Background Story: Part 1

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 Okay let me re introduce myself and my story.


I was never the perfect Muslim girl. 

In Malaysia where I'm from, after "normal" (somewhat secular) school, some of us had to attend Islamic school (think Sunday school or something similar)- and for most of us that meant learning about Quran, Fiqh and other Islamic values from 2-5pm.Every. Day. Needless to say I would skip class and probably ended up attending class twice or at most three times a week. I was a kid, I had better things to do with my time..and also it was so darn tiring! 

As lazy as I was to attend Islamic school, Quran Hifz was my favourite class. When my classmates would play games or doing their own thing, I diligently went up to the ustazah to recite every few days. The best part was I never studied or revised, I just somehow had the verses in my head from my Recitation class and just regurgitated it to my Hifz teacher. It was fun and magical at the time. Despite my skipping class, I would win an award every year and mostly for Hifz. Yes my ustazah would preceed the announcement of my name with "the Girl who is famous for not attending school"-- but let's just accept that as her sense of humor. At least I won something. 

Then one day, at the age of 11, I signed up for my "normal" school's Hifz competition. And won. I  beat out all the other 11 and 12 year olds and got special mention during assembly. My ustazah was so excited that she enrolled me into a state competition. Of course no one told her that I had a problem with public speaking. As in I clamped up and get really really stressed out that I couldnt say anything. Anyway the competition came and my parents and grandparents excitedly came out to see me perform and when I went mute on the stage, everyone came home disappointed (though they never mentioned anything of the sort to me). 

After that competition debacle, I never went back to Hifz. That was also about the time Dunya seeped in. School. boys, makeup, drama -- all were more important at the time to then the Quran.

And would you believe that I never recited/ memorized the Quran for the next 21 years. Yup. No judgements here please.

Anyway can you imagine if I had stuck to memorizing at that age. I would've been a Hafiza by now. But Allah's timing is never wrong.


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