Being a HAFIZ: Asset or Liability?

[AbdulQahhar]

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*....

MashaAllah bro, very well said!

[Nihal al-Islam]

AsSalamu 'Alaykum,

Since studying in a madrasa, I've seen many different types of Huffaz. It depends on the hafiz whether the Qur'an is burden or a gift for them...

It can be a Liability when you're life is like this:

I know one of my friends who is a Hafiz, whose parents sent him to a madrasa when he was 14 years old and made him memorize the Qur'an. Now that kid is 30 yrs old, prays 4 times a day, clean shaven, and works full-time, doesn't understand one word of Arabic and takes off of work every Ramadan to lead Taraweeh in which people praise him for reading like Sudais and pay on $5000 for reading like that. Some Huffaz in America use Ramadan as a "payday." He brags to me that he doesn't read Qur'an the whole year yet his Qur'an is still strong.

I also studied with a Hafiz who had the most beautiful voice in our madrasa, yet he wanted to be singer instead of a Hafiz.

It can be an asset if you're life is like this:

Than, I know another Hafiz. He's 17 yrs old, Did his Hifz in 5 yrs, has a full beard, wears a turban 24/7, doesn't take money for Taraweeh, and his currently doing his Alim Course and has a dream of studying Islam in Deoband.

The problem with our Huffaz are is that they memorize the Qur'an, while at the same time, are greatly influenced by western society. They are no different than those "punk 15 yr old kids" that come to the masjid to pray Dhuhr on a Saturday afternoon with their parents.

Allahu A3lam what the solution is to this problem.

[Sunni_Student786]

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):



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

Brother, I think that you have misunderstood my post.

I do not have the time right at this moment to clarify what it is that I was asking.

Insha'allah I will be able to do so later tonight.

[Sunni_Student786]

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.

None of what you are saying above is really applicable to the question that I have posed. You have confused a number of issues, among them the following:

1) The Obligation to seek KNOWLEDGE (not necessarily memorize it verbatim)

2) The Obligation to act upon the knowledge that one possesses

and

3) Reading the Quran as opposed to Memorizing it.

I have never made the claim that one can willfully stay ignorant of a command of Allah nor that ALL MUSLIMS, the hafiz, scholar, and laymen alike, must follow the commands of Allah. If I have said anything that would indicate this in any of my posts, then that is due to a misreading of what I have posted. I have reread my post several times and see nothing that would indicate either of the two things that I have just mentioned.

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.

In the paragraph above, you are making part of my point for me, while still confusing the "Learning" of a Command of Allah and its Implementation with MEMORIZING it verbatim, which is what a Hafiz does.

I READILY accept, and have pointed this out previously, that the Sahabah practiced all that which was revealed to the Rasul (peace be upon him) from Allah. Thus they did not do merely the "bare minimum" that I outlined in my previous posts, but far more than that, as is evident from the copious reports and narrations about their lives. Given this, the Hufaaz among the Sahabah were also those who did more than the bare minimum of refraining from Major Sins and merely practicing the five pillars of Islam. Thus, none of the Sahabah fit the description of the person that I described in my initial post, which is the person for whom I would like to know if being a Hafiz would prove to more of a liability rather than an asset if they remained in the same state of action and Iman.

In the case of Hadhrat Umar (ra), we know, according to your own words as well, that he practiced all that which the Prophet (peace be upon him) relayed to them as being from Allah. Even still, when memorizing Surah Baqarah, it took him several years to memorize it as he did not MEMORIZE (not that I am not saying that he did not LEARN the verse in terms of its meaning) a new verse until he implemented that which he had already committed to memory. So now what teachings, commands, etc. had he not yet implemented before he embarked on memorizing Surah Baqarah? And why did he not memorize the Surah all at once and then embark upon the process of implementation? What was the reason for this? This is what I am looking for an answer to.

And back to the scenario that I outlined initially, if one merely does the bare minimum to be considered a "practicing Muslim", which would still be a standard of conduct far below that of Hadhrat Umar (ra), would their MEMORIZATION of the Quran be a liability for such a person? I would think so since, according to the best of my understanding, a Hafiz is held to an even higher standard than your average Muslim in terms of doing superagatory and Nafl works, or am I wrong? Again note that I am not talking about LEARNING what the Quran has to say, but MEMORIZING the text. Please do not confuse the two.

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.

There is a difference between reading and memorizing that you are failing to note brother.

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?

There is a distinct difference between willful ignorance, which everyone knows is haraam, one who merely memorizes the text, irrespective of whether they know what it means linguistically (there are many non-Arab Hufaaz who are illiterate and do not know what the verses that they have memorized mean) or acts upon it.

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

Brother, again you are confusing the issues of reading the Quran vs. Memorizing it. With regard to learning one verse at a time based on how long
it takes one to implement what they have already memorized, here you are telling me, most probably as per the Report about Hadhrat Umar (ra), that it is "OK" to do so. My question is Is it "merely OK" to do it this way, or is it required? If not required, then what explains why Hadhrat Umar (ra) did it this way? Was this due to EXTREME taqwa or because, indeed, if one were to not do so, one could be potentially doing oneself more harm than good?

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):



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

The first hadith that you quoted, if authentic, then obviously answers the question that I have posed. However, I do not see a reference for the hadith nor verdict on its authenticity. Furthermore, I have seen a nearly identical narration in the past, however, without the wording "which may or may not be practiced at that time". Can anyone provide a source for the report, as well as a classification on the basis of the report's strength, with the wording that has been highlighted in bold?

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

But what if that same person who just does the minimum does NOT advance in their religious commitment? Would those memorized verses of the Quran be a witness against him on Judgement day?

I hope that after these clarifications my question(s) has indeed become clearer.

Regardless, Jazakallahu Khair to everyone who took time out of their schedules to help me out.

May Allah give all of you, myself, and all Muslims the good of this life and the hereafter.

Wa'salaam.

[Alhumdulillah]

Assalamoalaykum

Brother, looks like I misunderstood; forgive me.

Regarding the Hadith you wanted clarification on... I have the kitab here and I am going to write the transliteration and the reference, as far as I can read it.

-----
An Abi Zarrin (RadiAllahu Anhu) qala qala RasulAllahi (SallAllahu Alayhe Wa Sallam), Ya Aba Zar, la an taghdu wa fata'allama aayatam min kitabillahi khairul laka min an tusalliya miatah rakatin, wa la an taghdu wa fata'allama baabam min al-'Ilmi 'umila bihi aw lam y'umal bihi khairum min an tusalliya alfa rakatin.

Riwayah Ibn Majah, bi Isnad Hasan
-----

So it looks like the riwayah is from Ibn Majah with a Hasan isnad.

One thing I noticed here is that the first reference (of learning one ayat) is to Kitabullah, but the second reference is to Babum mil al-'Ilm -- a chapter of Knowledge.
So, from my understanding, the first reference is specific to the Quran, while the second reference, might or might not be as specific.
For example, it might be referring to learning necessary knowledge like Fiqh, the Fiqh of Hajj, or the Fiqh of Zabah for instance, which may or may not be practiced at that time.
Of course I am not an 'alim so you will need to ask a proper 'Alim for an interpretation based on a superior understanding.


Your question: is a Hafiz held to a higher standard of accountability than a non-Hafiz, is interesting. InshaAllah someone more knowledgable can enlighten us...

Wasalaam.

[suh]

Assalamu alaikum,
I think that it is our duty to learn qurran when we get the chance because tommorow if Allah asks us why we didn't do our duty when we had the resources we can't escape.

[Yahya]

1) The Obligation to seek KNOWLEDGE (not necessarily memorize it verbatim)

2) The Obligation to act upon the knowledge that one possesses

and

3) Reading the Quran as opposed to Memorizing it.

I've found where the misunderstanding lies.

It is not an obligation to act upon the knowledge that one possesses. Rather, there are things that are Fard or Wajib, and they are obligations. The things that are Sunnah or Mustahabb, are recommended, and they are not obligatory.

Just because a person knows that such and such a thing is recommended does NOT mean that he now MUST do them.

So there is no risk or liability associated with having a lot of knowledge, even if one does not act upon it, assuming his intention was good when he acquired the knowledge.