Being a HAFIZ: Asset or Liability?

[Sunni_Student786]

As salaamu alaykum.

Can becoming a Hafiz be more of a liability than an asset for your "average" Muslim?

I ask this question because this has been something that I have struggled with in my heart and head for some time.

To get an idea of what I mean by this, please consider the following:

Imagine that one is an "average", yet barely practicing, Muslim. By this I mean that the person does a good job, 99% of the time, of avoiding the major sins, they pray 5 times a day, attend Jumah, fast during Ramadhan, pay Zakah, and have made the Hajj, and 99% of the time do not do any "open sinning", e.g. not observing hijab, shaving the beard (if you're a Hanafi), etc. Aside from this, they do little to nothing in terms of Nawaafil (plural form of Nafl) and are not in a good state internally in terms of ridding themselves of things like extreme rage, grudges, lust, etc.

For the type of person described above, would being a Hafiz, be more of a liability than an asset? I ask this since even though they avoid the major sins and do the BARE MINIMUM in terms of Amal (i.e. actions), those actions being the 5 pillars, in order to be called a "practicing" Muslim, the Quran asks for more than this to be done, for example feeding the needy (Sadaqah), taking care of wayfarers and orphans, etc. and especially in terms internal states of the heart.

We know of accounts of Sahabah for whom it took YEARS to memorize the Quran because they wanted to make sure that they put into practice what they had already memorized before memorizing something new and obviously they were already doing much more than merely avoiding the major sins and being vigilant about the 5 pillars. Now is this level of scrupulousness something that is rewarded alone, or something that is required? Or would one be sinful for not doing ALL of that which is asked of us to do, either in terms of religious obligation or recommended option deeds, in the Quran, if one were to be a Hafiz?

If some of my more knowledgeable brothers and sisters could shed light on the above insha'allah, I would greatly appreciate it.

Jazakallahu khair.

Wa'salaam.

[Moabubaker]

Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh,

True... True...

I think that we shouldn't be just fulfilling the compulsory acts (i.e. Salaat, Zakaah, Saum, Hajj). We should do more than that if we can. A good example is as brother just stated above is memorizing the Holy Qur'an not only that you could also spend some time studying the Ahadiths of the Holy prophet Muhammad (SAW) and then practicing this in our daily lives.

Jazakallahu Khairan,

Regards,
Mohammed Anas Abubaker

[AKhihere]

Dear brother, eventhough you have outlined the minimum requirement to be a muslim, I fail to understand why for such a person being a Hafiz is a liability?

[amina9183]

im not one of the more knowledgable brothers or sisters, but i wanted to share a story a teacher told us a while back to teach us the responsibility an alim/alima/hafiz/hafiza must carry.

There was an alim in medina. He used to travel and spread the deen, etc etc. However, there was one thing in the deen he wished wasnt there. He would say to people "if only we didnt have to make ghusl after having relations with our wife..." Eventually, he passed away. At the same time there was a girl who was raised jewish. She had accepted islam in her heart, and prayed in secret, but she never got to formally take the shahadah, or even so much as declare her faith to anyone. This girl passed away on the same day. Now, this alim was fortunate enough to pass away in the city of the Prophet and so this is where he would be buried. The girl too was buried in her place(outside of medina). The parents of the girl wished to dig the body up a few days later to take it to the graveyard close to their home(i cant remember the exact details of this, im sorry) and when they dug the grave, they found that their daughter was not in it. It was a man. The man was the alim who used to complain about ghusl. And buried in his place in medina was this girl.

scary.


i think huffaz/alims/alimas just have a greater responsibility....and if they recognize and live up to those responsibilities the best they can, Allah is there to assist with the rest. Wherever they fall short, as long as their intentions are straight and they are REALLY struggling and constantly doing istaghfar...shouldnt they be ok? Allah is most merciful.

[Sunni_Student786]

Dear brother, eventhough you have outlined the minimum requirement to be a muslim, I fail to understand why for such a person being a Hafiz is a liability?

I myself am not sure if being a Hafiz would be a liability for such a peson, however, there are a number of reasons for why I can see why it could be the case.

Consider the fact that people who were of the stature of the Sahabah took years to memorize even a single surah (e.g. Baqarah) because they did not want to go on memorizing even another Ayat until they put into practice the one(s) that they had already memorized. The Sahabah, as is known to all, were of a stature that we could never hope to achieve and they obviously did much more than merely the minimum that I outlined above in order to be called a "practicing muslim". Clearly, they were seeking to implement commands, recommendations, etc. from the Quran that went above and beyond simply the minimum. Now if there was no harm in memorizing an ayat that contained a command, recommendation, etc., that deal with something beyond the bare minimum that a "practicing muslim" ought to do/implement, why would they hesitate to memorize another verse till they fully implemented the one that they already had memorized?

It is because of the above that I am wondering whether or not memorizing the Quran while continuing to do merely the bare minimum required to be considered a seemingly "practicing muslim", can be more of a liability rather than an asset.

I am still waiting for my knowledgeable brothers and sisters to shed some light on the question that I have posed.

Jazakallahu Khair to everyone who has contributed thus far.

Wa'salaam.

[Yahya]

Your example doesn't make sense to me. If a person has memorized the Qur'an, and he continues to recite it (to ensure that he still remembers it), then this person is actually doing A LOT of nawaafil. Every ayah that he recites is a nafl act. This person is doing thousands upon thousands of nawaafil on a regular basis.

Just because the optional acts that he has chosen are Qur'anic ayat instead of extra salat we should not judge him. In fact, he is probably in a better position than those who haven't memorized it.

I'm reminded of two hadith (these are paraphrases):
1- Rasoolullah said that we should recite the Qur'an because the Qur'an will be a intercessor on Yawm il-Qiyamah for those who recite it (for AsHaabihi). Narrated by Muslim

2- Rasoolullah said, to Abu Darr that if he goes and learns one verse of the Qur'an, it will be more rewardable for him than praying one hundred rak'ahs of nawaafil, and that if he learns a chapter of knowledge, it is more rewardable for him than praying one thousand rak'ahs of nawaafil. Narrated by Ibn Majah.


Brothers, Sisters, learning the Qur'an is NEVER a liability. Not in this life, nor in al-Akhirah.

[AKhihere]

I myself am not sure if being a Hafiz would be a liability for such a peson, however, there are a number of reasons for why I can see why it could be the case.

Consider the fact that people who were of the stature of the Sahabah took years to memorize even a single surah (e.g. Baqarah) because they did not want to go on memorizing even another Ayat until they put into practice the one(s) that they had already memorized. The Sahabah, as is known to all, were of a stature that we could never hope to achieve and they obviously did much more than merely the minimum that I outlined above in order to be called a "practicing muslim". Clearly, they were seeking to implement commands, recommendations, etc. from the Quran that went above and beyond simply the minimum. Now if there was no harm in memorizing an ayat that contained a command, recommendation, etc., that deal with something beyond the bare minimum that a "practicing muslim" ought to do/implement, why would they hesitate to memorize another verse till they fully implemented the one that they already had memorized?

It is because of the above that I am wondering whether or not memorizing the Quran while continuing to do merely the bare minimum required to be considered a seemingly "practicing muslim", can be more of a liability rather than an asset.

I am still waiting for my knowledgeable brothers and sisters to shed some light on the question that I have posed.

Jazakallahu Khair to everyone who has contributed thus far.

Wa'salaam.

I am no knowledgeable Brother, but my take on your thoughts.

Your analogy does not make sense to me either. Sahabah's were the best of the generations, said by our beloved Prophet , Sallallaahu Alayhiwasalam. Even by your analogy not all the sahabas(RA) did as you say. Besides it is a duty upon all of us Muslims to know and practice the Quran, upto what degree they do is upto them. It might be productive to think how we may imrove myself.May Allaah guide us to perfect our deen, keep us on the right.

[ammardiwan]

One must take into account the high amounts of reward one gets for memorizing the Book of God and the pleasure of God that is gained by doing such an act. I think it's more of a blessing

[abdallah87]

salam alykum aqi

i am neither knowledgable nor scholarly type but i can make out some points which might be helpful..

becoming a hafiz by choice is important..the reason i say this is i know a couple of ppl who became huffazul Quran as their parents pushed into it..

but later they dont practise this..like they indulge in other activities which even normal muslims dont..i mean its essential that one applies on the principles of the Quran after becoming a hafizul quran...

as i read i think this is not the case u mentioned...if one wants to do it by his own will..i think one must go ahead..the reason i say this is because i have heard a few brothers saying u know like we are not ready with enuff iman right now..we might not be able to handle the resposibilites and extra duties which are required by huffaz..but the thing is u know i once heard somewhere in one lecture....when ever if occurs shaytaan comes in between..u need to be careful with this shaytaan...

like for ex i make an intention to become hafiz but others advice me to be like u must make sure u apply the teachings of Quran and also u follow the sunnah and what ever u learned by becoming a huffaz...

in the begiingin yes its sincerety...i mean i need some time to make sure i am ready for it u knw ...but later as time passes...u cant be sure but we dont want to take chances....theres a good possibility that due to the waswasais(whisperings) of the shaytaan u delay delay it....delay it....until later....

i know of some ppl who are in this situation...

neither me nor u are infallible from the whisperings or attacks of shaytaan..the thing we can do is as Allah refuge against him..make dhikr etc...

i have this small equation which came to my mind....i dont know what u might think abt it..

Hafiz/Hafiza + High Imaan + application = Asset

Hafiz/Hafiza + shaytaan = Liabilities

the reason i say this is coz i read and heard in some lectures and i think this is ocnfirmed...that the more knowledgeable u are the more u are supposed to be responsible..

like if do a particular sin and dint know abt it...mayble Allah forgives me

but if i do know abt it and yet sin...tho im not saying whether Allah will or will not forgive..thats upon Allah taa'la..but u are more liable as it is..

similarly being a Huffaz u must be responsible as in potraying and practising the correct Islam.

but i also read somewhere that if someone is a huffazul Quran..on Yaum al Akhirah Quran will be witness for him.

also not to mention the rewards or hasanth of becoming a hafiz are *infinite*....

[Alhumdulillah]

Assalamoalaykum

Brother Sunni_Student, with respect, I think I understand what you are getting at, but it doesn't seem like a logical argument to me.

The commands of the Quran are there for all of us to act upon, not only for Huffaz to act upon. Just because we personally have not read the commands, or memorised the commands, does not mean that they do not apply to us. They apply to us laymen as well as to scholars.

Just because someone has not read the Quran and does not know all the laws of inheritance, for example, does not mean that this command does not apply to him.

Your argument is like saying, for example; "well, I do not want to even read about the laws of Zakat, because there might be something in there which I cannot practice, so I am not even going to learn about it, and I am going to wilfully stay ignorant"

It just seems to go against the spirit of Deen. The Quran was revealed for us to read and understand. Iqra -- READ. That was a command from Allah.

The Sahabah DID practice the Quran. I know you are refering to the specific experience of Umar RadiAllahu Anhu, who took a long time to memorise Surah Baqarah, for example, but they DID practice as soon as they were told a command from RasulAllah SallAllahu Alayhe Wa Sallam, as soon as a verse was revealed to him. They didn't delay at all. They said, Sami'na Wa Ata'na -- we hear and obey.

Brother, if this thought, that I will not be able to practice on it, is preventing you from reading the Book of Allah, and memorising the Book of Allah, then I think you should regard it as a Waswas from Shaytaan, who wants you to stay away from the Word of Allah.

How can learning the Quran ever be a liability? How can a person who is wilfully ignorant and keeps himself so, be better than a person who learns and desires to practice but is not yet able to practice on everything he learns, even though he intends to?

If you want to learn one verse at a time, and put into practice each verse before moving on, then do it that way, but do not totally refrain from reading or memorising just because you cannot put it into practice straight away.

Now I will quote a hadith of RasulAllah SallAllahu Alayhe Wa Sallam, which is from the excellent book, Virtues of the Holy Quran by Shaykh Muhammed Zakariyya (Rahmatullahi Alayhe):

Learning of one ayat is more rewarding than hundred rak'aat of Nafl salaat

Hadrat Abu Zar (Radhi Allaho anho) reports that Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) mentioned that, "O, Abu Zar if you go in the morning and learn one 'ayat' from the Book of Allah, it will be better for you than your offering one hundred rakaat of Nafl salat, and if you learn one chapter of knowledge, which may or may not be practiced at that time will be better for you than your offering one thousand 'rak'at' of Nafl salat."

It is mentioned in many 'ahadith' that acquiring knowledge of religion is more virtuous than worship. There are so many traditions on the virtues of learning that they cannot all be mentioned here. Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) mentioned that, "The superiority of an 'alim over an 'abid' (worshipper) is like my superiority over the lowest among you." He is also reported to have said that a single 'Faqih' (jurist) is harder against Satan than one thousand worshippers.

The book may be found online here: http://www.iberr.org/virtues_quran.htm

Also note that learning the Quran is itself an act of Worship and Ibadah, so you will be bringing yourself closer to Allah Ta'ala through this great act of worship. In fact, for someone who just does the minimum, as in your example, starting to learn the Quran and taking it more seriously could be a great first step into going forward and moving into the circles of the pious and righteous chosen slaves of Allah.

Wasalaam