Photography

The Light of Islam will Enter Every Household

Published

August 20, 2008

Abu Reem

And who can extinguish that light?

Can someone make out what this brother in Islam in Niger is reading?

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A student attends a lesson at the Islamic school in Maradi, southern Niger [Photo & Caption Credit: AFP]

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Abu Reem

Abu Reem is one of the founders of MuslimMatters, Inc. His identity is shaped by his religion (Islam), place of birth (Pakistan), and nationality (American). By education, he is a ChemE, topped off with an MBA from Wharton. He has been involved with Texas Dawah, Clear Lake Islamic Center and MSA. His interests include politics, cricket, and media interactions. Career-wise, Abu Reem is in management in the oil & gas industry (but one who still appreciates the "green revolution").

18 Comments

MR

August 20, 2008 at 3:05 PM

Dhikr never stops…

Reply
Amad

August 20, 2008 at 4:59 PM

I can see the bismillah… what surah is he reading?

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Kishwar Sheikh

August 20, 2008 at 6:45 PM

Subhan Allah

the picture says so much, we have beautiful mushafs placed on top and the toppest places in our homes and we forget about them, dont bother to seek guidance fom them, and here, it just shows how those who really are the seekers of guidance, manage to educate themselves even with the absence of resources that we have.

looks to me like a scene around 1400 years back, when the sahabas used to write the revealed ayahs, on skins, camel’s bones’ and such stones probably.

thanks for sharing this with us

Reply
Abuaisha

August 21, 2008 at 5:40 AM

It took me a while, but he I am certain that he is reading from Surat al-Burooj. If your eyes are good enough, pay close attention and you will get it.
I analysed all the ayaat until one part of it stood out and I unlocked it from there.

Reply
Abuaisha

August 21, 2008 at 7:10 AM

He is reading from Surat al-Burooj.

Reply
Amad

August 21, 2008 at 8:43 AM

jazakAllahkhair Abuaisha… I can pick out “was-samaai”… which verse did you lock into?

Reply
Abuaisha

August 21, 2008 at 9:56 AM

The word that helped me in the end was Muheet.

Reply
Ahmad AlFarsi

August 21, 2008 at 11:03 AM

It doesn’t look like there is enough lines on the page to get all the way to the word ‘muheet’ in Surat al-Buruj, since the top of the page has the basmala, doesn’t it?

And It looks like there is a Was-samaa’ as the last word of the first paragraph.

Where do you see the word Muheet?

Reply
Bilikis

August 21, 2008 at 12:38 PM

As-salaam alaykum warahamatullah wabarakatuh
Jazakallahu for sharing.We on our own part of the globe still have something like this pretty much.So,I would just say it’s still’very normal’ for me.
Meanwhile,I can make out the basmallah&the beginning of Surat Al-Buruj masha Allahu.

Reply
Amad

August 21, 2008 at 1:05 PM

Hmm… I don’t see the beginning of Buruj at all… don’t see the wasamai being the first word of the basmallah…

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IbnAbbas

August 21, 2008 at 5:29 PM

yes, he is reading from Surah burooj but in the end it kinda mixes up (maybe he memorising some ayahs separately or something)

i can clearly see that it starts from the ayah (14)- “wa howal ghafoorul wadood”

then in the middle its hard to get any word. then you read the ayah (17) – “hal ataaka hadeethul junood” (if you look carefully the word “junood” stands out.

The next line is hard to read anything from. but then the ayah (20) clearly stands out.

Then after that, i don’t think its from Surah burooj except the very last ayah (22) “fee lawhin Mahfoozh”

Reply
IbnAbbas

August 21, 2008 at 5:46 PM

this is just my observation….could be wrong.

Reply
Amad

August 21, 2008 at 5:58 PM

Is this the different recitation? Don’t Qurans in Africa have different transliteration… comeon IlmSummit folks, help me out here (i think you went over uloom al Quran right?)

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Amatullah101

August 21, 2008 at 7:30 PM

mashaAllah I stared at it for a long time and couldn’t make out anything except the basmalah and samaa’, you guys have good eyes!

They have different scripts in Africa, and in some parts of west Africa, they recite in different qira’aat. Like how Egypt is known for warsh, west africa is known for it’s warsh and dooree recitations. (and each qira’aat usually has it’s own mushaf) that’s what we learned in Route 114 with shaykh Yasir Qadhi.

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Abuaisha

August 21, 2008 at 9:14 PM

Amad, they don’t have different transliterations, rather they have different fonts/scripts. Niger would not likely use a script different to what we use, its really only northern and north-eastern Africa who differ on this.
As long as what is being written is still in an Arabic script we don’t call it a transliteration. The only case I have ever seen Arabic being formally transliterated is in Chad and in Lebanon (amongst pretentious, nationalist Maronites) and of course on Internet chat… 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 9 are meant to be numbers, not letters!!!

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Mercy

August 21, 2008 at 10:53 PM

Masha’Allah. In some parts of Africa such as Somalia, the “lawh” (the wooden-like tablet above) is used to write and memorize the whole Quran from. Truly amazing, indeed.

Reply
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