not want to be known as one inside the ‘jannah’ until he had been righteously generous.

But anyone who studies or memorizes the Qur'an will be honoured to be presented in the Jannah as a Hafiz or Qur'an learner. Even the ‘Hafiz’ who abused his status as a “Hafiz” will still have some hope in the Qur’an to save him that day, what more if he (the Hafiz) was a righteous one?

A good practical example is, when someone passes away, his family members search for Qur’an recitors to recite Qur’an for his “soul” even if the dead person didn’t have any regard for the Qur’an in his lifetime. If they are not able to find someone to do so, they gather and read for him by themselves. If they cannot read for some reasons, they (ironically) put a copy of the Qur’an on the dead body. All these actions, though different people have different stands towards it (in favour or against) come to show how much regard Muslims have for the Qur’an in all situations.

“Nothing is impossible” as they say. Adam Khoo titled one of his books with “I’m Gifted, So Are You!” This book is meant for students who are preparing for major exams (i.e. O Level and A Level) but it is good reading for anyone who wants to discover his potentials. If that can be accepted to be possible and believed in that everyone is or can be a gifted (genius), I don’t see why you and I can’t believe in the fact that you can be a Hafiz too. Allah says:

وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْنَا القُرْآنَ لِلذِّكْرِ فَهَلْ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍ

It means, “And We have certainly made the Qur'an easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember?” It's important to note that the above verse is repeated four times in Surah Al-Qamar: 17, 22, 32 and 40.

No magic is needed for one to become a Hafiz. No ‘istikharah' is needed either before one decides to start, because performing ‘ibadahs' does not require ‘istikharah'. All it requires is a “great interest” and wherever there is “interest”, “passion” and “discipline” there will be a result, sooner or later, insha Allah. In order to achieve quality and excellence, more patience will be needed too.

Before one starts, he needs to realize the importance of what he is about to attain. Make sure you purify your intention (niyyah) to the best possible. Followed by the moment in which you make the decision to achieve that specific ambition in your life. Then you need to prioritize that target over other ambitions. There is a need to sacrifice some things in order to achieve something.

In order to perform for 10 minutes perfectly in front of an audience of 500 spectators, one needs to spend a combined time of not less than 5 hours to prepare, practice and rehearse. In other words, for one to memorize Qur'an, one needs to forgo at least 5 habits (i.e. too much sleeping, facebooking, music, watching movies and dramas, eating a lot, unnecessarily outings).

Once he starts, nothing should stop him until he achieves his goal. That will be when one’s life is going to change forever. Coat this plan with dua'; present your weakness before Allah and He will present you strong to His creatures. Present you disabilities before Him, and He will surface your capabilities to His creatures.

For the adults who are reading this, please do not allow your age to bar you from this great honour. I read about a 68 year old Arab lady who could not read nor write but was able to memorize the full Qur'an through listening. This happened recently and not a long time ago. Maybe you heard about the Indonesian lady who memorized the Qur'an at the age of 82.

If you start with good intention targeting to become a Hafiz and along the way Allah chooses you to be by His side before you finish, Allah's grace is so abundant that we hope your reward will be fully granted.

Allah says in Surah Al-Nisaa, 4:100:

وَمَن يَخْرُجْ مِن بَيْتِهِ مُهَاجِرًا إِلَى اللَّـهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ثُمَّ يُدْرِكْهُ الْمَوْتُ فَقَدْ وَقَعَ أَجْرُهُ عَلَى اللَّـهِ وَكَانَ اللَّـهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا

It means, “And whoever leaves his home as an emigrant to Allah and His Messenger and then death overtakes him – his reward has already become incumbent upon Allah. And Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful.”

If you are not able to do it to become a Hafiz, but you have strong wish you could do it, I will suggest to you to consider sponsoring someone who is not able to become a Hafiz due to some financial disabilities but still have the dream to continue one day. Alternatively, you can contribute to Tahfeez schools and centres which produce Huffaz by providing your moral and financial support .

Nothing is easy until you have started to carry it out. All accomplishments remain difficult so long as we do nothing about them. They say, “Life is a matter of choice and the choice is yours”.

I pray that this piece has succeeded in inspiring you, to consider memorizing the Qur’an; a dream you've been having for long.  If you are inspired, and have decided to memorize the Qur'an for good, then you need to read my three-part aticles entitled “How to Memorize the Qur’an in 10 years, Regardless of Age and Profession”. Read the Part 1 here. Click here to read Part 2. And here you are with the Part 3. Remember my dear brother and sister, I have a very high hope in the ‘Jannah’ of Allah, therefore, I would like to see you inside there for the excitement to be double. I don’t want to be there without you. But “the choice is still yours”.

I am (humbly) a Hafiz… You too can be!, Perhaps in a different way. I am (humbly) a Hafiz… You too can be!, Perhaps in a shorter period or longer.

Allah knows best.

Allahu Hafiz 🙂