By Maryam Amir-Ebrahimi
My parents were visiting and we needed a taxi to get to downtown Cairo. After refusing to get into many – which looked like they were falling apart – a cab pulled up. The driver was a young man who was listening to loud Arabic music and smoking a cigarette. The condition of the car was better than any that had pulled up previously, so we got in and prepared for the ride. Within a few seconds, the smoke was too much to handle. “Excuse me, would you mind not smoking?” I asked. He apologized 
and let his cigarette go. A few minutes went by and my dad looked at the driver and politely asked, “Qur’an?” The driver didn’t fumble to find the usual Cairo Qur’an channel to which most taxi drivers flip; he took out a tape and pressed play. We were suddenly blasting `Afasy’s recitation of Surah Maryam, and for the rest of the ride the young driver began reciting the Surah, word for word, verse by verse.
Subhan’Allah (glory be to God), I thought, it is not easy to recite every single word correctly unless you have memorized the surah or listened to it many, many times. From blaring music to Qur’an…how Allah molds hearts! We reached our destination and I took out money to pay the driver. “Keep it,” he told me. Wait a second, keep it? I’m in Egypt, the brother barely makes money, and he just drove us from Madinat Nasr to Ramses – this is good money to turn down! We insisted he take it and he eventually did, apologizing for smoking and smiling humbly.
I felt like I had just seen tawbah (repentance) in action; he seemed to be so moved by the Qur’an that his entire face changed from the time I had originally requested the cab to when we departed. Subhan’Allah, we have no idea how close someone really is to Allah, what their rank is with Him, and what their rank might be with him after only a few minutes.
Spotting Ashaab al-Qur’an – companions of the Qur’an – was one of the most amazing experiences I had while living in Egypt. From brothers walking on busy streets with copies of the Qur’an open, reviewing their hifdh (memorization), to sisters running local businesses and blasting `Afasy, to Khan Khalil bazaar owners listening to the recitation of Faris Abbad…Subhan’Allah, I was blessed to spot companions of the Qur’an everywhere!
But beyond this, there were three instances which really hit me, and helped reinforce that those who love Allah and His Book are everywhere; and that this Ummah is truly filled with people ready to live for the deen (religion), regardless of where they are.
One time, my friend’s two children really wanted to go to the arcade, so we took them to play a few games. Ages seven and five, they were both understandably excited; as I walked in with them, I reflected on the concept of an arcade. For kids it can be a different story, but the arcade is often where adults waste time and money, forget prayers, and dive into a state of heedlessness.
As I continued thinking about the arcade, observing the teens running from one side of the place to the other, the seven-year-old decided she wanted to ride the Asteroid ship. The only customers for the ride, we entered the area and found the worker, a young man in his early twenties, sitting and reading his Qur’an. 
We came up to the ship, he strapped the girl in and started the ride, then returned to his mushaf, overlooking the ride between his ayat (verses). Subhan’Allah, I am in an arcade, and the young man controlling the rides is spending every spare second with the book of Allah.
A few minutes passed and my friend’s daughter was ready to leave. But first, we went to collect a prize she had won; as we approached, I noticed there was a popcorn stand. The employee selling popcorn was an older man who was reading. Suddenly I realized, he’s not reading – he’s working on his memorization! Holding the Qur’an, this man, possibly in his sixties, was reading and then darting his eyes to the ceiling while he seemed to work on the verse he had just memorized, and then glue his eyes back to the mushaf.
Allahu Akbar! God is great! Two companions of the Qur’an in an arcade, who could not bear to be apart from their best friend during work, so they took their best friend with them! They spent as much time as they could enjoying their best friend’s companionship and reaping the benefits of being best friends with the Book that will stay with them in every instance in this life insha’Allah, and insha’Allah (God willing) will intercede for them in the next.
Subhan’Allah, some time later I walked into an internet café and found two grown men intently playing a videogame. A few minutes after I had sat down, the employee of the café put on…that’s right, you guessed it, nothing more amazing than the Qur’an itself. Surat al-Kahf was now surround-sound in the café, and one of these two men, still deeply engrossed in the game, began reciting along with Shaykh `Afasy. Allahu Akbar!
Subhan’Allah, how many of us, would think of an arcade or an internet café as a place where Ashaab al-Quran are located? But these places, because of these people, may actually be filled with many angels racing to surround them, to write down their good deeds and to protect them. Perhaps it is because of these people that we too are being encompassed by Allah’s Mercy.
How, subhan’Allah, insanely cool would it be if we checked our Qur’an as much as we checked our email? If we updated our status with the Qur’an as much as we updated our status on Facebook?
Perhaps we do not yet feel we have a strong friendship with the Book of Allah, but it is not too late! We can start RIGHT NOW insha’Allah! Here are just a few suggestions on how to begin incorporating the Qur’an into our daily lives, and making a friend who will insha’Allah always be by our side:
- Recite Ayat al-Kursi after every salah (prayer). It was narrated that Abu Umamah said, the Messenger of Allah (s) said, “Whoever recites Ayat al-Kursi immediately after each prescribed prayer, there will be nothing standing between him and his entering Paradise except death.” (An-Nasa`i)
- Recite Surat al-Mulk every night. It was narrated that Abdullah ibn Mas’ud said, “Whoever reads tabarakallahi biyadihil mulk every night, Allah will protect him from the torment of the grave.”
- Recite Surat al-Kahf every Friday. “Whoever recites Surat al-Kahf on Friday, light shall shine forth for him between the two Fridays.” [Ibn Hajar]
- Last, but not least! Make a commitment to the Qur’an. You make time to check your email. You’ve made time to read this article. Make time for the Qur’an. Commit yourself to reading one, two, three, ten pages a day – whatever amount is easy for you – and try your best to read that small amount every single day. Reading a translation, if you do not understand Arabic, is also massively beneficial insha’Allah, and will help increase your love and bond with the Qur’an as you will understand the message which was revealed FOR YOU from the Lord of EVERYTHING.
Imagine the sweetness you’ll find in your life, inshaAllah, when you make a conscious decision to make the Qur’an your best friend. Abu Jahl, one of the greatest enemies of Islam, said “Say to Muhammad something that would convince your people that you oppose him.” Al-Walid ibn Al-Mughirah replied, “And what can I possibly say? There is not a single man [or jinn] who is more knowledgeable of poetry or prose than I…and by Allah, what he says [the Qur'an] bears no resemblance to these things. By Allah, what he says has a sweetness to it, and a charm upon it; the highest part of it is fruitful and the lowest part of it is gushing forth with bounty; it dominates and cannot be dominated, and it crushes all that is under it.” (at-Tabari)
May Allah make us all companions of the Qur’an, and let the Qur’an be an intercessor for us in the Hereafter. Ameen.
Nothing short of excellent… mash’Allah
Actually this can be a start for anyone who doesn’t have a relationship with the Qur’an they can go from goal 1 ->2->3->4 gradually alhamdulilah….
“How, subhan’Allah, insanely cool would it be if we checked our Qur’an as much as we checked our email?” This line was a gem barakAllahu feeki.
“May Allah make us all companions of the Qur’an, and let the Qur’an be an intercessor for us in the Hereafter. Ameen.”
AMEEN AMEEN..
beautiful reminder masha’Allah
how embarrassed I now feel having just cheked my email for the second time today
The Quran really brings peace to the heart. I wish I could dedicate my whole life to the Quran!
Ameen Ya Rab!!
Amazing masha’Allah, may Allah guide us and keep us steadfast on the right path!
Ameen.
As-Salamu alaikum,
The is good suspicion on behalf of the sister, but she is obviously new to Cairo. Sorry to spoil peoples innocence, but truth is truth. I lived in in Cairo for a year and I found that many of them live a hypocritical lifestyle. The likely scenerio- based on experience and not bas suspicion- is that this syoung boy listens to Al-Afasy just as he does the arab musci with immoral themes. He likes the sound of the both and has them both memorized. The smoking is probably just one of the many sins and contradictions to one who has memorized some Qur’an. The take it for free thing they will say to you many times and are not genuine. Almost the same story happened to me and when the guy sweared “khaleeh anna” its free I was like “akeed” for sure and he was like “akeed”. then I left without paying and he got out cussing me in Egyptian wheres my fulus. the only reason I’m telling you so that the reality of secularism in Egypt doesn’t just hit you instead you will expect it.
And Allah knows best about he reality of this guy in this story
May Allah guide us to follow the Qur’an as memorizing it won’t do much without application.
Wa ‘alaykum salâm,
I know you probably have good intentions, but just as you have good thoughts about the sister, you should have good thoughts about the cab driver and not make assumptions about how sinful he is based on your year’s worth of experience.
AA Realist,
I think the goal of the article was to focus on the Quran, not Egypt.
May we be a people who are dedicated and sensitive to Quranic revival– not just the memorization, but also the practice. May Allah help us to bridge the disconnect that sometimes appears before us, hating the Thulm for the sake of Allah, while loving the people.
I think we can all agree that while Hifz is a start, it is certainly not an end all.
WS,
Muslema
Excellent article mash’Allah
I know a driver here in Cairo who only listens to the Qur’an radio station and mash’Allah, he recites every surah that airs!
@realist: forgive me for saying this, i’ve been in Egypt for a long while, and yes there are a lot of hypocrites like every other part of the world.
it is our duty as muslims to look at the positive side of our muslims brothers and sisters, forgive each other, never think bad thing about one another… how else would this Ummah stay united?
Amazziinggg Article–ma sha Allah. Love it.
@Realist
Although these ideas that you have are based on experience–be sure to have husnudhaan. Also–we are all sinners—but the sinner who recites the Quraan is by far better than the sinner that does not…check out this hadeeth:
“The example of a believer, who recites the Qur’aan and acts on it, is like an Citron (an aromatic lemon fruit) which tastes nice and smells nice.
And the example of the believer who does not recite the Qur’aan but acts on it is like a Date that tastes sweet but has no smell.
And the example of the hypocrite who recites the Qur’aan is like a sweet Basil which smells good but tastes bitter.
And the example of a hypocrite who does not recite the Qur’aan is like a Colocynth (bitter apple) which tastes bitter and has a bad smell.” [Saheeh al-Bukharee (vol. 6, no. 579)]
Assalam Alaikum Wr Wb,
Sr. Maryam, I am so glad you are back from Egypt and sharing this article with us. This is such a motivational piece of work just practical and inspirational. So many of us have dozens of excuses for not memorizing or not reciting because busy at work or being too old to memorize etc. etc.
Jazakallahu khairun for showing this side of life in Egypt. May Allah SWT bless you immensely for that. Ameen and Ameen to your Dua you made for all of us. InshaAllah, Tawfeeq
oufff this was like a bullet in the head, thanx for reminding us.
Realist, that one encounter doesn’t make up for the whole of egypt. and yeh to what Farida said, hypocrites are everywhere and we have nothing to lose if we see things positively and treat people nicely. whatever Farida said is so true.
wa alaykum as salam warahmatullahi wa baraktuhu
@ realist: Barak Allahu feekum for the comment. Quick response insha’Allah: I was told horrible things about Egypt and Egyptians before I went [I should have clarified in the article; I was in Egypt for about 11 months. Alhamdulilah I returned earlier this year], and so when I went I was expecting to be ripped off a lot, for just about every Egyptian male to hit on me since they supposedly do that to every female, to expect bad treatment, etc, etc….
ALLAH MUSTA’AN wa Allahu Akbar! SubhanAllahil atheem I cannot tell you how WRONG EVERYONE IS. SUBHAN ALLAH, Alhamdulilahi Rabil`alameen, there is so much good there Alhamdulilah, barak Allahu feehim.
I asked my teacher specifically about this one time. I asked her something like- “Why is it that so many people told me so many horrible things about Egypt, and so many people have so many bad experiences? Alhamdulilah I love it here and have had so many amazing encounters!”
Her response- “When you’re expecting good from the people, you’ll receive and see the good. When you’re expecting bad, looking for only the bad- what do you expect?”
Why is it that it’s so hard for us to remember the trillion amazing things we see and have been blessed with, Alhamdulilahi Rabil`alameen, and so quickly blame and complain?
I definitely had “not so cool” encounters in Egypt as well… I was ripped off, men did shout out…what I was warned about happened. BUT subhanAllah, those things were the exceptions, not the rule. And when they did happen, Alhamdulilah what better time to practice Arabic? Once I realized I was ripped off, it was the perfect opportunity for me to go back and practice my speaking skills in an angry, yet controlled tone. And when a male would say something inappropriate, what better time to remind them of Allah by shoutiing back at them: AUOTHOBILLAH!
And yes, there are people who seem “two faced”, but subhanAllah how many of us are 24/hour dhikr sticks? SubhanAllah there was a bagal [corner store] that used to play Qur’an regularly near my school. One time I walked in and the employee was watching some crazy music video with a very undressed woman doing some haram stuff to watch. In Egypt, on the street, this was one of my first times seeing fasad so openly. Seriously, subhanAllah, this stuff exists for sure, but out in the open, I BARELY saw that Alhamdulilah in the streets. I went to the employee and I told him (in Arabic- this is a practicing opportunity to inshaAllah correct a fasad and use my “American” status to make it seem even cooler not to do this) that I’m a student from America and spoke to him about how crazy this stuff is to watch where so many shabab can see it, and how amazing it would be if we changed the channel. And Alhamdulilah, thereafter, when I would pass by or go in, Qur’an again mashaAllah.
The point: yes, people make mistakes, just like you and I. And yes, people can live ‘two lives’.However, I had more than a handful of “bad” experiences like the one above, and Alhamdulilahi Rabil`alameen, I found that people were generally genuine and sincere…that their love for Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala and Rasulilah sal Allahu alayhi wa sallama is great, and they, just like I, need reminders to help stay on track.
And Alhamdulilah, I just wrote another article in this response, fa sorry about the the length.
Let’s focus on ourselves inshaAllah and just try to take the benefit from every situation, for there is khayr for the believe whether s/he is patient or grateful in hard times or ease. wa Allahu ‘alam
Jezakum Allahu khayran
jazakallahukhair for the reminder and inspiration to make the Holy, Amazing, Wonderful Quran our best friend.
subhanAllah! beautiful.
Jazaki Allah khairan – such a real and touching reminder
SubhanAllah Maryam, another beautiful article. Baarak Allahu feeki!
I’ve been here for only two months and I’ve also noticed the same thing. I realized how we neglect the Qur’an so much in the West and even though we see some questionable things in Egypt, they still read and have a relationship with the Qur’an.
Bismillah ArRahman Ar Rahim
Just a reminder that one of the worst enemies of Islam became one of the greatest men to ever stand in the presence of Rasullulah Sallalahu alahi wa salam-Umar RA. Subhanallah-revelations were sent down based upon his concerns (Asbāb al-nuzūl (أسباب النزول),A narration attributed to Umar reports:
“ I agreed with my Lord in three things; I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, if only we were to take the Station of Ibrahim as a place of prayer,’ and there was revealed, ‘… and take the Station of Ibrahim as a place of prayer.’ (Qur’an 2: 125). I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, both good and bad people come to visit your wives; if only you would order them to wear hijabs,’ and the ayah of the hijab was revealed. The wives of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, united in jealousy, and so I said, ‘Perhaps his Lord, if he divorces you, will give him in exchange wives better than you, …’ and it was revealed just like that (with exactly the same words, see Qur’an 66: 5). [1]
This is proof that a man who did not even care about the Quraan or Rasullulah Sallalahu alahi wa salam became transformed by Allah’s words to become one of the greatest Mum’in that ever lived. So despite the outer perceptions only Allah subhana wa Taala can truly see the condition of a man’s heart. Remember this dunya is an illusion. The man smoking a cigarette and listening to carnal arab music may not be a man at all but an illusion. Yet, the man who emerges from that scenario and begins reciting quraan may very well be the true reality. You make the choice…which perception will you embrace??? Go figure!!
Maryam that was beautiful, mashaAllah! Jazaki Allah kul khayr!
Masha’Allah Maryam, this is an amazing reminder for the rest of us not to take life fore granted and take advantage of our short time in our life and build a nest for Akhira biIdhni’Allah. Its so easy to get distracted with work, email, relationships, studies and all, and so easy to feel trapped doing stuff that is not even important in our lives.
BarakAllahu Fiki
Jazzaki Allahu kheiran. keep them coming!
Masha-alah, an excellent article! Shukran for sharing such positive experiences of the Ashaab al-Quraan. Its very motivational. I’ve also been amazed at spotting ‘ashaab al-Quran’ in Cairo, and finding people who dont miss their prayer at any cost. I’ve seen them pray in Malls, in the street, in parks, just about everywhere, and i found that to be an excellent reminder also.
I loved this article, Maryam! MashaAllah very nicely written.
The story of the taxi driver reminded me of my own experiences in Egypt, especially this year. There were so many people that I met who when you look first look at you may be quick to judge them, to assume that they’re far from the Deen of Allah. But subHanAllah how Allah proved me wrong is multiple cases where people I would have never expected were of the hufadh (memorizers of the Quran) or had amazing character, or prayed in such a peaceful manner. May Allah help us all to control our thoughts and help us to stop judging people for only He is the true Knower of the hearts. Ameen.
Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Baraktu,
In Arabic, we say “gold” about something amazing like this. This article is gold! Excellent reminder.
Jazakillahu Kahiran Katheeran,
–Tarik Takkesh
However, to Realist: the focus of this article was about the Quran and its holiness. Your comment has only served to dirupt the flow of the reading, and it really has no purpose. Who cares? Just let it be and let people think that Quran is the priority of others, as it may encourage the rest of us to follow suit. Kindly remove it. Wallahu a3lam
Having been to Egypt and experiencing both what you talked about and what realist talked about, how refreshing to see someone looking for the good. Im so used to hearing lectures and khutbas where we lament the sorry state of our umma. While it is true, I often feel that the extent to which we disproportionately focus on our flaws is the extent to which we aid Shaytan in his appearances and in broadcasting the hold he has over people. Dont give him more airplay than he already gets.
A very Nice post.
Thanks