YOU WILL NOT READ THIS! ‘Why I like reading.’

They, not me, say; ‘Put it in a book and many will never see it.’

Hahahahaaaaaaa! I hope it is that way Oooo!

Well, that is the truth. Most of us will not see anything so far as it is put in books. It is more like we are ‘ALLERGIC’ to reading anything.

Now, I love reading. I guess I read the very day I was born… Heheheeeee! That is not lying, ok. I am only being ‘theatrical.’ Like using ‘exaggeration’ and all.

Well, ‘from the moment I knew myself, I know I loved reading.’ I will read everything except scary books. Some of the books were really scary you know. Even the title or the cover picture or the summary of the book could repel me like something.

But you know what? In the absence of all other books, I would read ‘even the scary ones.’ Don’t laugh out loud.

I remember reading all the books in my primary school’s library until one day, as a class six student and the girl’s prefect; I was caught in the staff room with a ‘Kindergarten’ story book in my hands…. Heheheeee! Memories, the teachers had a lot to laugh about but of course, as I’ve always been a ‘teachers’ pet,’ I knew it was out of admiration, lol. This isn’t blowing my horn or ‘riyaa.’ I am trying to make a point.

In my Junior High School, the library became my friend but I found out where it was much later after my admission in the school ***the school was big huh with too many rules*** You know S.D.As. But I spent a lot of my money on the bookshops and booktables (by that I mean the books that are displayed on tables) outside of my school.

When I got to Senior High School, I remember going to the Library (It was big with loads of books that students hardly read) with one of my besties (Belinda) to read within the first weeks of our arrival in the school. And then, we wanted to start borrowing already. Subhaanal Laah! The Librarian will never laugh, #I guess he didn’t know about the Prophet’s saying that ‘EVEN A SMILE IS CHARITY’# He wasn’t a Muslim though.

Unfortunately, we were not allowed to borrow books because we were freshers and he didn’t have our list yet but alhamdu lil Laah, the next time we came, my friend got her book even without him looking in the list. When I mentioned my name, he was furious. He accused me of wanting to use my nickname to borrow a book…. Subhaanal Laah! Wayyo! Poor me! So he looked in the list and found ‘Rubaba’ there… that was the beginning of our friendship with the ‘unsmiling librarian.’

As I said earlier, in the absence of all my favourite kind of stories, I would read scary ones. The scariest and biggest book I ever read was entitled; ‘On the Edge of Darkness’ by a woman called ‘Barbara Erskine’ I hope I got that right. The book was so huge that it could almost cover my desk and when I see any of my teachers, I hide it behind me.

And Subhaanal Laah! The book was scary. Very scary! I couldn’t even walk to prep alone because I was imagining the ‘Indian spirit girl’ and the things she could do. Funny enough, at the end of the day, I found out that the one who was telling the story, ‘Abraham’ was just having a dream and he was still a child.

Alhamdu lil Laah, my reading was not only directed towards stories alone. I read literature books like ‘the God’s are not to blame, Edufa, the Marriage of Anansewaa, Anowa, Things Fall Apart,’ and many others from J.H.S to S.H.S. And oOOO yes! I read the Bible too, like a story book. Had some religious books for comparison on Islam and other religions, Christianity especially, and I read these in J.H.S. with my little bro.

Most important of all is my experience with the Qur’an. I could read Arabic and write it as well almost excellently. My primary school was good huh and I had or I have a good IQ, alhamdu lil Laah for His many favours. The problem was with understanding the Qur’an in Arabic. My mum, may Allah swt continue to raise her rank among His many loyal servants, had bought me a Yusuf Ali translation of the Qur’an with the Arabic, some ahaadith and others. I still have it. That and my Arabic Qur’an had been my greatest companions in S.H.S especially. I would read the English Qur’an like a story book and that made me familiar with most of the things in it, alhamdu lil Laah.

Now, enough of all that about me and reading. Why do I like reading? Simply, because I enjoy reading although that isn’t the only thing I enjoy doing though. But as I grew up, I had a much better reason for reading which is that;

‘PEOPLE SPEND DAYS, MONTHS, AND YEARS TO WRITE WHAT THEY WRITE AND THEN it can take you just a few minutes or days to grab all that they have struggled to gain.’

Subhaanal Laah! That should be a more than enough reason for you to read, at least, the good materials. It doesn’t take a thing away from you. It rather broadens your scope. It helps you to prioritize. It gives you new information and that is enough to want to read. It might even cause you to stop something bad you are doing or even better it.

And of course, isn’t it amazing that the very first ayaat revealed to our noble Prophet, peace be upon him, were;

Recite in the name of your Lord who created

Created man from a clinging substance.

Recite, and your Lord is the most Generous -

Who taught by the pen

Taught man that which he knew not.

Surah Al-A’laq (The Clot), Chapter 96:1-5

Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar! Laa ilma lanaa illaa maa a’llamtanaa! Indeed, we have no knowledge except that which Allah swt teaches us. This is enough a reason for the Muslim to boost his or her reading abilities.

I guess some people will never get to know what is in this article; ‘They won’t simply read.’ Some of course will read to a point and let it be. Yet others like you, will read until the very end.

May Allah swt increase all of us in ‘ilmun naa fi’a’ ‘beneficial knowledge.’ May that which we read draw us closer to our Creator, Allah, glorified be He above all else. Ameen thumma ameen. Jazaakumul Laahu khairan wa baarakal Laahu fiikum. Ameen.

By Rubaba Mmahajia Rahma Sabtiu