Better than a Doctorate Degree from Harvard

 

If you see anyone drinking tea, and you ask him what he is drinking,
he will tell you "tea." There is sugar in the tea, but
he will not mention the sugar, no one ever says he is drinking tea-and-sugar.
No doubt the sweetness of the sugar fills the tea, but the person
drinks and says nothing about it.

The
long standing tradition of Qur'anic memorization is analogous to
the sugar, doing its work in secret. In a child who embarks on the
journey of memorizing Qur'an we see that the hands, nose, ears,
eyes, and tongue are dynamic, but no one can see what the soul is
accomplishing. Their ears come across as listening, and their tongues
seems to be talking. But no matter what it may seem to be, it is
not only the tongue that talks. And in spite of form, it is not
only the ears that hear. That which speaks and hears is the invisible
soul within. The effect of the long standing tradition of Qur'anic
memorization on a child is similarly invisible.

And
this is what happens to a child when he memorizes the words of Allah,
the Exalted. We might think they are just memorizing words. But
in actuality, every letter they say, every sound they make, makes
an imprint in their hearts and minds which enables them to take
the imitated step of converting his oral recognition of Qur'anic
language into a physical act.

The
best education we can give our children is the memorization of the
Holy Qur'an. As Rasulullah (saw) said: "No group of people
gathers in one of the houses of Allah to recite the Book of Allah
and study it together, but tranquility descends upon them, the angels
surround them, mercy comes down upon them, and Allah mentions them
to those who are with Him." (Muslim).

The
first group of students I ever taught was a group of 9 year-olds
in a Hafidh Program in 1998. I was merely their English teacher.
As each day passed by, I saw little beings change from being passive
to being connected. I witnessed what seemed at the time insignificant
moments of sharing between classmates evolve into brotherhood. I
saw the honor of one being defended by all, and I saw the grief
of a few being shared by many. They finished the school year with
highest class percentage of 98% in all subjects, and to this day
continue to excel academically. This is rare to find in America
today. There was nothing magical in it. They were revolutionized
because they entrusted their time with Allah, by the memorization
of the Holy Qur'an, the words of Allah, the Exalted.

The
vessels for preservation of Islam are in our children's hearts.
Allah says:

"Nay, but they, the clear ayat, are preserved in the breasts
of those who have been given knowledge…" [Qur'an 29:49]

It
is our duty to plant these seeds in our children for we must equip
them for what lay ahead of them. There is no better time to preserve
our heritage than today, in these critical times.

As
there are numerous full-time schools sprouting in the west, it is
time that we as parents invest our children's time memorizing the
Qur'an and join the ranks of thousands who seek to earn the pleasure
of Allah (azza wajal) and preserve the very foundation of our Islamic
identity. Yes! It's better than a doctorate degree from Harvard
as we are reminded by the words of the Prophet (saw) about its reward:

Buraydah
(r) said: "I was sitting with the Prophet (saw) and I heard
him say: ..The Qur'an will meet its companion on the Day of Resurrection
when his grave is opened for him, looking like a pale man, and it
will say to him, 'Do you know who I am?' He will say, I do not know
you.' It will say to him, 'Do you know who I am?' He will say, I
do not know you.' It will say, 'I am your companion the Qur'an,
who made you thirsty on hot days and kept you awake at night. Every
merchant will benefit from his trade, and today you will benefit
too.' He will be given power in his right hand and immortality in
his left, and on his head will be placed a crown of dignity. His
parents will be given two garments the like of which could never
be made by the people of this world and they will say, 'How did
we earn these?' It will be said, 'Because your child learned the
Qur'an.' Then it will be said to him, 'Read and go up through the
levels and rooms of Paradise. He will keep on ascending as long
as he reads or recites.'" (Ahmad).