A lot of things have been made easy with the invent of technology. From being able to reach people thousands of miles away to marketing and running online businesses, technology has served its purpose. It has also helped in the area of online schooling and certification. Something to note here is its role in the online Quran learning.
Most Muslims when growing up are taught to read, understand and memorize the Quran extensively especially where there is a mosque within reach. The challenge however comes when they have to go to the higher institutions of learning like the universities or maybe go out of the reach of a mosque.
The Quran has a significant meaning in the life of a Muslim. It is believed to be the last book sent to them by God through the Prophet Muhammad. It has 114 chapters (surahs) and the verses (ayat) in each chapter are quite numerous. The shortest chapter has 3 verses while the longest chapter has about 286 verses. An average Muslim is taught to learn and memorize all chapters. This may sound difficult to others but it is a standard and quite frankly a norm. It is a very important obligation for them. The only problem here is when the person needs to acquire western education in other parts of the world. Then there is the need for a private tutor or albeit online tutor where there is no mosque within reach. This article basically enumerates and brings to light how learning the Quran online has helped or improved the Quran journey for quite a number of people.
The Qur’an
“Verily this Qur´an doth guide to that which is most right (or stable), and giveth the Glad Tidings to the Believers who work deeds of righteousness, that they shall have a magnificent reward”. (Qur’an 17:10) . He also says “Then We have given the Book for inheritance to such of Our Servants as We have chosen…” (Qur’an 35:33)
Apart from the fulfillment of some religious obligation, the benefits that accrue to a Muslim who successfully reads and is able to memorize the Quran is very fundamental to their spiritual development. These are a few
• Company of Angels
The Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihiwasallam) said: “Verily the one who recites the Qur’an beautifully, smoothly, and precisely, he will be in the company of the noble and obedient angels. And as for the one who recites with difficulty, stammering or stumbling through its verses, then he will have twice that reward.” This was reported based on the authority of Ayisha. It is one of the hadiths for reading the Qur’an.
So irrespective of their language of birth, being able to recite the Quran in Arabic will get you in the company of angels even when you struggle through it. This of course is in the after life.
• “Whoever recites the Qur’an, memorizes it, accepts its halal (lawful things) as halal and haram (forbidden things) as haram, Allah, the Exalted, will enter him to Paradise and accept his intercession on behalf of ten such persons of his family upon whom entry into Hell has become incumbent (i.e. Allah will forgive them because of his intercession).”
(Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Darimi).
This is evident that being fluent and knowledgeable in the Quran isn’t just a personal journey as it includes your family as well and this is why every Muslim should indeed seek ways to improve their knowledge of the Quran.
• “Whoever listens to even a single ayat (verse of the Quran) being recited by another person obtains such a virtue which perpetually multiplies (it increases in merit continuously). The one who recited the ayat will on the Day of Resurrection find the recited ayat in the form of a Noor (which will be of greater value and significance than the virtue which accrued to the one who had listened to the recitation)”.
(Ahmad)
This is peculiar because it lays emphasis on any student or person who listens to the recitation and even sets aside a blessing for them.
• “On the Day of Resurrection the Qur’an will petition Allah to cloak the one who had recited it with garments of honor and respect. A crown of honor will then be placed on the head of the reciter. The Qur’an will then petition Allah to shower His pleasure on the reciter. Allah will then become pleased with him. The reciter will then be asked to recite the Qur’an, thereby attaining higher ranks of elevation. In reward for each ayat a virtue will accrue to him”.
(Tirmidhi, Ibn Khuzaimah).
• The Prophet said: “The Qur’an is an intercessor, something given permission to intercede, and it is rightfully believed in. Whoever puts it in front of him, it will lead him to Paradise; whoever puts it behind him, it will steer him to the Hellfire.”
• On the day of Resurrection a crown of such brilliance will be placed on the heads of the parents of one who learnt the Qur’an and practiced on its laws, that its glitter will outshine the brilliance of the sun which penetrates your houses. What then do you think will be the position of the one who himself learnt the Qur’an and acted in accordance with it?
(Ahmad, Abu Dawud).
Even the parents whose children have been taught the Quran have a reward.
There are many dimensions to Quran learning. There is the Quran reading, recitation, translation and memorization. All these are different aspects that require diligence in the place of learning. The online classes have made these their strengths.
• Continue reciting the Qur’an because on the Day of Qiyaamah it will appear as an intercessor for the recite. (Muslim).
• Continue climbing (higher and higher in rank) with your recitation in the same way as you recited with care and concern on earth. Your abode (of residing) is located (at that rank attained) with the last ayat recited.
(Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, Ibn Habbaan).
• Umar bin Al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Verily, Allah elevates some people with this Qur’an and abases others.”
• A person whose breast is devoid of the Qur’an (i.e. has not learnt anything of the Qur’an Majeed) is like a desolate house. (Tirmidhi).
Religious Backing
There have been such remarks that if the religion of Islam had stayed in Mecca, a lot of people wouldn’t have had the privilege of hearing about the Islam message.
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was born in Mecca but the Islam message reaches the east and surpassed it. He had spread Islam until his Dawah(calling to Allah) had reached a greater part of the earth.
He did send messengers with the message of Islam to world rulers and kings and also sent people to Yemen to teach Islam and judge according to what is in the book of Allah.
Without these, the religion of Islam could have been exclusive to Mecca. With technology however, it is simple enough than how it was in the days past. Therefore it is safe to say that Islam encourages distant learning.
There are many salient benefits of online Quran learning. It has become an integral part of the Muslims who cannot get regular tutors and are keen on fulfilling their religious obligations. Some of the salient benefits are enlisted below.
• No barriers
When learning the Quran online, distance does not matter. Here you are allowed to choose your tutor yourself so there are no issues as to the compatibility of the both of you. Your tutor could be in a different part of the world entirely but only comes in contact with you during your sessions. This breaks the barrier of distance.
• Attention span
With the online Quran classes, you have the sole attention of your tutor. Usually in regular classes with other students, the teacher has to go round all the students. His attention is divided because every student deserves some one on one time. With these classes however, the attention is solely on you and it gives you the opportunity to ask questions that you would otherwise refuse to ask because of the crowd. It basically personalizes your learning experience and there’s a lot of good feedback and advancement.
• Pacing
Online Quran learning helps you to learn at your own pace. Usually there are different types of learners, there are the slow and quick learners. The challenge with regular classes is that these two kinds of learners are paired together in the same Classrooms and it seems they are insensitive to the difference in the learning capabilities of students. Eventually there’s a problem because the slow learners are left behind and made to look dull. With online Quran learning however, you set the pace for your tutor. You decide when and how to run your classes and at what pace. This helps facilitate the learning process and ensures an in depth understanding of the principles of Islam.
• Convenience
Online classes are mostly very convenient and easy to achieve because it can be done at anytime. With the level in which people are busy with work and schooling, there might be limited time to actually engage the services of a regular teacher and so online classes enables them to do it at their convenience and still see desired results. It is therefore easier for people to learn the Quran online.
• Cost
Learning Quran online saves cost and still brings value for your time. There are paid memberships on some websites but some others make learning Quran on a daily basis free and this is very encouraging. This means that in addition to doing whatever you do during the day, you still get to learn the Quran at your convenience with minimal cost or no cost at all. However the websites that have paid memberships are still very affordable and accessible.
• Qualified Tutors
There are a wide range of qualified tutors online and you are given the opportunity to choose which of them best suits you. They have years of experience and teach according to the needs of the students. They are however very flexible and are available most of the time. There are male and female tutors for everyone so you can decide who tutors you.
• Access
You would have access to all materials used during your sessions and you would not need to pay for them. Both audio and visual Quran and Arabic contents will be made available.
• Online Quran classes are made for everyone. Whether beginner, intermediate or advanced, the classes are made available for different cadres. This means that it caters for those who had begun learning the Qur’an before their interruption and also for those who have no knowledge of the Qur’an and are ready to learn.
• Online Quran learning also exposes you to other students from different parts of the world and helps interaction. It improves the learning process this way as it bring you in contact with other cultures and diversity and widens your thinking.
• With the online classes, assignments are evaluated and stored or archived to measure their progress but the students still have access to their work if they need to review or redo it.
• Where the tutor is absent from a session, he will organize a makeup class without any extra costs.
• A major advantage of learning the Quran online is that if it is for children, the parents can always monitor the learning process to ensure their children understand and follow the teachings adequately.
Since the significance of the Qur’an to a Muslim cannot be overemphasized, there should therefore be able to learn the about and recite the holy book at will and with reverence. This is where technology comes in. It tries to bridge the gap for the Muslim who is incapacitated as to a place of worship or is the only Muslim in his community.
Despite the ills of technology, it is safe to say that it has assisted the Qur’an journey for at the very least a handful of diligent Muslims.
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