On the threshold of each Ramadan RAMU “Umma” and AUASO “Alraid” traditionally invited foreign theologists for personal enrichment of Ukrainian Muslims. Six “Al-Azhar” theologists came to Ukraine this year under the auspices of Embassy of Arab Republic of Egypt and The Ministry for Religion and Waqoof of Egypt. They spend the Holy month in “Alraid” Islamic Cultural Centres (ICC) in different cities of Ukraine. The shaikhs were leading collective prayers, taught local muslims to elocute the Holy Qur’an and gave lectures. Egyptian hafith Shaikh Assayid Ahmad Sharif Ahmad Kirbal was very kind to answer the “Arraid” newspaper correspondent’s questions.
Assalamu alaikum, honorable Shaikh! Can you please tell us where you were born and where you learned to read the Qur’an
— Wa alaikum assalam! I was born in a little Egyptian village Bilariat in 1951. I started studying the Qur’an as a child, using the small separate surah books local imam gave me. I used to attend the lessons on the Qur’an at local madrasah when a schoolboy and learned it by heart when i was 13. After I graduated from the madrasah, I started attending tajweed lessons another Shaikh gave, as now I needed to read and recite the verses correctly. When you’re a kid, you’re taught to remember chapters by heart and read them fast, but you have to know the rules called “tajweed” for correct recitation.
I entered the Qur’an Recitation Institute in Cairo. It wasn’t that famous at the moment, but it grew more and more popular each year, and now it has branches all over Egypt. And, of course, the “Al-Azhar” University where I entered after graduation.
Is this your first visit to Ukraine? And — what other places have you been to during Ramadan?
— Yes, this is my first visit to Ukraine. Thank God, it’s been 27 years already I go to other countries during Ramadan, as the local Muslim communities invite me because of my Qur’an recitation. Imagine the places I’ve been to through all of these years — almost every country of Europe, Asia and Africa. This is inerasable experience.
There are several styles of recitation...
— Yes, they taught us different styles of recitation in the Institute besides tajweed, and we studied peculiarities of each style. There are seven styles in general. In Egypt, for instance, hafs is common, and this is the style we recite the Qur’an at our mosques. We used the same style to recite the Qur’an at the Kyiv Islamic Cultural Centres, too, during our everyday taraweeh prayers.
There’s a Hafith School in Crimea working at the AUASO “Alraid” and Religious Administration of Crimea assistance. What can you say about the role of such centres in the Muslims’ lives?
— Of course this is very important. The hafith keep the Qur’an and guard our religion by that, strengthening the religious identity of the nation. It is very important to have qualified teachers at such schools who not only know the Book of Allah by heart, but also have faultless recitation and knowledge of the tajweed rules. The teacher must know how to explain the rules to his students, and also mark their mistakes while reading and correct those mistakes on time. Well, the students have to study hard, because it’s the Message of God they learn.
What qualities one decided to learn the Holy Qur’an needs to have?
— One knowing the Qur’an by heart becomes king of the Qur’an Incarnate, so both his morals and his manners must be in accordance with the Holy Book. This is even more important for teachers who need to set the example for their students. The way they look and live can’t be different from what the Qur’an advocates.
What would you wish for Ukrainian Muslims?
— Keeping the Shahadah in your hearts is most important. Aspire for Islamic knowledge and listen carefully to lectures given by your imams.
Interviewer — Gregory Grishko
