Miracles of ALLAH- Ya Nur…The Light

It is ALLAH’s favour upon us that He has blessed us in this life with the vision and sight of His varied forms of light. The light of the sun as it heralds with it a new day; the light of the moon that casts its glow in the opaque of darkness; the light of the twinkling stars like lanterns in the nightsky. Yet it is the vision of His Eternal Light that beckons the sight of our soul, the vision of His Splendour and Nur. As ALLAH SWT has stated in the Glorious Quran, “ALLAH is the light of the heavens and the earth…Light upon Light and ALLAH guides to His Light whomsoever He wishes (S24:V35).

As we yearn for the Eternal Vision of Light, I bid you to imagine and visualise with me that while living in this temporary world of Ad Dunya, the only discernible light your eyesight can distinguish is in fact a perception…a perception of the difference between day and night. This is the remarkable story of Haafidha ‘Aalimah Razia Ismail; An inspiring Muslimah whose eyes have never seen a single vision or sight from the realm of this life…for she was blind from birth.

It was the year 1979 and a beautiful little daughter was born to teacher Hajira Ismail and her husband Abdul Hamid. The miracle began from the very onset, that Hajira gave birth to a six month old premature baby who had actually survived. Born at Parklane Clinic, the doctors did their best to ensure her survival by placing her for a lengthy period of time in an incubator. Yet ALLAH’s Hand was already guiding the miraculous journey of Haafidha Razia’s life. “I was placed in an incubator to be kept alive and due to my prematurity there wasn’t adequate oxygen for my eyes, yet it was the kudrat of ALLAH that I was kept alive, ” begins Haafidha Razia.

“For the first few years my parents nourished and nurtured my body. I drank a lot of milk and so I grew well, Alhamdulillah. But obviously being a premature baby I was still small in size. My parents and I spent the first six years of my life in Johannesburg. I attended Tiba Services for the blind and the very kind teacher Miss Miriam Makra taught me the alphabet in braille. I was with Tiba from the age of about four years old. I could not see at all and till today I can only sense light perception. When day changes into night or how light spreads around a room or when someone stands infront of me and their shape casts a shadow.”

“My childhood was spent with many hours playing and learning and I was your typical talkative toddler. You must understand that I did not know a life of vision and adapted to being blind from birth. I recall moments of playing with my pet, a fat cat called Blacky. In any event we moved to Pietermaritzburg when I was six years old as there was no Indian school for the blind in that period of the apartheid era. I attended the New Horizons School for the blind and the maktab Madrasah Noor for the blind as well. I remained at New Horizons for ten years and completed my matric two years before time as I received two double promotions, Alhamdulillah. I completed my matric, achieving a matric exemption having attained 2As, 3Bs and a C. My subjects were English, Afrikaans, History, Business Economics, Mercentile Law and Physiology.”

Interviewing her mother, Apa Hajira, regarding her daughter’s life’s journey, she shared, “At first her father and I felt sad but realised that we had to be happy with ALLAH’s Will for us and that we needed to be happy in every condition. We accepted that this circumstance was from ALLAH. After that we would always make dua for ALLAH’s Assistance and Guidance but we knew that there was nothing to be afraid and ashamed of. And this is my advice to all parents with children with challenges and disabilities: Do not be afraid and ashamed. Carry on with normal life and make your child understand their disability.”

As to her voyage through deeni ‘ilm, Haafidha Razia conveyed, “At Madrasah Noor, I had learnt to recite the Quran in the braille mushaf, which comes from Pakistan. It was when I was in standard eight that, ‎​Alhamdulillah, my parents and I were blessed with the opportunity of performing Hajj. It was there in the haram shariefs of Makkah Mukarramah and Madinah Munawwarah as well as in the streets of these sacred cities that I was inspired by the various Quraas beautiful recitations. I had the opportunity of listening to Sheikhs Shuraim and Sudais. And I recall reading salaah in the Haram and being very much moved by Sheikh Hudhaifi”s recitation of Surah Balad in one of the salaahs. It was then that I made niyyah and decided to embark on the journey of Hifhdul Quran.”

Haafidha Razia’s inspiring lifestory doesn’t end there, ” I completed Hifdh ul Quraan in two and a half years, through braille and through listening to audio, Alhamdulillah and thereafter completed the ‘Aalimah course in seven years. After this I spent a further seven years teaching at Madrasah Noor and together with another blind student from Thailand, proofread the braille Quran as well as various Islamic studies kitaabs, fiqh, ahaadith and jurisprudence.”

Haafidha Razia concluded by sharing some motivational words with us and the driving force behind her zeal for knowledge, “The Darul ‘Ulooms have been most inspiring for me. Deen is compulsory for everybody, as Nabi SAW said, “The seeking of knowledge is compulsory on every Muslim, male and female.” As well as, “The best of you is he who learns the Quran and teaches it and the best of you is he who benefits people.” Always think of the blessings ALLAH has given you. If you have sight, use it to the best of your ability to be obedient to ALLAH. With regards to the ni’mat of sight, Nabi SAW has said to the effect, “If ALLAH takes away the two most beloved organs of the body, it will be the eyesight.” Follow the advices of your family and live as a happy family as well as learn from the examples, visions, dreams and thoughts of others, especially with regards to the Quran and deen.”

As our interview drew to a close and Haafidha Razia shared abit about her upcoming talk at the ladies qiraat jalsah once again this year, I asked her a question that overwhelmed my heart, acknowledging that her eyes have seen nothing of this world, “What do you dream to be your first sight in Jannah?” Her face lit up, with a dreamy smile hovering on her lips and she said, “Yes, I hope in Jannah to see the beauty of ALLAH’s creation, of people and of promised palaces and the sight of my beloved family.”

SubhanALLAH! Indeed it is ALLAH who is Ya Nur, the Light upon Light, Who through His miraculous methods guides to His Light whomsoever He wishes…those who have sight and those who do not… like our inspirational sister and teacher, Haafidha Razia Ismail, may ALLAH be pleased with her and her family’s efforts, ameen.

Extracted from my series “Miracles of ALLAH” in the Ramadaan 1434/ June 2013 edition of The Muslim Woman Magazine.

Reciting&Revering The Glorious Quraan…In Tribute of Sister ‘Aafia Siddiqui

First Ladies&Girls Qiraat Jalsah in SA

Like gentle raindrops nourishing the soul; cleansing the heart and soothing the mind…this is the reality of listening to Quraan e Kareem; reciting Quraan e Kareem; and revering Quraan e Kareem. As our Gracious ALLAH SWT has so beautifully expounded through His words, “And We sent down in the Quraan that which is a healing and mercy for believers”; “When the Quraan is read, listen to it with attention and hold your peace, in order that you may receive Mercy.” (Surah ‘Araf: V204)

This was the reality of the first ladies and girls qiraat jalsah in South Africa, held in tribute of Sister ‘Aafia Siddiqui…a gathering exuding peace, mercy and tranquility. It was a Sunday morning and ladies and girls from two provinces gathered at the JSS school hall in Johannnesburg, for the great purpose and intention of reciting and listening to the Glorious Quran as well as sharing inspirational stories and personal journeys in the studying of Tahfeedhul Quran.

However, there also existed another great intention behind this gathering, a tribute for our beloved Sister ‘Aafia Siddiqui, whose plight plagues the hearts of Muslims throughout the world yet her legacies inspire each of those hearts too. One of them being her passion, devotion and love for the Noble Quran. Sister ‘Aafia has not only been noted as a Haafidha who studied and recited the Quran but she has undoubtedly been noted as a great lover of the Quran. Her message has always been centred on the Quran so much so that she would, many a time, be found handing out copies of the Quran.

Through this blessed women’s only gathering, the organisers, the South African National Muslim Women’s Forum and the At-Tawheed Centre, endeavoured to disseminate this twofold message: the reverence and status that the Quran should hold in every Muslimah’s life and an effort to liberate and free’Aafia, through the liberating her message of living and loving the words of ALLAH.

Speaking to the CEO and spokesperson of the South African National Muslim Women’s Forum, Sister Shamshad Begum Sayed, she passionately conveyed the objectives of the event, “With the assistance of ALLAH and the various roleplayers who showed such enthusiasm and zeal, the event was a resounding success, Alhamdulillah. In an effort to ‘enjoin the good and forbid the evil’, which is our forum’s motto, we needed to pay tribute to our beloved Sister ‘Aafia. She is regarded as the most educated Muslim woman in the world, who had studied the Quran at various depths and we needed to pay tribute to this living martyr, who has suffered perhaps the greatest travesty of justice, by freeing her message of the Quran and through her example, conveying and projecting the importance of the Quran, especially to our youth. With so many women and young girls not only attending but also participating, we hoped to encourage a generation, society and ummah that will look and place the Quran as the focal centre of their lives, In Sha ALLAH.”

Regaling us with the highlights of the day Sister Shamshad shared, “We had fifty participants from twelve institutions, whose every recitation had a translation that was simulatenously being viewed on a overhead projector screen, as they recited. So that our audience could comprehend some of the messages that ALLAH has conveyed to us through the Noble Quraan and the importance of understanding the Quran. I recall when the verses of Surah Mulk were being recited and the translation was scrolling down the screen, there was an audible intake of breath by members of the audience. SubhanALLAH the entire event was listened to so attentively, that many of us attested to actually feeling such a sense of peace and tranquility as ALLAH promises for such gatherings.

Furthermore, I must share that every participant recited with such love that all of us present were deeply affected by the words of the Glorious Quran. Another highlight was the inspirational stories shared regarding the various haafidhas present. Each of them were so inspirational but I think one that stood out was the story of the young lady who had studied Tahfeedhul Quran with the challenge of being blind. And pursuing her deeni ‘ilm even further by studying the ‘aalimah course and even translating a few ahaadith kitaabs like the Bukhari Shareef, with the assistance of another student and teacher, into braille. When she recited, the audience was literally moved to tears. As a mother, my own daughter Bibi Ayesha Sayed and her journey with learning Quran under a teacher in Makkah, always brings me too to an emotional state when I reflect on the beauty and miracles of the Quran in our lives. Another inspiration was our young guest of honour, Hafidha Humaira Rawoo, who rendered the audience speechless when they heard that she became a haafidha at the tender age of eight, pre school age, and participated in an international jalsah in Jeddah at the age of 9. She also had the honour of reciting for the prince as he entered. ‎​Alhamdulillah, the event also paid tribute to our beloved Sister ‘Aafia Siddiqui through nazms and anasheeds. Quran translations and gift hampers for our participants were generously sponsored. All in all, it was a beautiful and inspirational day spent in a form of worship of ALLAH, in conforming to shariah and sunnah, as it was strictly for ladies. We hope to make it an annual event in the month of Rajab and of course, in preparation for our efforts in loving and living the Quran, especially in the month of Ramadaan, the month of the Quran.”

Interviewing some of the participants, students of Qari Basheer Patel, was another dose of inspiration. Razina Omar, Aadila Soni as well as Qari Basheer’s daughter, Juwairiyyah Patel conveyed their sentiments, “The Hifdh journey has been and still is one of the most memorable ones and beautiful experiences of our lives. This qiraat competition was amazing and exceeded our expectations by far. It was extremely organized and the different melodies in which the Holy Quraan was read was beautiful beyond words! There were also many inspirational talks and stories and the fact that it was also in tribute of Sister ‘Aafia made it all the more special. Our own personal journeys in studying Tahfeedhul Quran has truly been the highlight of our lives and coming together for this event has shown us that it is something special in the lives of many. We hope that ALLAH take it from strength to strength and that it grows as the years go by. And of course, that the importance, love and value of Quran be instilled into all of our hearts.”

Gaining some feedback from the audience members themselves only revealed even greater what an inspirational day it was. Sister Tasneem, in her late twenties, married yet still a part time Hifz student, beautifully shared with us, “I was excited about this jalsa and curious too, as it was a first. It’s not often that we get to hear ladies reciting, There are so many talented sisters and I thought being able to hear them would be motivating . We, the audience, were very receptive, and by and large gave the tilawah the respect it deserves, by paying attention. I think the translations being provided helped a great deal in this regard, as well the recitations, all different in their unique ways, captured the audience and kept us enraptured. Hearing these ladies recite so beautifully reignited the love for Quran and really motivated me to push forward. Especially after hearing the story of the special guest sister, who despite what we would look at as an impediment, pushed forward and fulfilled her dream of completing her hifdh in a short time. I don’t think that there was a dry eye in the audience as we watched her navigate the Braille Quraan so efficiently. Each girl who participated, was a reminder that it can be done, has been done and will In Sha ALLAH always be done.”

Undoubtedly the Glorious Quran has been and will always be the greatest miracle of Islam; the greatest miracle of our beloved Nabi Muhammad SAW. As Muslims, during the blessed days of Ramadaan, in fact during every day of our lives, we need to recite and revere; understand and impart the beautiful and fundamental lessons of the Words of ALLAH, like the example of our dear Sister ‘Aafia Siddiqui, whose liberation we beg ALLAH for.

We also beseech that ALLAH confer unto us the Holy Quran and that He make it penetrate our flesh and blood; our eyes and ears and that He enable us to act upon it through His Might and Power; and that He make it source of comfort for us and a Light and a companion in our graves, ameen, Ya Rabbal ‘aalimeen.

My article extracted from the SA print mag- The Muslim Woman Magazine, Ramadaan Edition July 2012
Twitter account- @muslimahatpeace

Let His Love lead the way…in the Blessings of ALLAH endeavour to live your day! RSB
@muslimahatpeace