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
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