It is not something unique or strange in this part of the world for a 13-year-old child to memorise the complete Qur’an as there are many who have achieved that at far less age, some as early as seven, but what is unique about this gifted girl is her ability to write the complete holy book from her heart at this tender age.
Thirteen-year-old Zuwaira Ahmad of Madrasatul Tahfizul Qur’an Waddirasatul Islamiyya in Kagara village of Kafur Local Government Area of Katsina State has memorised and written the complete Holy Qur’an within a period of not more than two months.
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On Monday, Zuwaira had started the second one which she hopes to complete within the shortest possible time.
“All I am occupied with and completely immersed in for the time being is the study and writing of the Holy Qur’an and my major aim is to see that I have acquired a lot of knowledge and that a lot of people have benefited from what I have acquired,” she said.
Zuwaira was enrolled in the Islamiyya School in her village, Kagara, at the age of seven, according to her father, Malam Ahmad Ibrahim Kagara, and thus memorised the Qur’an over a period of six years.
“She is today 13 years and four months old and we enrolled her at the age of seven years and three months. All she achieved in terms of memorisation and writing the holy book was in the same school as she had never gone to any other school.
“We are immensely grateful to Almighty Allah as she wrote the entire Qur’an within a period of two months. She could have been faster than that if not that we used to ask her to take some rest many a time,” he said.
Malam Kagara, who expressed profound happiness for what he called “the gift of God” to his family, re-echoed the appeal of his daughter, for parents to be alive to their responsibilities with regards to their children.
“It is our responsibility as parents to take care of our family, their healthcare, education and their moral upbringing. If we fail to do that and allow our children to fend for themselves, then we are not discharging the duty God has imposed on us and therefore opening doors of irresponsibility in our communities.
“Though I live in a village, I don’t allow my children to either go to farm or engage in street hawking or begging. I try within my meagre resources to take care of them.
“If we are able to discharge our duties effectively, to the best of our ability, our homes will be good, our communities will be better and we will have a prosperous society,” he said.
He added that he has two other children, Abubakar and Siddiqa, who have shown signs of talent like that of their elder sister, Zuwaira.
He then appealed to governments and wealthy individuals to identify and support talented children so as to realise their full potential.
Speaking to our correspondent, Zuwaira said if not for the fact that Islam abhors bragging, she could have said she found it very easy to memorise and write the complete Qur’an.
She attributed her success in the study and writing of the holy book to the support given to her by her parents who, despite their limited resources, have provided her with basic needs, and also to the steadfastness of her teacher, Malam Hassan Lawal.
“I don’t engage in any street hawking or anything that will distract me from my focus. I enjoy both moral and financial support from my parents, especially my father who bought all that I needed for my work in writing the Qur’an.
“I therefore call on parents to support their children so that they will be able to concentrate on their education, whether western, Islamic or both,” she said.
Malama Zuwaira said she does not attend western education school but some teachers from the local primary school in the village visit her Islamiyya school to teach the children basic literacy and numeracy.
Daily Trust correspondent reports that it was obvious that Zuwaira lacks the guidance and counselling to know what to study in the formal school or what she wants to be in the future.
“I would love to pursue western education and I don’t have any clear idea as to what I want to study or become in the future. I will accept whatever my parents choose for me,” Zuwaira said.
She is exceptional, could compete internationally if supported – Teacher
The head teacher of Zuwaira’s school, Madrasatul Tahfizul Qur’an Waddirasatul Islamiyya, Sheikh Sani Kagara, described her as an exceptional student. He said there is no other student in the school that has shown such talent.
“She is the only one of her age that has shown such exceptional qualities. Others have written complete Qur’an but at an advanced age. However, in her case, I am always taken aback whenever she is reciting the Qur’an. She does it with finesse and fluency,” he said.
He also described her as an obedient and well behaved girl who always pays attention to what she is being taught.
He said his school was established to give sound Islamic education to the younger ones in the community.
He said the girl memorised the Qur’an within four years, and attributed the success to the support of her parents and commitment of her teachers in school.
Kagara added that if the girl is supported to study the Arabic and Qur’anic literature, she will be able to participate in Qur’anic recitation competitions at local, state, national and international levels.
Speaking at a ceremony organised to honour the girl on Saturday, the Danejin Katsina, District Head of Mahuta, Alhaji Bello Abdulkadir, expressed happiness over the development.
He said it was a great achievement recorded by the community and the state in general, especially in the area of Islamic education.
Abdulkadir also commended parents in the area, teachers and other community leaders for ensuring proper upbringing of their children, calling on them to sustain the tempo.
He assured the traditional rulers of his continued support to all Islamic related issues for the overall development of the area.
Also in his remarks, the Chairman, Kafur Local Government Council, Alhaji Garba Abdullahi Kanya, commended the girl for her exceptional performance and promised to support her education at secondary and tertiary levels.
