They Are Special

It's Friday.
They came today.
Thirteen of them.
I don't even know their names except two of them.
They came straight from the masjid right after the Jumaat prayer, with Qur'an in their hands.

A feeling of peace crept into my heart at their presence.
Before they arrived, I have this odd uneasy feeling inside that's difficult to describe. That feeling somehow gone after seeing them.
Subhanallah...

After a brief discussion and taking their chosen location, they began reciting the verses from Surah Al-Baqarah. How soothing it sounds. I have always enjoy listening to Qur'anic recitation, especially from among the huffaz. They have this tune which is distinguished to them, a simple but distinct tune and they recited beautifully with such a deep passion.

I decided to sit in a corner at the corridor between the two rooms where four of them were reciting. As I began to open the Qur'an in my hands, suddenly I felt so overwhelmed with the sound of these sacred verses that filled the whole floor. The powerful aura of Surah Al-Baqarah rendered me to tears. For a good two, three minutes I cried. My shaking hands were flipping the pages of the Qur'an, and with a lot of difficulties and trembling voice, I begun reciting. After some 20 verses, a sense of peace and comfort emerged in my heart and my recitation was in harmony with them. Such a delightful feeling. I felt the blessing descended upon my surrounding. Subhaanallah...This is an experience that I wouldn't miss for anything.

The session lasted about one and a half hour. As a few of them gathered, I thank them and gave a small token of appreciation to the one in charge. He politely declined. But I insisted. To me it is an obligation to show gratitude to their willingness to accept my invitation for the occasion today.
My 80 year old father, himself a learned man, always pay special attention to a few of his grandchildren as they have memorized the entire Qur'an.
He always stressed the fact that someone who has the holy Qur'an in his/her heart is indeed special.

As I said my thanks to all of them before they left, I felt so elated.
The surrounding felt different.
Alhamdulillah...All praise and thanks to Allah, The Almighty, the One who sent the Qur'an through the great angel Jibriel, to our beloved Prophet Muhammad SAW.

My prayers are for them, the thirteen special guests of the day. Al Qur'an al Kareem, is the book of guidance. The ability to memorize it is bestowed only to an exceptional person, the selected few.
Their parents must be very proud of them and their families are certainly blessed.
May Allah preserves the light that has entered their heart, may Allah give them strength to practice the teachings of the Qur'an.
And most importantly, may Allah keep their heart continuously sincere and humble, for an arrogant heart is not the place for this miraculous gift.

It's a blessed Friday, with my special guests. Thirteen of them.