EDITORIAL

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Kind.

All praises belong to Allah, who created the Heavens and the earth and everything in between and a thousand Durood upon our beloved Rasoolullah Salalahu Alaiyhi Wasalam. Alhamdulillah, it is only through the grace and mercy of Allah Ta’ala that this newsletter was made possible. Hafidha is dedicated to all those sisters who sacrifice so much for the pleasure of Allah Ta’la whilst memorizing His Word, Al Qur’aan-e-Kareem,.Those who strive to practice on the Words that their hearts hold and whose ultimate goal is to breathe Qur’aan, think Qur’aan, feel Qur’aan and live Qur’aan - Insha-Allah! It is dedicated to that sister who is not only aspiring towards the position of a Hafidha, but she who is striving to live out this title in her every step…every heartbeat… every breath...

Insha-Allah,we will also be referred to as ‘Hamalatul Qur’aan’ just like Hadhrat Ammar Bin Yasser (Radiyallu Anhu ) mounted a rock and called out "Ya Hamalatul Qur’aan"(‘O carriers of the Qur’aan’) to the Muslims fighting in the battle against Musailima Al-Khadhdhab(the imposter). This battalion of Sahabah consisted only of Hufaadh and they were victorious.Insha-Allah, we too will be victorious in both worlds, by practicing on these words that we memorize!

The aim of ‘Hafidha’, Insha Allah, is to motivate and support each other in continuing our memorization of The Holy Qur’aan and any contribution is welcome.We hope to encourage sisters to learn and understand the meaning of The Holy Qur’aan, as this is the only way we will be able to implement Qur’aan in our lives and those of our children insha Allah.The absence of a support group for aspiring Hafidha’s has provided the opportunity for a newsletter such as this to reach out and provide a platform for us to share our thoughts and inspire one another. So, with that in mind, we look forward to hearing from you!We humbly request all the sisters to make duaa that this publication grows and awakens the love of The Holy Qur’aan in us all. May Allah give you and I the strength.Ameen.

Wasalaam Binte Yaasin / Binte Abdullah

*NB-THIS NEWLETTER HAS BEEN OVERSEEN BY RESPECTED 'ULEMA*

JazakAllahu Khairan to our respected teachers, all sponsors, well-wishers.May Allah Ta'ala continue to give you tawfeeq to build your storeys in Jannah.Ameen.

NOW IM IN LOVE...

My heart burst with such royal joy,
The world has been given a whole new meaning,
Everything is beautiful,
Everything has a healing,
I cannot explain,
O’ what an amazing feeling.

My body wants to breath it,
My mind wants to speak it,
My heart wants to understand it,
My sight only wants to see it,
My lips only want to sing it,
My hands only want to hold it,
My hearing welcomes it’s melody,
I want to seek this,
I want to capture this,
I want to live this.

It’s my passion, it’s my Duniya,
And what is the Duniya compared to this bounty,
My chest has opened up to this splendor but my hands tremble,
My heart wants to endure it but it’s so strong, so much,
More than the waters of the ocean,
Mightier than the mightiest of mountains,
Yet strange, sweeter than honey,
Sweeter than musk,
Hey, more beautiful than the red rose,
Why, even more beautiful than the most enchanting Hoor,
And what is a Hoor compared to this bounty.

For the blind, its hearing is enough,
it’s love without sight,
For the deaf, it’s sight is enough,
it’s love without hearing,
O’ this sweet voice, O’ this sweet sight,
Now I’m in love.

The glory, the power, the purity of it’s truth,
O’ the light of the message sender,
My beloved Allah,
Your power, your message, your light.

This is my Hifdh,
My passion,
True love,
My glorious, beautiful, sweet book of Allah,
My Quraan, My Qur’aan.
But how will I learn, how will I memorize,
How will I practice,How will I teach,
How will I understand?
My Allah, the Helper, the All-Knowing,
The All Hearing,
Help this servant, I beseech.

And if just one part of the Qur’aan, just one aayah,
one Juz in my heart feels like
I’ve conquered the entire world
And everything it contains with all it’s
Devastating beauty, lands, waters
And all it’s people with their hearts
And their hifdh, what must it feel like
To know two glorious para’s?
Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!

And if understanding one part of the Qur’aan,
Just one aayah. One Juz makes me ponder
Over the miracles of Allah,
The beauty of Allah,
The mercy of Allah,
And makes me weep until my eyes
Become empty of tears and makes my heart happy
Until it feels like exploding
And makes my head crazy and spin
With joy until it wants to grasp more.
What must it feel like
To understand two glorious paras?
Allahu Akbar!

But how will I bear it, How will I honour it,
How will I protect it, how will I preserve it?

And surely Allah has sent Qur’aan just like
Allah has sent me,
Allah knows Qur’aan just like
Allah knows me,
Allah knows the depth of Qur’aan just like
Allah knows the depth of my heart
And the capacity of my mind.

So if Allah wants Qur’aan to be engraved in my mind,
Trailed in my tongue
And weighed in my heart,
All Allah says is:
"Kun fayakoon"
"Be and it is"…

- Sherzaadi Binte Yaasin 2

DEAR PARENT ...

The entire created humanity stands engulfed in fear.Yet she stands happy and joyful,undeterred by the dreadful atmosphere that prevails.Who is she and why does she smile so?She is a Haafidha, Allah’s Special Servant.She has adhered to the injuctions of the Qur’aan in her heartsolely for Allah’s pleasure.She has honoured the Qur’aanul Kareem in her heartand today Allah honours her.She has succeeded.Her parents are presented with crownsthat are brighter than the Sun.All their effort and sacrifice has paid off.This child has truly made her parents proud.

SubhanAllah! The parents of the Haafidha receive such a great reward!Allah is so Merciful that He honours not only the Haafidha herself, but her parents as well! Have we ever thought about WHY Allah has bestowed such a great boon to the parents of the Haafidha, while they might not have memorised the Qur’aan themselves? Do you think that the parents have a role to play in the Hifdh of their child? If we ponder on these questions and are honest with ourselves, we will realize that the parents, of those fortunate enough to preserve His Glorious Book, shoulder a great responsibility.

It is under this backdrop that I wish to highlight the importance of parental support and guidance in the life of the Haafidha.It is indeed sad that for worldly achievements most children do have the adequate support at home, whilst regarding the progress of the child’s Hifdhul Qur’aan this seems to lacking.

It is imperative that a Hifdh student is monitored on a daily basis. Continuously remind her of her duty of preserving the Qur’aan in her heart as well as encourage and motivate her to learn her daily sabak and dhor.

At times she may feel disillusioned and if parents don’t motivate her, towards striving in the path of the Qur’aan for the sake of Allah, shaytaan will take advantage of the situation and fill her mind with demotivating and defeatist thoughts as well as distractions.Remember, shaytaan doesn’t want your child to succeed in becoming a Hafidha. His goal is to drag as many people with him to his eternal abode, Jahannam, as he can. Now, let’s do the math…Each practising Hafidha is promised Jannah. Over and above that, Allah will also accept her intercession on behalf of ten family members who had ALREADY been doomed to Hell. Shaytaan has worked so hard to take along ten people with him to Jahannam and, through the mercy of Allah and because of the sacrifice of ONE Haafidha, ELEVEN people will now be saved from Hellfire, Allahu Akbar! What an obstacle in shaytaan’s mission! By making an effort on just one person ( the aspiring Haafidha) ten less people are guaranteed Jannah…this is what shaytaan realises so he makes the extra effort , the thing is…Do we realise shaytaan’s ploy?… Will you be there for your daughter when shaytaan whispers?

Both parents should play an equal role and sacrifice their time and effort to ensure that the student always tries her best whilst studying the Qur’aan. Personal experience as well as careful observation of other Hufaadha have revealed that many fathers do not play an active role in the Hifdh of their daughters. While this may be a generalisation it is a sad situation that is prevailing in many homes. When one or both parents shirk their responsibilities, what impression does this give their daughter? That what she is doing isn’t important enough (Na’oozubillah!)?

The greatness of the Qur’aan in relation to any other book is like the Greatness of Allah compared to His creation. How then can the parents not pay attention to such a noble activity that their daughter is undertaking? Both parents should monitor the student’s work on a daily basis as well as liaise with the teacher regularly to keep track of their child’s progress. The student should never be allowed to slip on the path, though possible getting up, the task isn’t easy.

Effort should be made on the student’s character. Obviously the parents should make an effort on themselves first so as to be role models for their child to emulate. A Hafidha is especially chosen by Allah to preserve His Blessed Speech and the Best of all books, thereby becoming part of Allah’s Household, Wow! SubhanAllah! Alhumdulillah! What could be better than that? Therefore, the student should not disgrace the beautiful verses in her heart by acting in a manner contrary to the Qur’aan and Sunnah.Does it make sense for a person to memorise an entire rulebook and still break the rules?

An Islamic environment must be created at home. Love for the Qur’aan should be inculcated amongst all members of the family. It would be an excellent idea if a specific time be dedicated to reciting and memorising the Qur’aan by all members of the household everyday,In this way, barakah enters the home, love and respect for the Qur’aan and fellow family members is created and the student is easily motivated to memorise and revise her Qur’aan lessons.

When going on an outing, be considerate of the student’s Hifdh.Her Hifdh should be her priority. It may be difficult for her to learn elsewhere, so make sure that she learns her prescribed work before going out and if that is not possible, be back early so that she has adequate time to prepare for her lessons. However, make sure that she has her Qur’aan with her at all times so that she can revise, or at least play a Qur’aan CD or cassette in the car. At times the family might not be able to go out because she has to learn her Hifdh, this is a sacrifice that sometimes has to be made. Allah will reward the family tremendously insha Allah.

Hifdh students should be monitored more carefully during the holidays. Explain to your child that she might be on a holiday from madressa but as a Hafidha she is always ‘on duty’ .She should never neglect the Qur’aan in her heart during this time. Lengthy holidays to far-off places should be avoided whilst the student is doing Hifdh as students tend to become lazy and disorientated with their Hifdh.Rather, use it as an incentive and wait a while, insha Allah once the student has completed Hifdh then she can go along.

The TV is a great fitnah that occupies the homes of many Hafidhas. Please for the sake of Allah and the success of your child, remove it! It is a darkness that invites shaytaan to the home which makes it harder for the student studying the Qur’aan , which is a light- Nurun ‘alaa Nur.Or at the very least do not encourage her to watch and switch it off when she is learning or revising.Try to cut down the amount of television viewed in the house…do not adopt the ‘ do-as-I-say-not-as-I- do’ attitude.

Each Haafidha completes the Holy Qur’aan in the time frame that Allah has prescribed. If she does not complete in 2 or 3 years, please do not be disheartened and advise her not be disheartened as well. A mountain can be moved, rock-by-rock. With patience, perseverance, enthusiastic dedication and sincere Dua she will definitely reach her goal insha Allah. When we contemplate that the Holy Qur’aan was revealed to our beloved Nabi (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam) over 23 years as well as the love of the Qur’aan that the Sahaaba (may Allah be pleased with them) possessed, they would only move on to memorising the next portion of the Qur’aan once they have understood and practised what they have learnt, our sacrifices pale in comparison.

A vital point to note at all times is that your child should have the utmost respect for her teacher. She should always aim to gain her teacher’s duas and blessings. Do not allow her to speak ill or act in any way disrespectful towards her teacher. The knowledge that is being imparted to your child is priceless. The student should value it and appreciate the time, effort and sacrifice of the one imparting the auspicious knowledge of the Holy Qur’aan.The student should constantly make Dua for her teacher, for she can never repay her for even one Ayah that she has thought her, as one Ayah is greater that the entire world and whatever it contains.
Most importantly, remember your child in your Duas, as well as encourage her to plead to Allah to aid her in this noble task. Make Dua that Allah makes her a practising Haafidha.A wonderful idea is to get up with your child for Tajhajjud Salaah.It would be very beneficial if this is made a routine as Allah loves to accept Duas made at this time.

Insha Allah if the abovementioned steps become a reality at home, the Hifdh of the child will be made easy and the entire family will see the effects of the Barakah of the Quraan in their lives. May Allah, through the Holy Qur’aan, cement the relationship between the parents, child and the entire family.May Allah make it easy for all parents and students to appreciate this boon of Hifdhul Qur’aan as well as realise and perform our respective roles in the Best possible manner solely for Allah’s pleasure. Ameen.

WHY AM I DOING HIFDH?

The orchard has produced the fruits but the farmer chooses only the best to sell in his market. So too, from all of creation, Allah CHOOSES His servants to do His work, to memorize His words. It is said, "When a father does not trust his six year old son with the keys of his car, what does Allah see in this very child to trust him with the words of Qur’aan".

Qur’aan is a great miracle, favor and gift of Allah unto mankind and was applicable to man from the time it was revealed and will continue to be until the Day of Qiyaamah. It is the Book of Guidance, "Laa rayba fee" there is no doubt in it. Why then should man not emblazon these words in his heart to act out it’s commands, safeguard it’s honor, carry out it’s beauty……fulfill it’s right throughout his life?

Alhumdulillah, mothers across the globe pray for a son to make him Hafidh and the girls unfortunately grow up thinking that Hifdh-ul-Qur’aan is for the brothers only and are very seldom encouraged to pursue their Hifdh. Sisters, our mother H.Aisha [May Allah be pleased with her] the beloved wife of Rasool-e-Paak [Salalahu Alayhi Wasalam] was the first women to become Hafidha.

The Qur’aan relates: " Undoubtedly, we have made the Qur'aan simple to take lesson from,so is there any who will take lessons?" (Surah Qamr Verse 17).

Every person has the ability, we need to create the willpower and desire within ourselves,Insha Allah.

A mother who has memorized Qur’aan in a household instead of the father is more likely to teach all her children to memorize these words as she spends more time with them, like the elders say : "The first madressa of a child is on the lap of the mother". There are no restrictions, it is of equal importance for both males and females to memorize the Qur’aan.

I am not doing Hifdh for this title Hafidha but solely to practice on the commands of my Allah and for me it starts here, this is my opening chapter. I want to understand the rights Qur’aan has over me, apply it’s laws in every aspect of my life, recite Qur’aan all through my day, sleep with it’s fragrance and Noor and die with Qur’aan inside my heart Insha-Allah. I want to recite Qur’aan unto my baby from the very first day I know that he is inside me, feed him with the words of Qur’aan just like the mother who recited Qur’aan from memory each time she breast-fed her son, SubhanAllah, when this child grew up, he was Hafidh [without making any effort at all] by the virtue of his mother’s deed as the words of Qur’aan was etched in his memory from the lips of his mother whilst the milk that flowed from her chest touched his lips. Allahu Akbar! And let’s not forget the mother, who during pregnancy memorised fifteen juz and when her son grew up, he was Hafidh of fifteen juz without any effort of his own. Look at these ni’mah sisters, SubhanAllah. Behind all great men, there are great women.

O’ Allah, grant my partner and I this ni’mah of Qur’aan. Use us to practice and teach Qur’aan. Make all of our children recite, memorize, understand and practice Qur’aan and grant us all the ability to recite Qur’aan with tarteel and beautiful tones. Make these children flag bearers of Islam and amongst ‘Hamalatul Qur’aan’. Ameen.

-On behalf of all the Hufaadha of the World

HOW HIGH IS YOUR STOREY IN JANNAH??

Hadhrat Abdullah Bin Amr [RA] reports that Rasoolullah [Salalahu Alaihi Wa Salam] said: "On the Day of Qiyaamah, it will said to the man devoted to the Qur’aan. ‘ Go on reciting the Qur’aan and continue ascending the storeys of Jannah and recite in the slow manner you had been reading in [your] worldly life, your final abode will be where you reach at the time of the last ayat of your recitation".

Hadhrat Ali [RA] says that Rasoolullah [Salalahu Alaihi Wa Salam] said : "Whoever reads Qur’aan and learns it by heart, and regards what it makes lawful as lawful and it’s unlawful as forbidden, will be admitted into Jannah by Almighty Allah who will also accept his intercession in respect of ten such persons of his family who shall have been doomed to Hell".

Hadhrat Sa’eed Bin Sulaim [RA] has reported that Rasoolullah [Salalahu Alaihi Wa Salam] said : "On the Day of Qiyaamah, before Allah, no other intercessor will have a greater status than the Qur’aan, neither a Prophet nor an angel etc."

Hadhrat Abu Zar [RA] reports that Rasoolullah [Salalahu Alaihi Wa Salam] said : "O, Abu Zar, if you go in the morning and learn one ayat from the book of Allah, it will be better for you than your offering one hundred rakaat of nafl salaah and if you learn one chapter of knowledge, which may or may not be practiced at that time will be better for you than your offering one thousand rakaat of nafl salaah".

Hadhrat Abdullah Bin Amr [RA] reports that Rasoolullah [Salalahu Alaihi Wa Salam] said : "Whoever reads the Qur’aan, secures the knowledge of Prophethood within his ribs [bosom] though divine revelation is not sent upon him, it does not befit one endowed with the Qur’aan that he should be indignant with those in anger nor should he indulge in any act of ignorance with those who are ignorant while the Qur’aan is there in his bosom".

Source: Faza’il-e-A’maal

HIFDH IN ONE SENTENCE

*Hifdh is the ultimate test in discipline, perseverance and dedication to the words of Allah- Hafidha [Overport]

*Living my life according to the words of my Creator in my heart-Aspiring Hafidha [Stanger]

*A life-altering and truly amazing journey to Paradise-Aspiring Hafidha [Stanger]

*With each Juz memorized, it feels like I’ve conquered a part of this earth, a Hafidh/a then definitely has the world at their feet- Aspiring Hafidha [Durban]

*Hifdh is the fulfillment of man’s capacity to gain knowledge- worldly and religious because without Qur’aan, neither can exist as Allah ordained it to be- Hafidh [Ladysmith]

*Hifdh is an Amaanah crowned with honour- Hafidha [Sherwood]

*Hifdh is a truly awe-inspiring and mindblowing experience which changes the way you think
and relate to the world-Aspiring Hafidha [Durban]

*Hifdh is to instill the Qur’aan into ones heart and mind as a protector and a guide for ones success in this life and the Hereafter- Hafidha [Asherville]

ACTIVITY:TAKING NOTES

Purchase a small handbook or have fun making your own and give it your personal touch! Go the mile – use fabric, glitter, beads, your signature perfume for added oomph, leather, embossed paper – basically whatever you fancy because this little book is going to be worth the trouble! Its your own record book – record the date that you started memorization of your first Juz, Mistakes, feeling on completion of that Juz and of course the date of completion – and continue for the remaining 29 Juz –InshaAllah! This little book proves really useful to look back on for that extra bit of motivation and keep a watchful eye on those common mistakes!

MY STORY: ' FORGET IT - I HAVE A DEADLINE!'

Taqdeer: Pre-destination. Incidents in our life are decided by Allah alone and if it was written in our Taqdeer for a certain incident to happen, then we can do nothing to stop Allah’s decisions. Of course I believe in that- we all do, as Muslims should. But we don’t really understand it, especially when we are so young. Alhamdulillah now, as I look 5 years back, I can understand that everything, absolutely everything is in Allah’s Hands.

I would never have thought that I would actually become a Hafidha. I’ve always had a passion and an extreme enthusiasm for reading the Quran from a young age. As far as Hifdh was concerned, I thought that it was something that only boys did! When the idea came into my head about actually memorising the whole Quran, there weren’t any females who were teaching Hifdh part-time. So I left it, until my real inspiration came- in the form of a well-known Hafidha from Cape Town! When I heard her beautiful recitation I thought that if she could do it, and since we were around the same age too, then of course I could do it.At first, I just began to memorise some of the "major surahs"- as they were called. Alhumdulillah,the Muslim school that I attended offered this for girls; but it was more of a subject, where we even had end-of-term tests! My parents as well as my hifdh teacher then suggested that I should complete the hifdh-ul-Quran as they could see the potential that I had. I wasn’t too sure of that and I didn’t think that I would be able to be so committed.

Alhamdulillah,I had company and that made things a whole lot better. A few of my friends had begun to go for Hifdh classes while in grade 10 so I decided to join them. When I decided to leave school the following year to complete the hifdh-ul-Quran, I realised the power of Taqdeer and how none of us has control over it. None of my friends were willing to do that for their own personal reasons but I felt that once I started something, I couldn’t just stop. I had the energy and motivation to complete the hifdh-ul-Quran and I wasn’t sure that it would come back to me after grade12. I guess that it was written in my Taqdeer that I would complete my grade 11 and 12 with a whole new group of girls.

The year that I left to complete my hifdh was when I learned about discipline and perseverance. I learned to sacrifice a lot of things in my life to achieve something better. It was not easy, that’s for sure. Some days everything seems to be going your way and you’re able to memorise quite a few pages in a few hours; but other days you feel that no matter how much you try, you just can’t manage to remember that particular page & you want to give it all up. But then you think about why you are doing this in the first place. You think about what you’re actually doing and the numerous benefits that come out of it. Unlike things learned at school that help you only in this world, you’re doing something that will benefit you in both the worlds! You have to remember that Allah has chosen YOU to safeguard His Precious Words. What an honour! These thoughts and many other positive ones give you the courage to try and try again until that page is finally etched in your memory!

I knew that I had just those few months to complete the hifdh-ul-Quran so that when I returned to school the following year, I wouldn’t have the stress of studying and doing hifdh at the same time. This deadline gave me the courage and determination to complete the hifdh-ul-Quran in October of 2001, Alhamdulillah! When you finally reach the end, you look back and wonder how you did it! Those days of struggling, (there weren’t that many for me, but I understood that doing something so intense had to come with some trials) seem so far away and it all was really worth it!

But of course, it’s not over yet! Hifdh comes with an immense responsibility and that is to maintain the Words of Allah in you. Five years after school, can you still remember how to tackle a geometry rider? I don’t think so! But with Hifdh, you can’t forget anything. It’s a trust given to you. As you wouldn’t betray your friend’s trust, so too you would not betray that trust of Allah which is so much more important. It’s all what you make out of it, how you choose to lead your life after you become a Hafidha. We are all mature enough to understand that we are inevitably answerable to Allah for everything that we do in this world.

I did return to complete my schooling and am now a student.Before I started, I thought that hifdh would be some burden on my life-but it’s not that at all. I know that I had to change some things in my life that would not be fitting for a Hafidha to do, but it wasn’t like I had to put an end to all of my fun. I still have a wonderful life, Alhamdulillah!Hifdh has even helped me in my studies. My memory has been strengthened and it’s easier to read quite a few Yaasins just before a test! When you have taken the time to learn Allah’s Word then I’m sure that Allah would definitely take the time and help you in all aspects of your life, Insha Allah.

-Bint Riaz