Met a very elderly villager recently (الله يجزاهم خير), who spoke in a dialect of my native language that I have trouble understanding. We attempted to converse with difficulty (due to my slow understanding of the dialect) here and there over the days we spent around each other. At one point, they asked me, “How much Qur’ān have you memorized thus far?” I hesitated, as I wanted to maintain the secrecy of the deed, and responded with a general truth.
“Probably somewhat more than [insert amount] Ajzā’.”
They responded, “Oh Masha’Allah.” And then, after a pause, continued saying, “You will have to lessen your sleep soon.”
“Sleep??” I inquired, confused at the sudden switch of topics. Perhaps I was misunderstanding again.
“Sleep!” they responded, as if it was obvious. “You know, once one becomes a Hāfidh, they can’t sleep a lot anymore, they have to sleep less at night because of the Qur’ān they know.” They were referring to Qiyām Al-Layl.
The answer struck me in the heart like a ton of bricks. I was shaken at the reminder. I spent hours awake that night thinking about their statement. They didn’t know my answer had been a deliberate understatement, nor were they anything near a Hāfidh or person of knowledge themselves, but they understood the responsibility of Hifdh better than me.
How can I sleep? How can I smile? How has the worldly life beguiled me so? If a human expects my worship to be increased merely due to what they think they know of my Hifdh, then what are the expectations of the One who surely knows the reality of the amount of my Hifdh of His Words?!
Perhaps I have failed the test and only gained the Qur’ān as a witness against me on Yawm Al-Qiyāmah! Allāh Allāh! What has become of my state!
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2July 24, 2024 13.5K 90
