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Many years ago, while I was still in secondary school, I saw my Ustadh waiting with some students to take them home. I stopped just to greet him because I knew him as one of the mashayikh who delivered khutbahs in our masjid. After returning my greeting, he asked where I knew him from. I told him, and he smiled and said,
"Recite any portion of the Qur'an for me."
I recited from Surah Ash-Shu'ara.
That ordinary encounter became one of the greatest turning points of my life.
After listening to my recitation, he volunteered to teach my siblings and me in our home.
To be honest, I was reluctant to tell my parents. In our family, it was unusual for a man to come to our house to teach us, so the idea felt strange to me. I wondered how my father and especially my mother would respond.
To my surprise, my father welcomed the idea wholeheartedly, and my mother supported it with complete trust and respect. They didn't just permit it — they honoured my teacher and made him feel valued whenever he came to our home.
Looking back today, I realize that their support changed the course of our lives. Through that single decision, not only did my siblings and I benefit, but our family friends also joined the lessons. Our home became a place where the Qur'an was taught with patience, sincerity, and love.
May Allah forgive my beloved father, have mercy upon him, and make every letter of the Qur'an that was taught in our home a continuous reward for him. And may Allah preserve my dear mother upon goodness, grant her a long life in His obedience, and reward her abundantly for supporting that journey. Ameen.
Through my Ustadh, I memorized a great portion of the Qur'an. Looking back now, I realize Allah sent him to us as one of His greatest gifts.
Years passed.
In November 2023, I began my journey towards obtaining my Ijazah under him. It was not easy. He was constantly traveling, occupied with responsibilities, and sometimes ill. Yet, he never abandoned me. Even when meeting physically wasn't possible, we continued virtually. He gave his time, his energy, and his heart to ensure I completed that journey.
Then came a day I will treasure for the rest of my life.
It was February 2024. After Maghrib, he called to say he was bringing my Ijazah certificate. We weren't used to going outside after Maghrib, so I stood waiting anxiously, calling him repeatedly.
"Sayyida, I'm coming," he kept saying.
Then I saw him.
He was coming towards me, half walking, half running.
At that moment, I smiled, thinking he was simply hurrying because I was waiting. I had no idea his legs were hurting. I didn't know he was pushing through pain just to place that certificate in my hands.
I wish I had known.
I wish I had insisted he rested.
I wish I had thanked him even more.
Not long after he honoured me with my Ijazah, his illness became severe, and Allah called him back to Him.
That memory breaks me every time I remember it.
When he handed me the certificate, he told me something I will never forget. He said he wanted to honour me with it because his own Ustadh had honoured him in the same way. He reminded me that an Ijazah is not something that is merely given — it is something earned through sacrifice, discipline, sincerity, and years of dedication.
I held that certificate with joy then.
Today, I hold it with tears.
Since his passing, one question has stayed in my heart:
How do you repay someone who gave you the Qur'an?
Money can never repay him.
Words can never repay him.
Only Allah can truly reward him.
But perhaps I can continue what he loved most.
For this reason, I have decided that anyone who sincerely desires to pursue an Ijazah and is willing to put in the time, commitment, and hard work will be able to study with me at a subsidized fee. This is my humble attempt to continue the chain of Qur'an that my Ustadh invested his life in.
A HUMBLE REQUEST
By the permission of Allah, this programme has been heavily subsidised to make the pursuit of Qur'anic knowledge easier for those who sincerely wish to continue their journey.
This was only made possible through the generosity and support of my beloved Ustadh. I kindly ask every student who enrolls — or intends to enroll — to remember him in their sincere duʿā': may Allah accept his efforts, forgive his shortcomings, shower him with His infinite mercy, and grant him the highest ranks in Jannatul Firdaus. Āmīn.
I also request that you remember my late father in your supplications. May Allah forgive him, expand and illuminate his grave, accept every good he left behind, and make the Qur'an a continuous source of reward for him. Āmīn.
And please remember my beloved mother as well. May Allah preserve her upon goodness, grant her abundant barakah in her life, reward her immensely for every sacrifice she has made, and reunite us all in Jannatul Firdaus without reckoning. Āmīn.
Perhaps your sincere duʿā' may be the means by which Allah accepts them, and all of us, among His righteous servants.
Every student who learns...
Every verse that is recited...
Every letter that is memorized...
I pray that Allah allows a share of that reward to reach him in his grave.
To every teacher who gives knowledge sincerely: you may never know how deeply your efforts shape lives.
To every student: honour your teachers while they are still with you. One day, all that will remain are your memories, your prayers, and the legacy they left behind.
Some people enter your life as teachers. Others leave as legends. My Ustadh was both.
May Allah forgive my beloved Ustadh, illuminate his grave with the light of the Qur'an, overlook his shortcomings, raise him among the people of the Qur'an, reunite us with him in Jannatul Firdaus, and make every student he taught a continuous source of reward for him until the Day we meet our Lord.
Ameen.
If this story reminds you of the importance of preserving your connection with the Qur'an, let it move you from intention to action. The best time to begin was yesterday; the next best time is today.
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