- Recent events in Europe have seen distressing Quran desecrations, prompting global Muslim protests, yet the Quran is diligently memorized and preserved worldwide.
- A graduation ceremony celebrated 1,461 Quran memorisation students in Trabzon, Turkey, with encouragement from the governor, emphasising the transformative power of Quran memorisation. An ancient Quran manuscript dating back at least 1,370 years highlights its enduring preservation.
In recent events, we have observed distressing acts of the Quran being desecrated within Europe, leading to widespread protests and expressions of outrage from the global Muslim populace. However, it is worth noting that concurrently, the Quran continues to be meticulously preserved and ardently memorised across the world.
Trabzon, Turkey Graduation Ceremony
Following their completion of Qur’an memorisation, a graduation ceremony was held for 1,461 students in Trabzon, Turkey.
Aziz Yildirim, Governor of Trabzon said, ‘The sight of our Hafiz, whose number is as many as the conquest of Trabzon, enchants our hearts. I congratulate their parents and teachers. You should seek Allah in the face of your obstacles, Allah will not leave you alone. You will continue on the path of the Prophet (saw). A Muslim cannot stop learning, you too cannot stand still and you should not.’
President of religious affairs Dr Ali Erbas addressed the Hafiz at the ceremony, ‘You are the most honourable among these two billion Muslims. May you be blessed. No greater blessing can be granted to a person in the world than this. To be the walking Qur’an, to be the living Qur’an. May Allah the almighty grant you the ability to preserve your Qur’an memorisation until your last breath.’
Qur’an Memorisation in the UK
Amina, a 21 year old Hifdh student from London had this to say about her Qur’an memorisation journey:
‘I used to think that memorisation wasn’t for someone like me, I used to think that it was for super pious and super special people. I ended up going to a Qur’an camp for the summer holidays by complete chance, I thought if anything- I could work on my tajweed. I remember after I had realised that I had completed memorising my first surrah, I just sat there and started crying in disbelief. My hifdh partner gave me the warmest hug, looked at me with the biggest smile and said we’re in this together Sis! You’ve got this!’
‘Since then, I’ve never looked back. I really believe memorising the Quran can bring so many benefits to a person, even if you can memorise a portion, trust me, it will change your life!’
‘I would recommend for beginners to listen to Hussary- to get your memorisation right alongside correct tajweed. Keep playing it in your headphones.’ Amina said.
Noor, a 16 year old Hafiza from London shared her journey:
‘Because I am Somali, we use the Subac method for memorisation. I used to find this a fun way to memorise. It’s when you sit in a circle and take turns to recite and get through it together. You can do this with your friends or even your family.’
Brother Abu Hasfah shares how we memorised the Qur’an in his taxi:
Youngest Memoriser of the Holy Quran: a 3 Year old Algerian Boy
Pictured: Abdul-Rahman (Allahumma Barik!)
In 2014, Abdul-Rahman from Algeria, who was only three years old at the time, was given the ability to recite verses from the Qur’an from memory. He had a good mastery over the Tarteel style of Quran recitation. Abdul-Rahman learnt the Quran without attending any classes and
began memorising at the age 2, when he had just learned to talk. It took him one year to memorise the entire Holy Book.
A Manuscript of the Qur’an, held at the University of Birmingham, Traces Its Origins Back to 1,370 Years!
The Qur’an is being preserved orally everyday Alhumdulillah. However, interestingly, radiocarbon dating found one particular manuscript of the holy Qur’an to be at least 1,370 years old, making it among the earliest in existence. This manuscript is held in the University of Birmingham today.
The pages of the Holy Qur’an had remained unrecognised in the university library for almost a century. However, the tests provide a range of dates, showing that, with a probability of more than 95%, the parchment was from between 568 and 645.
“They could well take us back to within a few years of the actual founding of Islam,”” said David Thomas, the university’s professor of Christianity and Islam.” https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-33436021
