Saeeda Bhayat, Qamar Graduate

“Life is a journey”, we are always told.
It’s a journey with many roads, detours and paths, and many characters who accompany us or cross our way. And yes, we go through many journeys… journeys of education, journeys through our careers, journeys of marriage and motherhood, journeys of adventure and travel, and more.
We need maps and guides to help us best see and explore any place in the limited time we may have available there. There are decisions to be made and priorities to be set about what we can do and what may have to be left for another time.
And these journeys are meant to help us grow and mature and see the world and ourselves differently.
So, what is a journey then?

It has a definite beginning where we make conscious decisions about where we want to go. We plan and decide on routes and make bookings and get visas and prioritise what we can accomplish in the time we have available.

Then there is a middle where we go to the actual places and realise the plans we made. It’s the hopefully enjoyable part of the journey where we experience new sights, sounds, tastes and where we meet new people and learn more about them.

Then there is and ending where we reflect on where we’ve been and give thanks for the opportunity and realise the beauty and diversity in the lands and people Allah has created.

So why am I telling you this?
I’m telling you this as we’ve just been part of an amazing journey!
The journey of and through Quraan.
A journey more wonderous than we could have imagined Alhamdulillah!
And yes, it had a beginning. Some of us planned for it. For Others it was a spontaneous decision to try to have an understanding of Allah’s word. Some others came because a friend encouraged us to come along. But for each of us it was Allah who was the ultimate and best of planners subhanAllah. We each came to this journey at the time when He SWT decided it was best for us.
And our journey had a middle. We gathered tools and resources to navigate through. We had patient and knowledgeable guides in our teachers who mapped the way with their experience and insight. They equipped us with the grammar rules and vocab to help us understand the very rich and beautiful language of Quraan, and the Prophet SAW and of course the language of Jannah. they also provided us with the light to illuminate our way when we were struggling and in difficulty.
But does this journey have an ending?

I’d like to think of these four years of our Quraan journey as the end of the beginning! The journey has only just begun.

It’s been a remarkable journey of self-reflection. Who am I? where am I going? And what is my ultimate destination?

It’s been a journey of increasing in gratitude and appreciation of all that I have been blessed with.
Each experience we encountered in our lives was now seen through different lenses. The lenses of Quraan.
As we progressed through the different surahs we connected more deeply to Quraan. And isn’t that what we all aspire to? Quraan has become the means through which we attach ourselves more to Allah. It is the means of enriching and nourishing us spiritually. It is the means by which we internalise Allah’s best advice for us so that we may reach our ultimate destination – Jannah.
I’d like to give thanks and say Alhumdulliah to my companions on this journey – my classmates and teachers – it has been beautiful to have shared this journey with you! And to our guests here today, I urge you to embark on this journey of Quran. A journey of finding yourself and more importantly, Allah SWT.