Tadabbur - Or the art of deep thinking

Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh! Allah SWT. has blessed us with the ability to think and reflect. Numerous times in the Qur'an Allah asks us to reflect and think and ponder His verses. Allah says in the qur'an : ''Do they not then think deeply in the Qur'an, or are their hearts locked up (from understanding it)?'' Muhammad 47:24

The important thing to note here is the way Allah Swt. refers to the one who does not reflect upon the verses. He SWT. says that the people who do not reflect, their hearts are locked from truly understanding the Qur'an. Our religion is beautiful subhanAllah. As a revert to islam, I remember the times when little kid me would go to the priest after church and ask him questions about God, questions about this life, questions about the bible verses etc. And I remember feeling unwelcomed with my questions and being told that I should believe without understanding and that too many questions were not something God loves. I remember feeling ashamed with my questions and ashamed with my percieved lack of faith. Allahuakbar. Our Lord calls on us to ponder reflect and think deeply the way my fitra was telling me to do with the bible.

Nowadays parents compete with eachother in who can make their children Hafidh the quickest. It is a common practice to have small children as young as 2 years old memorize surah after surah not knowing or connecting to their meanings. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong in teaching young babies to recite the qur'an. The problem is when what is supposed to be a hafidh becomes more of a singer / performer. The word Hafidh means ''protector'' of the Qur'an. So what are all these common day hafidh (who have memorized but do not understand the meanings) protecting? Are they Hafidh of the sound of the Qur'an? Isn't a Hafidh more someone who has memorized the meanings and understands them deeply while striving to live their lives by using this knowledge and therefore really protecting the qur'an? However, Allah SWT. has clearly explained in His book what is expected of us first and foremost when it comes to the Qur'an: Allah SWT. says in the qur'an :

''(This is) a Book (the Qur'an) which We have sent down to you, full of blessings that they may ponder over its Verses, and that men of understanding may remember.''

or in another translation: ''This is a blessed Book which We have revealed to you O Prophet, so that they may contemplate its verses, and people of reason may be mindful.'' [Surah Saad, Ayah 29]

Abdullah ibn Omar ibn Al Khattab said about his (and his companions’) way of learning the Qur’an, '‘We used to take ten Ayaat from Rasoolullah. Then we would memorize them, understand them from him, reflect on them, act upon them and only when we were satisfied would we go to him for the next ten.’'

This shows that with the learning of the qur'an, the people closest to the prophet SAW. prioritized application and implementation in real life – not on dry memorization as quickly as one can. This explains the fact that it took Omar ibn Khattab nearly a dozen years to memorize sura Al Baqara where in contrast it is not uncommon for young hafidh's parents nowadays to boast about their child memorizing the whole qur'an in 3 years or less! At Fitra Haven, we believe Tadabbur is truly an art that perfects itself with repetition. The more you take the time to do it, the more insight it will give you. The more you ponder reflect and discuss with other muslims, the more the qur'an will do its work on you and in your life. In sha Allah. Therefore, Tadabbur is a habit and a skill that should be implemented very early. Our suggestion is that when your child is ready to be learning qur'an, they should be learning to understand the meanings along in sha Allah. They should be given tools to find meanings with the words and to relate it to their own lives. When they learn to memorize qur'an, it should move them from the start and connect them to their Creator. In the qur'an, Allah very often makes metaphors or analogies which are filled with imagery. Too often we underestimate the capacity of children to understand things when it is explained to them in simple terms and with imagery and analogies that excite their imaginations.

In This Video linked below, Sh. Sajid Umar explains the importance of Tadabbur and especially the importance of doing Tadabbur with our children. He mentions that sharing knowledge about islam shouldn't be about correcting and testing but about igniting hearts and inspiring minds. He mentions the importance of making quality time with them to talk to them about the creation of Allah swt. and of islam in general.

https://youtu.be/RMD2QoA_-_s