Perseverance — Page 59
Part II – My Life as a Muslim 59 A h a fiz-Qur’ a n 18 was sent from Rabwah to recite the Qur’ ā n during the tar a w ih 19 prayers. JUNE 2, 1950 – ARRANGEMENT FOR DINNER WITH AN AMERICAN CORRESPONDENT I wrote this letter to Hazrat Khal ī fat-ul-Mas ī h: Bismillah-hir-Rahmaan-nir-Raheem As-salaamu alaikum wa rahmatullah wabarakatuhu I received a report that your health is not good that you are suffering very much from gout. I pray that Allah will bless you in His Own way. Hazur, today I went to see Mr. Darrell Berrigan of the Saturday Evening Post. He is very much interested in you and the Ahmadiyya Movement and requests your company again. He 18 A h a fiz literally means protector in Arabic. Those who memorized the Qur’ān by heart were called protectors because they protected the Holy Qur’ān from being forgotten or lost. Memorization was the primary method of preserving the verses of the Qur’ān during the early years of Islam. This was supplemented by the actual recording of the revelations. [Writer] 19 Tar a w ih prayers originated as a practice of the Holy Prophet sa during the month of Rama da n , but were offered by him in solitude during Tahajjud time [ Fiqh Ahmadiyyah , p. 208]. As many people noticed this practice, they began to adopt it. During the Caliphate of Hadrat ‘Umar ra ibn al- Khattāb, it was institutionalized and Muslims prayed the Tar a w ih in congregation. The entire Qur’ān was recited in the Tar a w ih prayers during Rama d a n , one of the 30 parts recited each night. [Writer]