A Time to Learn

Today is Fourth of July. A happy day to you.

Son with his wife and baby M has gone to Galveston. They did their level best to take me along. I refused. I have been so many times there, I didn’t feel like going. D in law enjoys fireworks. It doesn’t matter if she has seen them previously. She likes them immensely.

Monday is my day of Tajweed. My teacher, and I connect through Zoom. I have asked my teacher to allow me to watch when she is with the other students. This way I’m constantly revising what I have learnt earlier. Today I wished I wasn’t online. One of the new student was very rude.

We are on camera, when we (the students) are reciting our lessons. This way the teacher see the way we pronounce the words, and she corrects us. The new one didn’t want the camera. She insisted on no camera. The teacher corrected her on a word, to which she said she was going to say the word as she was taught by her previous teacher.

Our teacher tried to explain to her that since her way , and the student’s earlier teacher differed, it would be best if she continued with her previous teacher. The student was adamant that she won’t go back, but she would continue the way she was reciting. It was an ugly confrontation, and I felt terrible watching it.

No one is perfect, and learning never stops. Your life ends, but learning goes on.

My Trials of Tajweed

It was last year when Nola (daughter) suggested that I should take Tajweed classes, to take steps for the betterment of my Akhira. Akhirah is the term used in Islam to describe the belief in everlasting life after death. Muslims regard life on Earth as a test from Allah, to prepare them for eternal life. Importantly, though, Muslims believe that Allah will not test them beyond their limits.

Better late than never I had to decide to learn the proper way to recite the Quran. It should be understood that the Quran is originally in Arabic. All over the world people like me (if they want) learn to read it the proper way.

My daughter gave me a number to call. The lady didn’t respond. Nola then talked to someone else on my behalf. After a few days lapse this one replied. Nola put me on the phone. Days went by waiting if the lady would add me to her Tajweed class. Nothing happened.

I decided to call my present teacher Gul who lives in Saudi Arabia. Every year I join in for her Dora Quran during Ramadan. I asked her if she could teach me Tajweed. She agreed, and so my days of struggle began. It is a Herculean effort to learn the proper way to pronounce the written words of Quran.

In front of camera, with the teacher watching me, my brain would get addled. From which area of the mouth, or throat the letter should come out, my 🧠 would decide to go fuzzy. Whatever I had memorized would altogether disappear into the realms of stratosphere, leaving me with complete loss of memory. Shamefaced I would stutter. I was feeling a complete failure thinking maybe I should give up. I developed a low opinion of myself, coming to the conclusion that I was a dimwit.

Prior to the beginning of the past Ramadan the teacher was having an acute shortage of time, so she decided to take the Tajweed class of all the participants at the same time. My opinion of myself took a one eighty degree turn. Masha’Allah! After listening to the others, I wasn’t the complete failure I thought myself to be.

I’m in complete awe of those who are reverts. How do they manage?

My Quran Class

Today was our Quran’s class. The women in our weekly class are learning Tajweed which means the correct pronunciation of the words in Arabic. For this purpose our teacher would listen to every one there recite the 73rd Surat and correct her. Some had brought their young kids along ( probably couldn’t be left alone at home) who were bent on breaking our concentration with noise of their own. After that Mrs. A (the teacher) read the Surah Lailatul Qadr and gave us the Tafseer for it. Tafseer indicates the dates when the angel Gabriel brought the Quranic verses down and it also gives the commentary about these verses. Lailatul Qadr is the night in the month of Ramadan when the Quran’s first verse was revealed to our Prophet Mohammad (Peace be upon him). This is the night when all the decisions for a year are made by Allah. Our Arabic lessons began after that. I was in for a disappointment. I moved my chair closer to Mrs. A to listen to her. It resulted in her taking my book leaving me high and dry. I couldn’t mark anything in my book. Poor me! This was my last lesson as I will be returning home insha’Allah next week.