It’s Not About You

“I wish I could memorize the Quran, but I have kids.”

“I wish I could memorize the Quran, but I have a full time job.”

“I wish I could memorize the Quran, but I homeschool.”

“I wish I could memorize the Quran, but I’m so busy right now.”

I often hear people express interest in memorization of the Qur’an, only to follow with a reason for why they are unable to do it in their current situation. I completely understand where they’re coming from. Before I started my journey (and most of the time during my journey) of memorization, I felt the same way. Logically, one would think that such a colossal endeavor would require an immense amount of time that someone who has countless responsibilities would be unable to accomplish…Or that someone who memorizes the Qur’an has special powers. :-)

What changed my thinking, however, is when I used to look at my sister in law when she was memorizing. She had 3 kids (while I had 2) who she homeschooled; she spent a lot of time with my brother (since she’s a good wife); she was a good daughter in law to my parents (who lived with her), she hosted homeschool classes in her home, and she was one of the founders of the Muslim Homeschool Network. Logically, she did not have enough time to memorize the Quran. There just weren’t enough hours in a day for her to fulfill all of her responsibilities while still having enough time to review old, review recent memorization, and memorize a new page. It was impossible.

But she did it.

How? How did she accomplish the impossible? Simple. It wasn’t about her. That’s the thing we often forget. When we decide to memorize the Quran, we’re asking Allah to make us an instrument in the preservation of the Qur’an. All we have to do is put in the effort; the rest is up to Allah. He is the one who makes it happen. So yes, she did put in effort, and she logically did not have enough time, but Allah placed barakah in her time and in her efforts. I witnessed this barakah.

So next time you want to accomplish something and Shaitaan uses an excuse to try to convince you that you can’t do it, remind yourself: It’s not about you. Allah can make it happen.