A sisters' remarkable story of learning Quranic Arabic and teaching

Press Statements

A sisters' remarkable story of learning Quranic Arabic and teaching

Institute of the Language of the Qur'an Al-Furqan / The Milli Gazette

Published Online: Feb 02, 2012

Institute of the Language of the Qur'an Al-Furqan http://www.lqtoronto.com shares email exchanges with a remarkable sister, Meera Samir, from Sharjah, UAE. Her story to learn Arabic and then teach Arabic to others is truly incredible.

Her unimaginable determination, courage, dedication, zeal, willpower and perseverance will surely touch everyones heart.

Insha Allah we can all learn from her story and pursue our quest to learn Arabic with more vigour and drive to complete the three Madina Books [learn Arabic Books from lqtoronto.com available online for free download]. May Allah swt grant them success in their mission. Ameen.

Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2012
Subject: Thanks to TQ Toronto.
From: Sister Meera Samir - Sharjah - UAE
To: info@lqtoronto.com

Dear Brother in Islam,

السلام عليكم,

I am Meera Samir, an Indian, residing in UAE. I had completed whole Madinah books , thru Bro. Asif Meher Ali's DVD's .الحمد لله .

Can i get the personal email of Asif Meher Ali, please. I need to thank him personally, coz i had been someone ,who could never even read Qur'an properly, nor under stand even a word of Arabic. Now الحمد لله , I feel so much happiness when i understand Qur'an directly.

I came closer to Madinah Books 2 1/2 years before while I had been bed ridden due to sickness for eight months and I completed the madinah books.

It had been such a شفاء for me and now I teach في سبيل الله around 40 students, age group b/w 12 - 60 , and for my first batch of 18 students, we are about to complete bk 3.

And i'm doing my Hifz course here in sharjah. Being an engineer by profession, إن شاء الله I now seriously think on getting a degree in Arabic. انا لا أدرى كيف أشكرك. جزاك الله خيرا كثيرا.

If you can't provide me the mail id, Please Thank him on my behalf, and tell I would like to meet him personally someday and thank him.إن شاء الله

Regards

Meera Samir

From: lugatulquran@hotmail.com
To: Sister Meera Samir - Sharjah, UAE>
Subject: Thanks to LQ Toronto.
Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2012

Assalaamu 'Alaykum Dear Sister in Islam Meera Samir,

What shall I say to you or write to you except that I felt great joy and happiness reading about your accomplishment of having completed three Madina Books and your efforts to teach Arabic to others. Maa shaa Allah. May Allah swt be pleased with you and reward you with unbounded Khair in both the worlds. Ameen.

After the completion of Book III, comes the study of "Selections from the Glorious Qur'an", a master piece of work by Dr. Abdur Rahim.

There are six DVDs to accompany the book. In the DVDs, Dr. Abdur Rahim is himself explaining the selected verses of the Qur'an with lexical and grammatical points of the verses.

He explains many grammatical concepts which he did not cover in Madina books. There is whole lot of new treasure waiting to be discovered by the seekers of advance Arabic.

The book and the DVDs have been uploaded on the LQToronto website. Please visit our website and browse through the DVD. You are going to love it insha Allah.

Insha Allah we will stay in touch.

Wassalaam,

Br. Asif

2012/1/26 Institute of the Language of the Qur'an Al-Furqan <lugatulquran@hotmail.com>

Dear Sister in Islam Meera Samir,

Assalaamu 'Alaykum WRWB.

I am Brother Asif, your humble teacher of Madina Books DVDs.

I wrote to you the following letter in response to your letter. I hope you did receive my following letter.

I have been waiting to receive your reply. I hope insha Allah all is well at your end.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Wassalaam,

Br. Asif

Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2012
Subject: Thanks to LQToronto.
From: Sister Meera Samir - Sharjah - UAE.
To: lugatulquran@hotmail.com

Dear Brother Asif,

السلام عليكم

Extremely sorry in my delay in reply. I had been flying high since your reply coz I was just taking a chances writing to INFO to reach you. I never thought that Dr. Sahib and yourself were accesilble to reach. And I was amazed by your response.

First of all, Sorry that I didn't mention Dr. Sahib and the full team behind the making of DVD's in my letter. May الله سبحابه و تعالى shower all the blessing on all of you, in this world and hereafter.

No words can express my joy and sincere gratitude towards all of you, other than the tears that flow from my eyes when I write this.

Asif Sahib , I'm not a brother, i'm 31 years old mother of my two sweet kids aged 5 & 7 الحمد لله .

As your story says, even I had been a Muslim with that desire to learn Arabic deep inside my heart, but never bothered to , coz for me, my religion was taken for granted.

To be frank, I seriously couldn't even read the Qur'an properly (never to blame my parents coz I never took the chances I got to learn Qur'an at home from the Ustad. And they used to do their Salah and Fast regularly.) I used to fast but even my Salah was not regular.

And for me, Qur'an was something I saw recited mostly when some one died. And I never even realized that the Qur'an had a meaning. Might be I must not tell anybody but truly, till my age of 21-22, I had my desire to Read the Qur'an so that I would also be able to read Qur'an when my parents pass away.

How stupid of me. I never even realized that I might die before them. Once I was getting married, I learned to read the Qur'an so that my In-laws wouldn't think bad of me. And my Husband used to make fun of me: "Do you even know how to recite قل هو الله أحد" ?

My Salah was becoming regular by then. While I was carrying my first baby, 8 years back, I saw my mother going to learn Qur'an Classes to learn the meaning and memorize. ( ما شاء الله now aged 60 she has memorized along with meaning surah جزء عمّ, سورة البقرة, العمران ,النساء. ) . She Slowly started telling me the meanings and I was getting attached to Qur'an. I knew , I was on the wrong path.

But I never knew how to change. I brought her books and started learning جزء عمّ with meaning. But it was not making sense to me. I couldn't memorize like her. I started to look thru internet. (By 2009, living 7 years in UAE, I never even knew هذا means this.) So I started to look to learn Arabic.

In 2009 October I came across MADINAH ARABIC site. I started reading it and one day thru some link I came to your 1st DVD. For me a Miracle was unwinding.

Seeing the DVD's, I started hearing it, but I never knew which handout, or blue book u were saying about, but I heard the 1st part..... Later my searches led me to LQ TORONTO site. I printed out the texts and started learning but at real slow pace. By 2010 Feb, I was only 3 DVD's thru. (at that time i was sick quite often, so on my mother's visit to UAE, I fainted in her presence. I went back to India for treatment leaving kids and husband here).

I was really sad but I had some positive energy الحمد لله. I was bed ridden, with all my bones aching. الله سبحابه و تعالى gave me the best Doctor available, who treated me and الحمد لله I am fine now.

My Brother brought me books and DVD's from IFT Chennai. I couldnt write but I heard the Dvds and learned, mostly 1/2 DVD a day. When I was more lonely, even I did one full Dvd at a stretch.

For A Kora Kagaz like Me, الله سبحابه و تعالى was making it so easy, even listening to it, I could learn. I never felt I'm not understanding that.

Whenever I used to get desperate, ( first at Plurals, then at Mudari..... very few time) my mother was telling me "I Can do it إن شاء الله".

Whole thru the time I was realizing the value of life, regretting the time I wasted , the health, the blessings ..... الحمد لله.

I was feeling that my sickness was becoming my blessing, coz else I wouldn't have finished the DVD's so fast, realized so many things.

I knew Allah was guiding me in the Straight path. I did Duaa to Allah, make me do my prayers standing. And If I Was back in health, first thing I would do was to teach it to others.. I never knew to whom or when...but I wanted to teach to others.

الحمد لله I was almost back in health and back to UAE by 2010 October. Once my pain was subsiding I knew I had to write and learn again thoroughly. I started learning again writing notes. Once I finished preparing notes for Book 1, I started telling my friends I will teach you, but they were not much into relegion. I went to their house and started teaching. But I couldnt continue it long. I was sad.

On JAN 2011 at my daughters Madrassa , I met a lady whom I casually said "I can teach Arabic to understand Quran".

الله سبحابه و تعالى was answering my Duaas. She called me telling she can arrange a class, so I went and showed her the books I was planning to teach.

Seriously I never knew if I could do it completely. But I had heard you telling in class that Sister Mehnaz was a Non-Native Arabic Speaker, who takes Quran and Tajweed classes. So if somebody like her was benefiting others, I took the courage to teach those learned ladies, coz some of them even had Arabic degree.

I really wanted to do something in my life coz my paining bones reminded me, my time was counted. So I feared if I passed away not doing anything worth, I was Scared to die.

So الله سبحابه و تعالى gave me the courage to take classes.

First day at the class, my sound and hands shivered for 5 minutes (Coz i was teaching a crowd of 25+ house wives, desperate to learn Arabic for the love of Qur'an, and they were already in path of Islam for long......... Even few of them were taking Qur'an classes in "Malayalam" (our native language).

But الحمد لله, Allah سبحابه و تعالى was blessing me in abundance. I was confidently taking class after 5 minutes. All were so impressed by the class. They were all surprised that Arabic of Quran can be so interesting !!!

I must tell you, with Dr. Sahib's Text and your way of teaching, I teach exactly the same way. When I do it in my mother tongue "Malayalam", they all understand it so well !! الحمد لله.

First my legs used to ache standing for 2 1/2 hours at a stretch. By Allahs grace my health was picking up. Now الحمد لله I'm fine.

I 'm sorry I made it late to write to you, coz I was waiting till my notes writing finished in JAN 2012 first week.

Now I take 7 classes a week in small and big batches. Our first batch is in BK 3 DVD 8, 2 classes per week.

Now I am so closer to Quran and my الدين. I can't say what you all mean to me. Asif Sahib you are more like a father, a teacher, a guide and what else i can't say................... I had been studying lexicals of glorious Quran, and I have almost all the books available from IFT chennai written by Dr. Sahib. I also have Mohar Ali's word for word translation. The time I take to learn one page of Quran, is so less, I cant beleive myself.

Back home in India even my brother had finished Madinah Books himself. الحمد لله.

Now at home "our main topic of discussion is Quran".

ما شاء الله , الحمد لله - How our world had changed for good !!!!!

Now my life revolves around Qur'an and Madinah Books and my classes. Now that its becoming illegal to take classes here without license, I'm seriously thinking of taking a degree in Arabic, so إن شاء الله I can spread this gift to many people.

I do tell every single person I meet:

"Learn Arabic, Learn Quran", coz nothing can bring you so much joy and satisfaction.

If a person like me can do this, anybody can do it. إن شاء الله.

Now at times my students ask "How you did this alone ? "

I tell them: "I Know the value of my life and every second I'm blessed with".

I'm attaching a copy of my notes, first and last part, please do see it . It might tell you how much seriously I had taken up my studies. It took me one and quarter year to write it completely, (thanks to my families patience and support). Now when ever I go for classes, for my first batch I hear you DVD and go thru the notes. I can so confidently take classes الحمد لله.

I know my letter became so looooooooong, but for 2 1/2 years , I had been with you and Dr. Sahibs books. You are are so close to my heart, I had been sharing every sorrow and happiness in my life with you .

جزاك الله خيرا كثيرا

إن شاء الله will keep in touch,

regards

Meera Samir.