An Interview with Umm Saalih - A Grandmother Who Completed Memorizing the Qur'aan at Eighty-Two Year

By Dr. Saleh as Saleh


Al- Hamdulillaah (All-Praise is due to Allah), the One Who said (what means): "And in truth We have made the Qur'aan easy to remember; but is there any that will remember?" Surah 54: 32

Many all over the world memorize the Qur'aan, and it is not strange to see the youth memorizing the Noble Qur'aan and an early age. Al-Hamdulillaah, the One who made the Qur'aan easy for remembrance, had made it easy for Umm Saalih, age 82. In an interview with Umm Saalih, she was asked the following questions:


Q1: "What was the reason that drove you to memorize the Qur'aan after so many years?" She said, "I always hoped to memorize the Qur'aan from the time I was young. My father always used to invoke Allaah for me to become one of the memorizers of the Qur'aan, like himself and like the elder brothers of my family who memorized it. So I memorized in the beginning about three parts and then after I completed the age of thirteen, I got married and became busy with the household and the children. After I had seven children, my husband died. They (the children) were all young so I took the time to raise them and educate them, and then after they grew up and got married, I had more time for myself. Therefore, the first thing I directed myself to focus upon was the Qur'aan.


Q2: "Tell us about your journey with the Noble Qur'aan." She said, "My younger daughter was going to high school and she was the closest of my children to me and the most beloved, because she stayed with me after her older sisters got married and got busy with their lives, and because she was a quiet girl,upright, loving, and good. In addition, she was interested in learning the Noble Qur'aan, and her teachers encouraged her. Furthermore, she was very enthusiastic and always told me of many women who were driven by this great motivation to memorize the ur'aan, and this is where I started."


Q3: "Tell me about your way of memorization." She said, "We assigned ten verses (meaning her and her daughter who was going to high school). So each day after Asr, we used to sit together. She reads and I repeat after her three times. Then she explains the meaning to me, and after a while, she repeats that three times. On the next morning, she repeats them to me before she goes to school.


She recorded also the recitations of Ash Shaykh al Husary, Rahimuhullaah, repeating each verse three times and thus I continued to listen most of the time. Therefore, the next day we would go to the next ten verses if my memorization was good.Otherwise, we would postpone taking additional verses until the day after. Moreover, we assigned the day of Friday to review the memorizations of the entire week. And this was the journey from the beginning."


Then she said, "Over four years and a half, I memorized twelve juz" according to the way I described to you. Then this young daughter got married. When her husband knew of our task concerning the memorization, he rented a house close to me, close to my house, so that he could allow the continuation of the memorization. In addition, he, May Allah reward him used to encourage us and sometimes sit with us listening, explaining and teaching.


Then after three years of her marriage, my daughter got busy with the children and the household and our schedule was interrupted, but that did not make her give up. To the contrary, she sensed that my eagerness for the memorization was still established so she looked for a special good teacher to continue the journey under her supervision. So, I completed the memorization by the success of Allaah and my daughter is still working to finish the memorization of the Glorious Qur'aan. She has a little left, In Shaa Allaah Ta'aala.

Q4: "This motivation of yours, did it have an effect on other women around you?"

4. Setiap Imam Qiraat mempunyai usul, huraikan DUA usul daripada tujuh imam Qiraat. (10 markah)

Al Qiraat al Sab’ah ialah bacaan yang dinisbahkan kepada tujuh imam Qiraat yang terkenal iaitu ;

1. Ø  Imam Nafi’
2. Ø  Imam Ibn Kathir
3. Ø  Imam Abu ‘Amru
4. Ø  Imam Ibnu Amir
5. Ø  Imam ‘Asim
6. Ø  Imam Hamzah
7. Ø  Imam al Kisa’i

Setiap imam masyhur di atas mempunyai dua perawi dan sanad yang sahih, membawa usul qiraat yang pelabagi wajah. Semua qiraat dan perawi dipilih melalui ketelitian yang dibuat oleh ulama Ibnu Mujahid[1] yang meninggal pada Tahun 324H.

1- USUL PERAWI IMAM NAFI’

Periwayat dari Imam Nafi’ ialah Qalun dan Warsy.

1. Contoh usul riwayat Qalun ialah:

xÞºuŽÅÀ tûïÏ%©!$# |MôJyè÷Rr& öNÎgø‹n=tã ÎŽö�xî ÅUqàÒøóyJø9$# óOÎgø‹n=tæ Ÿwur tûüÏj9!$žÒ9$# ÇÐÈ

Dibaca sukun atau silah pada Mim Jama’ -   /عَلَيْهِمْعَلَيٌهِمُو

2. Contoh usul riwayat Warsy ialah:

íä!#uqy™ur öNÍköŽn=tã öNßgs?ö‘x‹Rr&uä ôQr& óOs9 öNèdö‘É‹Zè? Ÿw tbqãZÏB÷sムÇÊÉÈ

Dibaca Tashil pada Hamzah Fi Kalimah  -  ءَانذَرتَهُم

2- USUL PERAWI IMAM IBN KATHIR

Periwayat dari Imam Ibn Kathir ialah Al Bazi dan Qunbul

1. Contoh usul riwayat Al Bazi ialah:

!$tB 4Óo_øîr& çm÷Ytã ¼ã&è!$tB $tBur |=|¡Ÿ2 ÇËÈ

Dibaca silah Ha al-Kinayah   عَنٌهُو

2. Contoh usul riwayat Qunbul ialah:

ôM¬7s? !#y‰tƒ ’Î1r& 5=ygs9 ¡=s?ur ÇÊÈ

Dibaca qasar pada Mad Jaiz (2 harkat)  يَدَا أَبِي 

3- USUL PERAWI IMAM ABU AMRU

Perawi dari Imam Abu Amru ialah Al Duri  dan As Susi

1. Contoh usul riwayat Al Duri

öNÎgÏÿ»s9¾Î) s's#ômÍ‘ Ïä!$tGÏe±9$# É#ø‹¢Á9$#ur ÇËÈ

Dibaca Tawassut (4 harkat) pada Mad Wajib Munfasil  -   Ïä!$tGÏe±9$ا

2. Contoh usul riwayat As Susi

óOs9r& t�s? y#ø‹x. Ÿ@yèsù y7•/u‘ É=»ptõ¾r'Î/ È@‹Ïÿø9$# ÇÊÈ

Dibaca Idgham Kabir pada -  تَرَكَيْفَّعَلَ

4- USUL PERAWI IMAM IBN AMIR

Periwayat dari Imam Ibn Amir ialah Hisham  dan Ibn Zakuan

1. Contoh usul riwayat Hisham ialah:

Å7Î=»tB ÏQöqtƒ ÉúïÏe$!$# ÇÍÈ

Dibaca dengan Hazaf alif iaitu:  مَلِكِ

2. Contoh usul riwayat Ibn Zakuan ialah:

#sŒÎ) uä!$y_ ã�óÁtR «!$# ßx÷Gxÿø9$#ur ÇÊÈ

Dibaca Imalah pada huruf Jim iaitu kalimah yang bergaris  .

5- USUL PERAWI IMAM ASIM

Perawi dari Imam Nafi’ ialah Syukbah dan Hafs

Contoh usul riwayat  Syukbah:

وَالضُحـى                         (Imalah, tashil, raum atau isymam )

Contoh usul riwayat Hafs ialah:

(#qä9$s% $tR$t/r'¯»tƒ $tB y7s9 Ÿw $¨Z0Bù's? 4’n?tã y#ß™qム$¯RÎ)ur ¼ã&s! tbqßsÅÁ»oYs9 ÇÊÊÈ

Dibaca dengan Isymam (memuncungkan dua bibir mulut) pada kalimah yang bergaris

6- USUL PERAWI IMAM HAMZAH

Periwayat dari Imam Nafi’ ialah Khalaf dan Khalad

1. Contoh usul riwayat Khalaf ialah:

ö@è%   èŒqããr& Éb>t�Î/ È,n=xÿø9$# ÇÊÈ

Dibaca dua wajah iaitu Saktah atau Tahqiq selepas huruf Lam yang bertemu alif  -          قُلْ  ّ  أَعُوذُ  /  قُلْ  أَعُوذُ   

2. Contoh usul riwayat Khalad ialah:

öNs9ur `ä3tƒ ¼ã&©! #·qàÿà2 7‰ymr& ÇÍÈ

Dibaca dengan dua wajah iaitu Tahqiq dan Naqal pada kalimah  tersebut  iaitu:             كُفُوًا أحَدُ  / كُفُؤَنَ حَدُ  

7- USUL PERAWI IMAM KISAI’

Perawi dari Imam Nafi’ ialah Abu Umar Hafs dan Abu Al Harith

1. Contoh usul riwayat  Abu Umar  Hafs

4ÓyÕ‘Ò9$#ur ÇÊÈ È@ø‹©9$#ur #sŒÎ) 4ÓyÖy™ ÇËÈ $tB y7t㨊ur y7•/u‘ $tBur 4’n?s% ÇÌÈ

Dibaca dengan Imalah pada kalimah yang mempunyai ya iaitu:

وَالضُحَى / سَجَى / قَلَى     

3. Bincangkan peranan ilmu Qiraat dalam pemahaman Al-Quran. (10 markah)

Sesetengah ulama qiraat memberikan pengertian tafsir sebagai merangkumi perkara-perkara yang berhubung dengan kedudukan kalam Allah s.w.t yang dimulai dari sudut sanad atau sandaran lafaz dan pengertian makna yang berhubung dengan sesuatu hukum. Ini termasuk sebab-sebab diturunkan sesuatu  ayat dan masa sesuatu kejadian itu berlaku. Sesuatu penafsiran yang dapat diterima sebagai hujah oleh ahli-ahli tafsir mestilah mengandungi sususan ilmu bacaan (al-Qiraat), yang lengkap, ilmu  usul dan ilmu bahasa yang melingkupi  nahu, saraf, balaghah, bayan, badi' dan sebagainya.[1]

“Jibril membacakan kepada aku dengan satu huruf lalu aku ulang-ulangi. Senantiasalah aku meminta kepadanyaakan penambahan lalu dia (jibril) menambah sehingga sampai tujuh huruf.” (Riwayat Al Bukhari).

Al-Quran yang diturunkan dengan tujuh huruf  memberi kemudahan kepada umat Islam untuk membaca dan mengamalkan hukum-hakam yang terkandung di dalamnya. Penurunan al-Quran dengan tujuh huruf ini bermula pada zaman dakwah baginda di Madinah setelah dakwah Nabi SAW semakin meluas ke seluruh tanah Arab. Marhalah ini juga dikenali sebagai “Marhalah At-Tashil” yang membantu umat Arab mengenali al-Quran dan menghayatinya mengikut lahjah kabilah masing-masing. Hasil galakan dan panduan daripada Nabi SAW, generasi sahabat sangat tekun mendalami al-Quran dengan seluruh wajah qiraat yang diturunkan. Setelah kewafatan baginda, para sahabat telah bertebaran di seluruh Semenanjung Tanah Arab sehingga melahirkan beberapa madrasah qiraat seperti Madani, Makki, Syami, Kufi dan Basri.

Kemudian datang generasi selepasnya sehingga melahirkan tokoh-tokoh yang masyhur dalam bidang ini antaranya ialah sepuluh imam qurra’. Setelah zaman berzaman ilmu qiraat semakin berkembang dengan kelahiran tokoh-tokoh dalam bidang ini seperti Imam as-Syatibi (wafat 590H), Imam Ibnu al-Jazari (wafat 833H) dan lain-lain. Para ulama juga telah membahaskan ilmu qiraat dalam pelbagai sudut untuk menambahkan kefahaman terhadap al-Quran seperti sejarah ilmu qiraat, taujih al-Qiraat al-Mutawatirah, taujih al-Qiraat as-Syazzah.

Terdapat juga ulama berselisih pendapat dalam persoalan adakah kedua-duanya merupakan perkara yang sama atau sebaliknya.

Imam Badruddin Azzarkashi menyatakan bahawa Al-Quran dan Al-Qiraat adalah 2 hakikat yang berlainan. Ini kerana Al-Quran adalah wahyu yang diturunkan kepada Rasulullah saw sebagai mukjizat dan keterangan. Sebaliknya Al-Qiraat pula adalah kepelbagaian lafaz-lafaz wahyu itu pada huruf dan kaedah pembacaan seperti takhfif dan tashdid. Al-Qiraat juga tidak dapat tidak diambil melalui proses talaqqi dan mushafahah.[2]

Doktor Muhammad Salim Muhaisin pula berpendapat bahawa Al-Quran dan Al-Qiraat adalah dua hakikat dengan satu makna. Berdasarkan Al-Quran adalah masdar yang seerti dengan Al-Qiraah. Al-Qiraat pula jamak kepada Al-Qiraah. Maka bagi beliau kedua-duanya adalah mempunyai satu makna.[3]

Mutawatir adalah prasyarat utama dalam penerimaan sesuatu wajah sebagai Al Qiraat Al Maqbulah (qiraat yang diterima) di samping bertepatan dengan rasm uthmani dan satu wajah daripada wajah-wajah tatabahasa arab. Apabila sudah di wartakan sebagai mutawatir, maka beramal dengannya adalah dibenarkan malah dituntut dan diberi dengan sebaik-baik ganjaran. Selanjutnya mengaplikasikan seluruh wajah bagi qiraat mutawatir adalah suatu kewajipan.

Ulama bersepakat bahawa kepentingan yang dimainkan oleh Qiraat Mutawatirah dalam ilmu tafsir. Kepelbagaian bentuk bacaan yang sah sanadnya adalah merupakan satu rahmat  kepada umat Islam khususnya dalam bidang pensyariatan hukum-hakam. Ini kerana kepelbagaian tersebut bukanlah bermaksud wujud pertentangan makna mahupun pada aspek pentafsiran secara keseluruhan, bahkan ianya merupakan pelengkap di antara satu sama lain yang mempunyai hubung kait.

Doktor Syaaban Muhammad Ismail dalam karangannya (Al Qiraat Ahkamuha wa Masdaruha)[4] menyatakan adalah mustahil terdapat pertentangan dalam nas Al Quran. Sama ada kerana terdapat perbezaan pada makna , pertentangan pada maksud atau berlawanan pada matlamat. Ini kerana semuanya akhirnya akan terdapat titik pertemuan yang menghasilkan percambahan buah fikiran. Hakikat ini sebenarnya telah memberi sumbangan yang besar kepada para cerdik pandai Islam dalam menangani thaqafah Islamiyyah. Diantara disiplin ilmu yang terkesan daripada kepelbagaian wajah Qiraat ialah hukum hakam syariah Islam.

Secara umumnya hukum syariah yang bercambah hasil kepelbagaian wajah ini boleh dibahagikan kepada dua iaitu Ahkam I’tiqadiyyah (Aqidah) dan Ahkam A’maliyyah (Feqah).

Al Ahkam I’tiqadiyyah

Ayat-ayat di bawah tajuk ini mempunyai perbezaan wajah yang mempunyai hubungkait dengan persoalan aqidah Islamiyyah. Secara umumnya ia merupakan tuntutan bagi mukallaf untuk berpegang dengan asas aqidah Islam yang sahih dengan dibahagikan kepada 4 kumpulan iaitu ;

1. Ketuhanan ; 13 tempat

2. Kenabian ; 17 tempat

3. Perkara-perkara ghaib ; 13 tempat

4. Amal dan balasan ; 10 tempat

Contoh ayat yang berkaitan ialah firman Allah:

Å7Î=»tB ÏQöqtƒ ÉúïÏe$!$# ÇÍÈ

Lafaz “malik” dalam ayat 4 surah Al-Fatihah boleh dibaca dengan dua wajah sama ada dengan “maaliki” atau pun “maliki”. Hasil daripada perbezaan ini ramai ulamak memberi pandangan. Abu Amr Al Basri menyatakan bahawa raja adalah lebih umum berbanding pemilik. Abu Ubaid Al Qasim ibn Salam pula menyatakan seluruh raja memiliki tetapi tidak sebaliknya. Hasilnya kita dapati bahawa Allah bersifat dengan kedua-dua sifat ini. Dia adalah Raja yang Maha Memiliki.

I was told that kids get beaten for not learning things properly and when they do learn, they have no idea of the meaning of what they say! Practically all of them have no knowledge of Arabic other than how to read out the sounds.

I have seen a documentary about what goes on in some of those Qur’an teaching schools, where everyone is chanting and leaning back and forth in a weird way. I was told that kids get beaten for not learning things properly and when they do learn, they have no idea of the meaning of what they say! Practically all of them have no knowledge of Arabic other than how to read out the sounds.

I know that some Muslims don't practice anything recognizably Islamic, but still they have memorized much, if not all of the Qur'an (the sounds of the verses but not the meanings). Is this the way the Qur'an should be taught? How are these "teachers" trained?

Thank you for your question.

You raise some important issues that need addressing related to the wisdom of memorizing Qur'an and understanding it and the traditional teaching methods. Yes there are people who, despite memorizing much of the Qur’an, still fail to practice its teachings. The reasons for this are many, but certainly as you indicate, one of those reasons is due to the fact that some people do not understand the Arabic they are reading. The sad thing is that some of these people wouldn’t read a translation, even if it were made available. The reasons for this are complex but it is an attitude contrary to several verses in the Qur'an.

Do ye enjoin right conduct on the people, and forget (To practice it) yourselves, and yet ye study the Scripture? Will ye not understand?

Surah 2 Verse 44

Do they not then earnestly seek to understand the Qur'an, or are their hearts locked up by them?

Surah 47 Verse 24

Verily in this is a Message for any that has a heart and understanding or who gives ear and earnestly witnesses (the truth).

Surah 50 Verse 37

There are also many verses that end with phrases such as "... so that maybe you would think deeply" or "... so that maybe you would use your intellects".

Yet in other countries where children memorize Qur'an and have Arabic as their mother tongue they do learn the meaning of the words. Parents are keen to put them in such Qur'an schools in order to memorize Qur'an, assuming they will study it in depth later. Later they can start a process of reasoning on the meaning and implications of the different parts and verses.

One major purpose for this in the Arab countries is also to improve their Arabic as the Qur'an is highly poetic, so it is like teaching your kids to learn by heart long parts of the writings of Shakespeare to improve their English -which it surely does. It is a fact that children can memorize easier when they are young even if they do not understand the meaning, while it is hard to memorize when you grow up and have the mental capacity of interpretation and understanding. So there is no harm in learning the Qur'an as a child, on the condition that it is done according to good educational principles, allowing kids to enjoy it and have fun in the process.

This needs good preparation of other parallel activities and games of languages and understanding that many such schools do not care to perform. Teachers at such schools usually are graduates of religious studies colleges. In many cities now this teaching is performed in mosques by womens' groups and they might come from different academic backgrounds. Studying and memorizing Qur'an with children is part of their wider religious community activities.

There should be strong institutions of scholarship in the Muslim society. Then any dangerous misunderstandings, about Islam or about anything else for that matter, can be demonstrated as such through a process of dialogue and deliberation. In this way there can be no excuse for any pervading attitudes which stop people seeking to understand the Qur'an, out of a fear of misunderstandings arising.

The Qur’an should be taught in a way that encourages people to understand its message and implement it. This includes that when they have a problem with understanding a verse, then they should ask qualified people who have studied the issue.

A gentle rocking motion might help memorizing the Qur’an. It has, when recited, a form of rhythm, and that is part of what helps you remember it. As for beating children for failing to do so, I don’t think it is something that is sanctioned at all in Islam. The prophet never hit his children. Nor should we if we want to follow his example.

Read more: http://www.readingislam.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-AAbout_Islam/AskAboutIslamE/AskAboutIslamE&cid=1123996015736#ixzz0hZ1ig5bm

Tajweed Q&A 13

Question

As Salam Alikum:

I know the definition of Rikhawa is the "running on of the sound with the letter due to the weakness in the reliance of the articulation point". I understand this definition well but the definition of the name Rikhawa means softness. How does the definition softness applies to the running of the sound. In other words, why is it called softness?

Thank you so much

Answer

Wa alaikum assalaam wa rahmatu Allahi wa barakatuh.

The Arabic language scholars assigned names of characteristics to the Arabic letters many hundreds of years ago, but the name of is very suited for the characteristic of running on of the sound.

When there is a weakness of the reliance on an articulation point, the letter then is weak in that aspect. The running of sound in the letters of is a soft sound and a denotes a weakness in the letter, so it is appropriate.

You are most welcome.

Tajweed Q&A 12

Question

Dear Brother,

I just learned that there are several terminologies for the letter haa':

1 Haa Kinayah or Haa Dhamir

2 Haa Kalimah

3 Haa ta'nith

4 Haa Sakta

I wish to know what is the explanation for this type of haa and how is the way to pronounce words with such occurrence especially in Surah Al-Haqqah.

jazakallah.

Answer

Assalaam alaikum.

The pronoun called or is attached to a word and means his, or to him, depending on its placement. This has a place in Arabic grammar and a clear meaning. The is pronounced when continuing and stopping, and under certain circumstances, the dhammah or kasrah on the is lengthened. Please see click here and here for more explanation on when it is lengthened. Examples are: , .

We are not aware of the existence of the term “ha’ al-kalimah”, could not find a reference to it in Arabic language books, and consulted experts in the Arabic language who are also unaware of it. The only explanation would be any in a word, but it would have no significance as far as a term.

The female called is found on the end of nouns only and usually demonstrates a female gender in the word. It looks like or . When stopping on a noun ending with a written we stop with a saakinah. When reading the noun ending with in continuum with the next word, we pronounce it as the letter with the accompanying vowel. Examples are the words: , and .

The is something the Arabs used for emphasis and/or to show the vowel on the last word of the original word. It is an extra saakinah, not part of the original make up attached to a word and has no grammatical significance. It is saakinah both when stopping and continuing for the recitation of Hafs ‘an ‘Aasim. There is a voweled letter before the , either with the original voweling or with a incidental voweling because of two saakin letters meeting. In the several cases in surah Al-Haaqqah, (aayaat 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, and 29) such as the word: , the possessive on the end of the original word acquires a fathah to rid of two saakinah letters meeting.

Wa iyyaakum wa-l-muslimeen.