I stumbled upon that word as I was reading articles about memorizing.
It has challenged me and inspired me although I never aspire to be one myself.
I am by no means an expert but have gathered information from online articles and blogs, as well as sites like Wikipedia and Quora. Here's a brief overview of what a "hafiz" is and how that relates to me as a Christian:
What is a hafiz?
It literally means "guardian" or "memorizer" and refers to someone who has memorized the Quran in entirety. (the female version is "hafiza;" the plural is "huffaz."). If all the copies of the Quran were destroyed today, the guardians of the Quran would be able to preserve it from memory.
(This is a nine-year-old who was the youngest memorizer/hafiz in the Iraqi city of Basra)
How long is the Quran?
The Quran is divided into 114 surahs (chapters), containing 6,236 verses (77,430 words or 330,000 individual characters).
Who memorizes the Quran?
All sorts of people from various ethnicities and socio-economic statuses from all corners of the world have successfully memorized the Quran (even a 16-year-old blind Somali girl). Many begin as children in special Islamic schools, but people of all ages commit to complete it (one person said it was the "dream of every Muslim"). Some people claim "hafiz" as a title to be proud of; others keep it to themselves. The Quran is perhaps the only book (secular or religious) that has been memorized in entirety by millions of people around the world.
What makes memorizing the Quran especially easy or difficult?
The Quran was primarily an oral text. The prophet Muhammad could not write himself, so whenever he would receive a revelation from Allah via the angel Gabriel (over the course of 23 years), his followers listened and documented his words. They organized it into a collection of chapters, which became the Quran. It was standardized around 650 AD, and since then, nothing has changed. Wherever you go in the world, the text of the Quran is memorized word for word in the same way. Many people say that the old Arabic has a musical and rhythmic quality to it that makes it easier to memorize. There's also a visual connection between word meanings that is helpful.
What makes it difficult for non-Arabic speakers is that it is only to be memorized in the standardized version of Arabic. Many memorize it without even understanding Arabic.
How does it compare to memorizing the Bible?
First of all, the Quran is much shorter than the Bible. Some compare it in length to about 4/5 of the New Testament. Here's an approximate breakdown:
As mentioned earlier, the Quran was originally a recitation, which was later written down. The Bible comes from oral traditions but was primarily literary. The Bible also contains passages with genealogies and specific directions that can be difficult to read and are not often memorized.
Another difference is that the Quran is memorized in one standardized version. People memorize various translations and languages of the Bible.
How long does it take to memorize?
If a person memorized 20 ayah (verses) every day, it could be completed within a year.
Why do they memorize it?
Muslims believe that they will be rewarded (a double reward) and honored by Allah if they memorize the Quran and act on it. This causes them to "rise in status." I also learned that in some Muslim countries, a prison sentence can be reduced (by as much as half!) if the person chooses to memorize the Quran.
How do they demonstrate mastery?
Obviously, reciting it in entirety would be the ultimate proof of mastery. Just reading the Quran takes 10-15 hours, though, so I don't think many huffaz recite the whole thing at one time. They are tested on their knowledge in other ways. One example is to continue the recitation of a random passage. Another example is for a potential hafiz to recite a verse containing a certain word or phrase. Once they memorize the Quran, they are expected to retain it.
How many people have memorized the Quran?
There is no way of knowing a specific number because Muslims don't keep a record of it. One community of 2.5 million Muslims counts 4000 members as huffaz. In Pakistan, a network of madarsa (religious schools) says that one million children (about 78,000 a year) have become huffaz after an exam was first introduced in 1982.
There are around 4 million mosques in the world. Usually, a mosque has two huffaz (one to lead the prayers and one who can correct the other), but in the Arab world, there are many more. As an estimate, if there's an average of 3-4 huffaz per mosque, the total number of huffaz would be 15-20 million.
What does it have to do with Ramadan?
Ramadan, which begins tomorrow, is the most sacred month for Muslims, and they observe it by fasting food and drink every day from dawn to sunset and focus on extra prayer, intense study of the Quran, and increased generosity to the poor. At the end of the month, there's a celebration called Eid al-Fitr, which is a three-day festival to celebrate breaking the fast. During Ramadan, it is customary to hear the Quran verses recited from a hafiz every night, so they are in high demand.
I'm a Christian, not a Muslim. What does this mean for me?
First of all, although this is not one of the Five Pillars of the Muslim faith to achieve Paradise, it is very much a "works-based" way of thinking. When I mentioned to my husband this morning that millions of people have memorized the Quran, his reaction was gratitude for the freedom of the Christian faith. We don't/can't earn our salvation, and we don't live under the fear of checking all the boxes and doing all the right things to gain approval. So, if you feel any guilt or condemnation about not memorizing enough Scripture, shake that off.
As a memorizer of Scripture, though, I am challenged. I never set out to memorize the whole New Testament, but I'm beginning to wonder, "Why not?" My friend Heather and I were talking the other day about what would happen if we continued systematically memorizing Scripture for the rest of our lives. How many verses would we know by the time we're 80?
Although I am not obligated to memorize Scripture to earn salvation, what a meaningful investment it is! How better to show devotion and honor to the Living Word of God than to memorize it and make it a part of me?
Ultimately, anyone can memorize anything (actors do it all the time!), but it's the application of the verses that brings value. After all, we are to be "doers of the Word and not hearers only (James 1:22)." Or carrying on from the sentiment of 1 Corinthians 13 -- If I memorize the whole New Testament and can recite all verses from memory, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
So... I will continue to memorize as much of the Bible as I can, not out of duty but from a love for the Word of God and from a foundation of already being accepted. And I will pray for the millions around the world celebrating Ramadan that they will know the truth and that the truth will set them free (John 8:32).
No comments:
Post a Comment