Gifts of Knowledge

No. 4: ʿAbdul-Karīm bin ʿAbdur-Raḥmān al-Faddā [d. 2010]

“He learnt the Qurān and its recitation well and memorised it all by the time he was five years old under his father before he passed away. He used to recite it lots, was very attached to it, always praying the night prayer, praying whatever Allaah willed all nights of the year. He used to become extremely happy at the advent of Ramaḍān and would prepare for it by increasing in worship, trying extra hard to deal well with people, and to say a good word, also by giving more in charity and zakāh and helping those in need and feeding the poor. He would distance himself from the people and worldly pleasures and travelling during Ramaḍān such that he would spend most of his time in the mosque praying and reciting the Qurān and sometimes would finish it in one day, and would increase in his tahajjud and duʿā.”
Shadhal-Yāsmīn min Akhbār al-Muʿāṣirīn fī Qirāʾatil-Qurʾānil-Karīm wa Qiyāmil-Lail, vol. 3, pp. 238-239.

No. 3: Fāṭimah bint ʿAbdur-Razzāq al-Qashʿami [d. 2017]

“Her granddaughter Ibtihāl bint ʾAbdul-Wahhāb al-Manṣūr said, ‘She was illiterate, not being able to read or write. Yet despite that she learned how to recite the Qurān and also finished memorizing it by heart by listening to it on the al-Qurān al-Karīm radio channel [in Saudi]. She would become extremely happy if someone corrected her on a letter or āyah. And she would read Sūrah al-Baqarah every day from memory, once in the morning and once at night. She would recite the Qurān lots, was prone to crying a lot, tears always ready to fall, she would virtually always sit with a muṣhaf in her hands, you can hardly imagine her without it.’

In her early years she would fast the whole of Muḥarram then in her later years Allaah guided her to start doing the best of fasts, that of Dāwūd, even though she was very old by then she would do it, fasting a day on and a day off. Apart from the obligatory prayers, she used to pray a lot of sunnahs and optional ones, many can do this but few keep it up and stick to it in all circumstances and situations. She would endeavour greatly in maintaining ties of kinship and would become very happy with whoever did that with her, and was very good to her parents after they passed away [by supplicating for them etc …]. She passed away in May 2017 at over 100 years old.” رحمها الله
Shadhal-Yāsmīn min Akhbār al-Muʿāṣirīn fī Qirāʾatil-Qurʾānil-Karīm wa Qiyāmil-Lail, vol. 3, p. 456.

It’s lovely reading narrations from the Salaf about their lives with the Quran and night prayer and everything from them in general, may Allaah have mercy on them all.

What’s also nice and inspiring is reading stories about people in these times and how they spend or spent their time in reading the Quran and Qiyām al-Lail, there’s a series of three volumes that has documented both of these acts of worship. And it’s interesting to see how some in this day and age excel and are consumed or infatuated with the Quran and then to compare ourselves to them and maybe find some inspiration in that.

I’ll try and put out quotes from this set, maybe it will help us change our lives in regards to the Quran and help stop us from neglecting it.