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The Miracle Family of Qur'an

The Waziri family, in the year 1985 migrated to  the holy city of Qum, Iran from Pakistan, for further Islamic studies and to gain a deeper understanding of the Holy Qur’an.

To better familiarize the reader with this family, we present a short biography of each of the family members:

1.        Hurmat ‘Ali Waziri, holds a degree in Law from Karachi University in Pakistan and has also studied in the Hawza ‘Ilmiyyah in Qum. He is a hafiz (memorizer) of the complete Qur’an, Nahj al-Balagha and Sahifah as-Sajjadiya, and 72 main topics from the books of hadith. He is also the main teacher of his family.

2.        Rukhsana Waziri, Hurmat ‘Ali’s wife, is also a hafiz of the complete Qur’an, Nahj al-Balagha and Sahifah as-Sajjadiya, and 72 main topics from the books of hadith. She has played a major role in the upbringing and guidance of her children, and by creating a warm and loving atmosphere in her house, has been able to transform her children into lovers of the Holy Qur’an.

3.        Al-Haj Muhammad Sadiq: 12 years old and a hafiz of the complete Qur’an, Nahj al-Balagha and Sahifah as-Sajjadiya, and 72 main topics from the books of hadith.  He also has memorized 72 types of information about the Qur’an; for example: meaning of any ayah, order of revelation of any surah, the place of revelation of any surah, circumstances surrounding the revelation of a particular ayah, number of ayah per page of the Qur’an, and the number of letters, words and vowel points in the Qur’an.  In addition to this, he has also memorized various other types of information in the Qur’an; for example: animals in the Qur’an, creations in the Qur’an, plants in the Qur’an, colours in the Qur’an, parts of the human body, etc...  Up until today, he has completed work on the memorization of over 10,000 different words and themes in the Qur’an, which will be explained later on in this article.

4.        Zahra Waziri: 10 years old and a hafiz of the complete Qur’an, Nahj al-Balagha and Sahifah as-Sajjadiya, and 72 main topics from the books of hadith.  She also shares the same talents and skills as her older brother does (as mentioned above).

5.        Fatimah Waziri: 5 years old and a hafiz of various topics and subjects contained in the Qur’an, along the same line as her older brother and sister.  She has also memorized the speeches of Fatimah az-Zahra (Peace be upon her), Dua’ al-Faraj, and is also able to tie together the various ayah of the Qur’an with ahadith, and much more.

In relation to the memorization of the Qur’an, Muhammad Sadiq’s father relates:

“When Muhammad Sadiq reached the age of eight, with the help of Allah (SWT), by staying firm with the Qur’an, seeking help from the Pure and Sinless Imams (Peace be upon all of them), and arranging an organized program, we started to teach the memorization of the Qur’an.  With the high ambitions and aspirations that we had and keeping in mind the value and importance of the Qur’an, we started the memorization of the it – working 14 hours per day.  The reason that fourteen was chosen is because of the fourteen Ma’sumin – thus, each and every page of the Qur’an was recited fourteen times and recorded on an audio tape, which Muhammad Sadiq would then listen to and start his memorization of the Qur’an. In this method, he was able to memorize 12 parts (Juz) of the Qur’an by 15 different methods in the period of 18 months!

After the passing of some time, I realized and felt that we started quite late and that this process must be started before the child reaches seven years of age.”

Likewise, Muhammad Sadiq’s father, in an interview in 1993, with the newspaper ‘Kar wa Kargar’, mentioned that one of the ways of teaching the Qur’an was by means of a cassette.  He went on to mention that, “…on one cassette tape I would record the Ayats of the Qur’an (to be memorzied) from one of the prominent recitors of the Qur’an (such that each ayah would be repeated).  In this way, each ayah would be recorded 14 times on the tape, and simply by listening to the tape with the Ayats on it, even a person with the worst memory could memorize the Qur’an.  We chose the number fourteen with the intention of the fourteen Ma’sumin since with Tawassul and holding firmly to these fourteen holy figures, our success and victory is guaranteed.”

Since we see many ayats of the Qur’an and ahadith encouraging us to think deeply (taddabur) on the Qur’an and ponder on the meanings of the signs of Allah (SWT), along with the memorization of the Qur’an, Muhammad Sadiq also started learning the meanings and interpretations of the Qur’an.

Keeping these ayats in mind, and the advice given to the family from Ayatullah as-Sayyid ‘Ali Khameni’i in which he also emphasized understanding the meaning of the Qur’an, memorizing various topics from the Qur’an, the translation and the tafsir of the Qur’an, Muhammad was able to memorize over 10,000 different topics from the Qur’an.

In relation to this, his father said, “In a special meeting I had with the great teacher of the Qur’an, Hadrat Ayatullah Khameni’i, he personally instructed and emphasized this to me that I should work on the understanding of the Qur’an.  Thus, I try my hardest to act according to what he had told us, and until now, we have worked with Muhammad Sadiq in over 10,000 different topics of the Qur’an, and have also studied and done research into the various tafasir of the Qur’an and the ahadith.  We have broken up the understanding of the Qur’an into five main categories:

1.                 Topics of the Qur’an including the ayats dealing with Ahkam, Islamic Rulings and have tied together various ahadith with the ayat of the Qur’an.

2.                 Stories in the Qur’an.

3.                 Word for word translation of the Qur’an, along with a brief summary of each ayat.

4.                 Brief tafsir on each ayat of the Qur’an.

5.                 Specific words and Dua’s in the Qur’an.

They have not only memorized the location of the ayat and ahadith, but have gone a step further in memorizing the text and translation of it.  They have also memorized the name of the book the hadith can be found in, along with the volume number and page number of the hadith.

As for the stories in the Qur’an, they have worked on over 90 stories from the Qur’an and in addition to the stories, they also provide various interpretations of the ayah under study.

In the area of word for word translation of an ayat in the Qur’an, they start out by first reciting the ayah, then go on to give a brief summary of the meaning of it and tie its meaning together with other ayat of the Qur’an.

The specific words and Duas of the Qur’an is the fifth area they have excelled in.  Up until now, they have memorized over 56 Duas from the Qur’an, and if questioned regarding a specific Dua - they reply with the ayah of the Dua, the exact address of the ayah, and its translation.

As for the various themes and topics in the Qur’an, they have mastered over 10,000 different topics, including: names of figures, days of the week, types of wars, other non-living things and various creations in the Qur’an.  Not only are they able to tell you the number of times and where in the Qur’an any of the above things are mentioned, but they can also give you the various explanations of that word or theme.  Following that, they then move onto other books such as Nahj al-Balagha, Usul al-Kafi, Wasa’il ash-Shi’a, to name a few; and using the theme or word requested from the Qur’an, they can tell you the exact location of that word and how many times it appears in the various books of hadith

Muhammad Sadiq and his sister Zahra have memorized the Qur’an along with 72 different types of information, including the number of times things are repeated in the Qur’an, summary of the ayat of the Qur’an, and brief tafsir of the Qur’an, which are broken up into five categories. 

1.      General Information on the Qur’an:

v                   Information on the number of the times that words, letters, etc… appear in the Qur’an.

v                   Information on the Surahs of the Qur’an.

v                   Information on every page of the Qur’an, according to the famous and commonly used print of ‘Uthman Taha.

v                   Information of every ayat of the Qur’an, according to the letters in it.

2.      Themes and Subjects Mentioned in the Qur’an:

v                   Information on the animals.

v                   Information on the parts of the body.

v                   Information on the foods, drinks and clothing.

v                   Information relating to the days of the week, months, and years.

v                   Information relating to the sky, plants, cities, countries, and colors.

3.      Meaning of the Qur’an:

v                   Answering questions that are asked to them by different ayat of the Qur’an and ahadith.

v                   Stories and supplications mentioned in the Qur’an

v                   Word for word translation of the Qur’an, and tafsir on the meaning of each ayat.

v                   Various jobs, professions, and occupations mentioned in the Qur’an.

v                   Topics in the Qur’an - tying in other ayat of the Qur’an and hadith from 72 different sources.

4.      Specific programs with the Qur’an

     (Each Programs lasts 2-5 Hours)

v                   Usul al-Din

v                   Furu’ al-Din

v                   Islamic Scholars, Mujtahidin and students of religions study.

v                   Justice, Equality and the “Court of Justice”.

v                   Military and Defense (Revolutionary Guards, Army, Volunteer Army, Police).

v                   Earning a living and working.

v                   Jail and those in prison.

v                   Children and students in primary school.

v                   Young adults and students in secondary school.

v                   Young women – teaching and upbringing.

v                   The holy city of Qum.

v                   Al-Imam ‘Ali and Fatimah az-Zahra (Peace be upon both of them)

v                   Fatimah al-Ma’sumah (Peace be upon her) and the Ziyarat of the Ma’sumin (Peace be upon all of them).

v                   Al-Imam al-Mahdi (May Allah hasten his reappearance).

5.      Signals or Signs

a.       The human mind can accept and believe in the following:

v                   Giving signals by the hands.

v                   Giving signals by the eyes.

v                   Signaling someone by making a sound with the fingertips.

v                   By reading out various letters of the alphabet.

v                   By touching the person and “communicating” the ayah which is to be read.

b.       The human mind can not accept and believe in the following:

v                   Simply looking at the person without any movement

v                   By signaling using someone else’s hands (someone from the audience)

v                   By mentioning the names of five martyrs.

v                   Signaling by closed eyes – the teacher (the father) closes his eyes, and by signaling to his son, Muhammad Sadiq mentions the topic that the member of the audience had chosen.

v                   By mentioning the names of the five noble figures in Islam known as the Ahl al-Kisa (The Prophet (s), ‘Ali, Fatimah, Hassan, and Hussain), or by saying the name of one of the great martyrs of Islam, where the children are not present in the same room. Both of these methods are performed.

These are the signals and signs which are understandable and comprehendible that you see the father perform with his hands, eyes or by making a sound using the tips of his fingers, or any other types of movements which result in the children giving the correct answers to whatever you ask of them.

Those signals and signs which are not perceptible and that you do not even realize or pay attention to - for example, the way or method in which he breathes, the movement of his arm, shoulder, fingers, etc… are also ways in which he can convey a complete set of instructions to his children in a few short signs; something that could take two or three second and which enable them to give one in the audience a proper answer.

In regards to the memorization of the Qur’an, Hurmat ‘Ali Waziri says: “As for the memorizing of the Qur’an, I firmly believe that this type of teaching and learning of the Qur’anic Sciences must take form before birth. I myself have five different methods for this memorization.

1.        Before birth until the end of breast-feeding (two years).

2.        From two years of age until seven years of age.

3.        From seven years of age until fifteen years of age.

4.        Higher than fifteen years.

5.        Special method (in which it is impossible to forget the Qur’an), for which I offer two challenge

a.                    Whoever follows this method, however much he tries NOT to memorize the Qur’an (simply following the method without the intention of memorization), he will memorize the Qur’an better than my children.

b.                   I have heard from some scholars that memorizing the Qur’an is easy but keeping that which is memorized in the brain is difficult and one must constantly repeat that which has been memorized. I say that whoever works according to my method of memorization of the Qur’an and becomes a servant of the Qur’an, no matter how much he tries to forget that which he has memorized, he will not be able to! I emphasize this and with a simple example, I can prove my point to you - Is it possible for someone to forget his five fingers? Is it possible for someone to forget his mother tongue? Is it possible for someone to forget how to count from one to ten? It is natural that if the memorization of the Qur’an becomes a part of one’s life, then there is no room to err or forget.

With the intention of the Ahl al-‘Aba (Prophet Muhammad, ‘Ali, Fatimah, Hassan and Hussain – Peace be upon all of them), I put forth five principles for the memorization of the Qur’an.  Of these five, three relate to the soul (spiritual practices) and two are practical principles.  It is impossible for someone to learn these five principles, put them into practice in one’s life and not memorize the Qur’an.  These five principles are the following:

1.      Ikhlas (Sincerity) in Actions

By Ikhlas I mean that our actions must be performed with sincerity and only for the sake of earning the pleasure of Allah (SWT). May Allah protect us from coming forth and memorizing the Qur’an to achieve first place in contests, for status and prestige among our friends, to win gifts and prizes, or to become famous and show off.  If our actions and goal are strictly for the pleasure and satisfaction of Allah (SWT), and are performed with the intention of seeking nearness to Allah (SWT), then we will be successful and will be granted happiness in this world and in the Hereafter. However, if our goal is to please other than Allah (SWT), or our goal is both His pleasure and something else, then this too will remove the sincerity in our action and purity in our intentions, thus we will not be successful.

Therefore, during this period that one is trying to memorize the complete Qur’an, one must be sure that the action is performed with Ikhlas. Sometimes however, people may not have the intention of sincerity in their actions but they still may be successful in fulfilling their objectives, and reaching to where they wanted to; but without doubt that in this field, if one has complete sincerity that he is memorizing the Qur’an only for Allah (SWT) then he will be much more successful and will reach a higher level.

Although, others may raise an objection to this and say that, “How is it possible for Allah (SWT) to grant success to someone even though his actions are performed for other than Allah (SWT)?”  The reply to this question is that Allah (SWT) is The Most Merciful of those who are Merciful, and He is the main source and spring of Mercy. Therefore, any servant who strives, struggles and puts forth an effort, even if his actions are not accompanied by Ikhlas, they will still be blessed with His Mercy and Approval, as Allah (SWT) will never disappoint His servants; and He will continuously shower His blessings and grace upon them to the amount of their rightful share.

2.      Memorize Each Ayah with the Intention of One of the Ma’sumin and One Shahid

Each ayah should be memorized with the intention of one of the fourteen Ma’sumin (Peace be upon all of them) and one Shahid, and the reward of that ayah should be given to them.  Not only does this action increase our reward, but also these noble people will be our Intercessors on the Day of Judgement; and having this intention will also increase the blessings, mercy and success from Allah (SWT).  In this way, we will also be able to memorize the Qur’an quicker and better.  For example, if we want to memorize Surah al-Fatiha, we could memorize it as such:

This ayah would be memorized with the intention taken for the reward of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him and his family) and al-Hamzah (Peace be upon him).

This ayah would be memorized with the intention taken for the reward of Imam ‘Ali (Peace be upon him) and Ja’far at-Tayyar (Peace be upon him).

This ayah would be memorized with the intention taken for the reward of Fatimah az-Zahra (Peace be upon her) and Sumayyah (The first woman martyr in Islam).

This ayah would be memorized with the intention taken for the reward of Imam Hassan (Peace be upon him) and Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas (Peace be upon him).

This ayah would be memorized with the intention taken for the reward of Imam Hussain (Peace be upon him) and Ayatullah Shahid Murtada Mutahhari.

This ayah would be memorized with the intention taken for the reward of Imam ‘Ali Zain al-‘Abidin (Peace be upon him) and Shahid Doctor Beheshti.

This ayah would be memorized with the intention taken for the reward of Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (Peace be upon him) and Shahid 'Alamah 'Arif Husaini (from Pakistan). 

Not only does memorizing the Qur’an in this method strengthen our relationship with the Ma’sumin (Peace be upon all of them), but it also helps to keep the memories and names of the Martyrs of Islam alive.  One point which must be noted is that all of us have a responsibility in front of the Shuhada and those who have given their lives for Islam; and by performing this action, we may be able to fulfill at least a part of the rights they have upon us.

3.      Simple and Halal Food

The food that we eat MUST be simple and must be attained in a halal way. In reference to this, we have many ahadith and ayat of the Qur’an, for example in Surah Baqarah, ayah 168, Allah (SWT) says:

“O’ People! Eat from the Earth that which is Halal and Pure and do not follow the footsteps of Shaitan for verily he is your open and manifest enemy!” 

If we pay close attention to the meaning of this ayah, then we will see what Allah is telling us. Eating simple food helps prepare our mind, strengthen our memorization skills, and most importantly than this, simple food can be prepared much more easily from halal earnings. The exact opposite is true that eating heavy and fatty foods make our mind slow and lazy and also decreased our memorization power.  Most people say that eating things such as honey, walnuts, pistachios and other things like this also increase one’s memory and help make it more powerful. 

Up until now, I myself have never given any haram food to my children and have been very careful about this; and make sure that not a single bite of haram food is consumed by them.

4.      Setting Up a Schedule and an Organized Plan

Without a properly organized schedule, it is very difficult to reach one’s goal or it may take a much longer time or we may never reach it. Therefore, we must start with a proper schedule and work according to it until we reach  our goal.  As for memorizing the Qur’an, what I mean by setting up a schedule is that every day a specific time must be kept aside to memorize the Qur’an and a specific amount of time must be directed towards this.

If on the first day, we spend the morning time to memorize the Qur’an, then the next day we must also spend the morning for the memorization. If we pick the afternoon or evening for this work, then we must continue with that time period of every day.  We will not get anywhere if one day we spend the morning for memorization, the next day the afternoon, and the day after that the night.

In addition to this, we must also specify a time period that we will keep aside only for the memorization of the Qur’an.  If on the first day we spend one or two hours for memorizing the Qur’an, then we must spend the same amount of time the other days as well. If we spend two hours memorizing and then three hours the next day and then on the third day, we don’t spend any time on the memorization, then we will not be successful either. In the beginning, when we started the memorization of the Qur’an, we started with the intention of the fourteen Ma’sumin (Peace be upon them), and spent fourteen hours a day. 

5.      Perseverance, Determination and Steadfastness

If we memorize one page of the Qur’an on one day, that one page must be repeated so that that page is completely memorized.  The next day, before we start to memorize another page, we must go back to the previous page and if there is any place where we have forgotten or have some difficulty, it must be corrected and then and only then should the next page be memorized – and this must take place every day.  Until the ayat from the previous page have not been memorized completely and we have not mastered those ayat, we must not go onto memorizing the next page.  The same holds true for each Juz (Section) of the Qur’an. Until the first Juz of the Qur’an is completely memorized, we must not start with the memorization of the second Juz.

Repetition and constant practice are two methods to make sure that we are strong in that what we have memorized of the Qur’an and also guarantees that with the passing of time, nothing will be forgotten.  If after some time, whatever we had memorized is forgotten, then we must be strong and persevere in re-memorizing it.  Another point is that we must go through the Qur’an by reading it from the beginning to the end, and always repeat it such that the ayat become a part of us, in the same way that we can count from one to ten without a second though; just as how little drops of water penetrate into a rock and cut a hole right through it – the Qur’an, as the word of Allah (SWT), will have an affect and make an impression on our minds. 

Along with repetition and practice, writing the Qur’an also plays a very important role in the memorization of the Word of Allah (SWT).  To be able to memorize the Qur’an much better and to have it stay in the mind, each page that is memorized must also be written at least once. In various ahadith, it has been mentioned that knowledge (‘Ilm) goes away fast, but by keeping notes and writing down that which is memorized, it will stay with a person longer.

If only approximately half an hour a day is spent on writing one page of the Qur’an, it will achieve the few things:

a.                    According to the hadith, the Qur’an will remain much better in the mind.

b.                   One will become better acquainted with the ‘Arabic language.

c.                    One’s writing style of ‘Arabic will improve.

d.                   More important than all, after 604 days, we will complet the writing of an entire Qur’an, and if each day, we are able to memorize one page, then after one year and eight months, we will have memorized the Qur’an, and this in itself is the greatest gift and blessing that Allah (SWT) can ever give us.

One point must also be mentioned that memorizing the Qur’an does not only require one to have the wish and desire to do so, but rather, it must be coupled with struggling, putting forth an effort, and setting up a proper schedule. If we want to memorize the Qur’an, then we must first get to know the Qur’an and acknowledge the importance of this Holy Book.  With this knowledge, we must start our memorization, and in our day to day life, we must also put forth all of the commandments that are in it.

By the blessings and grace of Allah (SWT), we are presently in a land that has been blessed by the holy blood of the Martyrs.  Iran is one giant University of the Almighty One. This country is a piece of heaven on earth and the center of Islam. By relying completely on Allah (SWT), and asking assistance from the fourteen Infalliables (Peace be upon all of them), and putting forth an effort, we were able to become servants of the Qur’an.  I firmly believe that before a child starts school, he must memorize the Qur’an. This is not simply advice, rather this is something that I give emphasis to and place great importance on.  If this is carried out, then the intellect and the memorization capabilities of the child will increase 100% - and this is something which is not difficult at all. 

I will give you one example: You say that this what my children have achieved is something not possible for everybody, and that your children are just talented or gifted. I reply that a out of a few hundred thousand child, we can find one who is gifted. Thus, if this is the case, then what is it that has made three of my children reach to this stage? If we take a four or five year old Iranian child in perspective and ask ourselves, does he speak Farsi? You will reply, of course he speaks Farsi - and he speaks very good. Does he speak better than I do? Yes. I have been living in Iran twice as long as he has, but still I have not learnt Farsi properly and I still have an accent. I ask you, how did you teach him the Persian language? You will reply that we did not teach him, but rather since it is his mother tongue, he learnt it by himself just by being in the environment.

Thus what is the problem with believing a child of five years can memorize the complete Qur’an?? It should not be a shock or surprise to anyone if a child who is living in a completely Qur’anic environment, before the age of seven, can memorize the Qur’an, other books of Islamic thought, and attain some knowledge of the various Islamic sciences.

The Prophet of Islam (Peace be upon him and his family) has said:

 “Knowledge gained in one’s youth, is like an imprint made in a rock (it will never go away).”

Thus, being in a Qur’anic environment leads one to have love and respect for the Qur’an and just listening to the Qur’an being read has a tremendous affect on one’s life

With these talents and much, much more, it is no wonder that the Leader of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, Ayatullah as-Sayyid ‘Ali al-Husaini al-Khameni’i, has announced that, “This family (the Waziri family) is the miracle of the Qur’an in the present century.” C

 [ “Lights of the Qur’an” will be available shortly from the Islamic Humanitarian Service. At over 120 pages, this book covers various aspects of the life of the Waziri family, their most memorable events, methodology of memorization of the Qur’an, pictures of the family, awards they have received, and much more. Please contact us at ihs@easynet.ca for more details ]