Written by Zaynab Sheriffdeen
It’s so easy for us to get pulled into life’s orbit of responsibilities, the quest for betterment and vaulting ambition. In a world that is bedazzled with distraction in the glittery world of entertainment, it’s often so easy to lose track of what matters. As penned in Surah Al Asr, it is only those who continually humbles themselves to Allah, repents, and committing themselves to good deeds, will be rewarded for such dedication and humility.
What I love about all The Fajr Sisters events is that there are so many of us, all over the world. Some of us must make the sacrifice of waking up so early, setting time out of our afternoons, or even our evenings until late night. But despite such a sacrifice, inshallah we are amongst those people Allah SWT has highlighted in this verse. When you truly love something, and want to dedicate yourself to a certain cause, you will end up making time for it, irrespective of how limited ones time appears to be. Allah Azza Wajjal is generous when it comes to the worthy servant, who is attempting to dedicating her time to furthering her knowledge about the deen. For when we take one step towards our lord, Allah will come rushing to us. And in that moment, more than fifty sisters were taking that one step towards Allah.
As for me, I was in the crux of an exam, flooded by assignments, and feeling incredibly exhausted. To attend the event, I would have to set aside a a few hours, the event starting at 11:30pm Melbourne time. I promised that I would come and knew that it would be a moments respite from the stresses I already had. Logging onto the zoom link, we were all greeted by a beautiful Nasheed, setting the mood for the night. Being greeted by our MC Fatima felt beautifully familiar and warm. The manner the intentions of the night being reiterated enabled us all to clarify our intention. A highlight for me was just seeing the number of women showing up to attend. It feels incredible to be part of a movement that has a burning desire to reach out to one another, desperate for hasanaat.
The Kahoot Quiz that followed was equal parts exciting, as it was informative. I personally loved how I found myself noting down the questions relating to a particular Quran and its entailing themes. And I loved how the organisers of the event, and the Kahoot accomplished their target, of revealing the complex multifaceted nature of the Quran.
The resolution of the night was circular to the event. The close with a Quran recitation to leave us with food for thought.
I often come to similar events, leaving with that same sense of feeling one’s Imaan’s reinforced. But on this night, I really felt myself leave with a new sense of love and appreciation towards the Quran. I felt like the snippets of certain surahs fuelled a desire to further research into those surahs and beyond.
I think knowing that this was the very intention the curators intended only adds to the night’s charm. May Allah Azza Wajjal make us amongst the people of the Quran, and enable our hearts to be open to its beauty.
The Fajr Sisters 