Quran For All

For Usrah Budi 2

My first experience in teaching the Quran to IIUM students is during my first semester. It started when my roommate asked me to teach her how to recite a few surah in the Quran only for the sake of passing the Tilawah subject. It was that time that I realized that there are so many people out there, who cannot read the Quran. Then, I joined a society called IQRA'. The society organized a few special Tahsin Quran classes and asked me to guide two students. But it was more like Tahfiz Class instead of Tahsin(improving tajweed etc) because most of the students are from religious background and can read the Quran very well.

After that, I moved to Gambang. Only four of us went there. We start by spreading a viral message about our free class and surprisingly we got a lot of responses. We had to close when the number reaches 20 as we cannot afford more with only for of us. Each one of us had to teach five students, and we made it every Friday's night at the Musolla. This time, most of the students are from nonreligious schools.

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The experience, I would say, was beautiful and heartwarming. My students are from different backgrounds. Some of them can read the Quran well but have a few problems with the tajwid. Some are very slow readers, and some cannot even read. I gave them freedom to read from whichever pages that they wanted, and at the end of the class I would ask each of them to choose a verse and share what they learnt from that short verse. And then, I myself would tell them the story behind it shortly so that they would have more interest to read the Quran. One of the happiest moments is when they felt touched and related it with their life. Quran is something that is amazing, it cannot be changed but it changes a lot of people's hearts.

Learning Quran is an endless process but you will feel an indescribable inner peace throughout it. There's always something new that you will learn. Teaching them made me realize that, and after that I joined a Tahsin Class in Gombak, conducted by a Palestinian lecturer. She taught me how to read with Arabic lahjah and with correct makhraj.

Honestly, I never taught that teaching Quran is a big deal. At first, I taught them reluctantly. However, when the class ended, looking at their effort, and how they appreciate the class made me feel like, "How can I look down to a class that was initiated by the Prophet?" To be able to read the Quran is not only a blessing but also an amanah.

One day, one of my student hug me with a wide smile, and tears flooded in her eyes. She said, softly: "You know, I've wanted to read Quran well for a long time but I feel ashamed to learn from someone that I don't know. Thank you very much!" She seemed very delighted. And I was touched.

"The best of you is he who learns the Quran and teaches it. (Al-Bukhari 5027)"

Some of them want to learn how to read the Quran, but they feel ashamed. I still remember one of my students, who is also my classmate said: "We have been classmates for a year, why don't you tell me earlier that you can read Quran well?" And I was speechless.

I personally think that every muslim who can read the Quran should feel the responsibility to teach Quran to others, either directly or indirectly. It does not mean that we have to make a formal class. We can start by showing a good example, for instance, reading the Quran at least 2 pages per day consistently. Make the people around us feel the need to read Quran. Perhaps sometimes we can ask our roommates to pray together in a soff and we recite the Quranic verses especially al Fatihah clearly so that they will get used to the correct way of reciting is. Imagine that you teach five people, and they recite it in their prayers. You will get the rewards of their recitations every time they recite it, because the Prophet said,

Whoever teaches some knowledge will have the reward of the one who acts upon it, without that detracting from his reward in the slightest. [Ibn Majah]

It seems simple, right? So, together, let's try to connect the hearts around us to the Quran :)