لَتَرْكَبُنَّ طَبَقًا عَن طَبَقٍ
You will surely ascend, stage by stage.
There is a saying that consistency is key. When mastered, it becomes an integral part of you, opening doors to much gain and many achievements. Yet, my dear, the process itself, the pathway to such mastery, is often painstaking.
Learning the Qur’an is one of the most interesting and challenging tasks I have ever undertaken, and I believe many people find it both inspiring and daunting.
The beauty of it lies in the spiritual connectedness with Allah: a lingering presence that spills into one’s ʿibādah and daily interactions; a strong inner push to persist in what others may find difficult. Your mind stretches, your perspective widens, and your sense of purpose sharpens as new verses settle into your heart day after day. Then come the challenges, where many become discouraged.
It is often said that to do difficult things, you must also become difficult. You must possess a certain firmness (a streak of arrogance) not in a negative sense, but in disciplined resolve and stubborn resilience. Greatness demands effort, and effort requires a gathering of enormous strength.
My Ustādh (may Allah be pleased with him) once told me: “Sometimes, it is difficult to memorize even a single verse of the Qur’an. Do you know what you must do? Let it sink in by force.” I call this the principle of forceful absorption.
At its core, the positive implication is that this principle acknowledges the days you wake up indolent, unwilling to lay your hands on anything, when laziness creeps in and eats away at your motivation. Yet, somewhere within you, there is an awareness of what will be lost if you give in. An abstract detector that recognizes your defect and pushes you to the edge of your potential.
Then, with a deliberate and strategic push, you begin anyway. That is the principle: forcing yourself through until it sticks. Painful? Yes. Necessary? Absolutely.
Often, when we immerse ourselves in tasks that require devotion, concentration slips and distractions arise from the smallest things. At other times, the process flows with ease. This contrast reveals something important: learning follows patterns.
A student of knowledge must not rely on a single method alone. Recognizing patterns is one step; building upon them, brick by brick, is another.
Many fail in acquiring knowledge not because they lack ability, but because they neglect the small details that enable progress. Every process is a stage, and every stage is a process, no matter how slow or subtle.
The Qur’anic verse we began with reminds us: You will surely ascend, stage by stage. While the verse carries broad meanings, within the context of learning it serves as a gentle reassurance.
There will be moments of full engagement and periods of slackness. What truly matters is noticing the patterns, holding firmly to the details, and carrying them forward with patience.
Everything counts…far more than you can ever imagine!
Abdulrozaq Taslim
