The intention you truly hold within when memorising the Qur'ān can make or break your path. I've already covered what you need to know about intention and why you should memorise the Qur'ān, including the rewards and benefits. Today, I share two stories that bring the power of intention to life. Stories that demonstrate what we can achieve with a strong intention.
The Doctor's Surprise
This is the story of one of my own students. Here's what he told me:
He became ill one day while memorising the Qur'ān. As a result, he was unable to recite his portion of the Qur'ān to his teacher that day. He needed to go see a doctor. When the doctor arrived, he asked the young man what he does. So he responded by telling him that he is a student and he's memorising the Qur'ān.
So when the doctor asked him if he had memorised his portion for the day, the student responded that he had, but that he wouldn't be able to recite it.
The doctor surprised him. Instead, he asked him to recite his memorisation to him. the student was taken aback. Perhaps a part of him was wondering how this was happening. the student challenged him, saying, "You're a doctor, how can you listen to my memorisation?"
The doctor said, "I am a Hafiz, and I memorised the Qur'ān on the job".
The student was gobsmacked by the doctor's achievement and wanted to know how he did it.
So the doctor explained that he spent time with the Qur'ān during his breaks between seeing patients, during travel, and any spare moment. This is how he memorised the Qur'ān.
That is dedication. It took him around 5 years to complete it like this. This was an inspiring moment for the student who then went on to memorise the Qur'ān himself.
When you truly want it, you truly go for it. When you truly want it, you use everything you have. You map out a path to action. Allāh then provides the results. You make the efforts. To all the doctors that have messaged me, take inspiration from this. To all the medical students that message me, take inspiration from this. To all those working hard for the dunyā', take inspiration from this.
Everything is possible with consistent effort and rigorous sustainable training. You push yourself as hard as you can to achieve something great. That's why we have to keep working hard. We must be committed to our goals.
Why Don't You Marry Me?
The answer to this question made a brother become a Hāfidh.
He met a girl at university and proposed to her, but she declined! He asked her, "Why don't you want to marry me?", She says, "I'm only going to marry a Hafidh," he reasoned, it should not be so difficult!
In a very determined way, he begins to memorise the Qur'ān spending his nights memorising. He's 22 and in his first year of university, and sets himself a deadline of completing memorisation by the end of the third year.
Subhān Allāh! He succeeds!
He returns to the girl and tells her that he is Hāfidh. So he asks her again if she would marry him. She replied saying ''My engagement has been fixed with someone else."
He was so heartbroken that he never touched the Qur'ān again.
It was only until he met another Hāfidh at work that saw his heart turn. His work colleague told him, "When a girl said no to you, you dropped the Qur'ān, what about Allāh?!"
So he started revising again, but this time it wasn't for the girl, but for Allāh! What did he get in return? A contented heart, happiness, and a close relationship with his Master. Finally, something he had been looking yearning for. He said, "Sometimes we may not understand the plan of Allāh but know that He won't ever forsake you."
This is a story about what happens when you want something badly enough but do it for the wrong reasons. A story about what is possible when you follow your heart. You go ahead and do it. I want you to consider how badly you want something and whether you're doing anything about it. If you are not, then you need to be. Because all things are possible if you believe in yourself.
In the first story, we see how a working doctor didn't say to himself, that he can't memorise. He had reasonable and logical reasons to say that he couldn't. He was a busy doctor and perhaps had a family to also take care of. Instead, the power of intention drove him forward. These are the qualities of anyone that embarks upon the journey of memorising the Qur'ān should have.
In the second story, we see again, the power of intention. The brother sacrificed time and effort to memorise the Qur'ān so that he could marry the girl he wanted. It didn't work. He was memorising sacred guidance for the wrong reasons. Although his intention pushed him to succeed in memorisation, it didn't give him success in what he truly wanted. He didn't get the girl and as a result, he left the Qur'ān.
How many of us are there that memorised the Qur'ān because our parents told us to? How many of us are there that memorised the Qur'ān for reasons other than Allāh? There are many! Many of them also abandoned the Qur'ān after having memorised it with the wrong intentions or no intent at all. Many of them did what was required of them and as soon as they became free in life, they left it.
This is why intention is so important. Intention drives you. When it is sincere and for the right reasons, every challenge and setback you face will not phase you. You will keep going. Bad times, setbacks, and things not going as you will hope will happen. Your reaction determines what happens next.
These stories are real and they are reminders to us all.
May Allāh bless you all with success full of sincerity and purity.
