By Shehla Arbab

I can not thank Allah enough for giving me the privilege of staying connected to the Holy Quran. During our last hifz module, we were memorizing Surah Rahman. Our teacher, Farheen Saqib, gave us the homework of pondering on the blessing of ALLAH SWT in context with the ayah

فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

“Which, then, of your Lord’s blessings do you deny?”

ALLAH has his own plans. I am the only daughter of my parents, and extremely attached to both of them. I lost my beloved father in those days.

The very next day, when I opened the Mushaf and I looked at the homework given by my very dear Farheen, I uttered amidst my broken heart and tears, No favour of my Lord Do I Deny. I went through the most important realization of my life at that point, that ALLAH SWT gave me such a loving father and a very strong bond with him. Allah had blessed me with the most beautiful relationship for a large part of my life. He gave me beautiful memories, which I will remember for all my life.

I never internalized this ayah before my father’s passing away as I have now. I thank ALLAH ALMIGHTY for giving me such a loving father.

I hope and pray that he will be the one to whom the angels would have said:

يَـٰٓأَيَّتُهَا ٱلنَّفْسُ ٱلْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ ٱرْجِعِىٓ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةًۭ مَّرْضِيَّةًۭ فَٱدْخُلِى فِى عِبَـٰدِى  وَٱدْخُلِى جَنَّتِى 

Allah will say to the righteous, “O tranquil soul! Return to your Lord, well pleased with Him and well pleasing to Him. So join My servants, and enter My Paradise.”

But how would this realization have been possible if I was not connected to this amazing and beautiful book of ALLAH. Thanks to QUEST for providing me with such a wonderful platform. A place which helped me realize the blessing in every hardship and to be grateful to Allah S.W.T. I pray to ALLAH S.W.T, may this connection with the Quran never end during my life, rather my life ends with this noble book still in my hands and my heart.