Book Review: The Crowning Venture

Book: The Crowning Venture: Inspiration from Women Who Have Memorized the Quran
Author: Hafiza Saadia Mian, MD
Published: May 17, 2018
Pages: 137
Genre: Islamic Non-Fiction
Rating: ♥♥♥♥

Review

I saw The Crowning Venture by Hafiza Saadia Mian, MD in the “Customers who viewed this item also viewed” section on Amazon. After reading the description, I immediately purchased it because I was intrigued and excited to read about the women who had become Hafiza (person who has memorized the complete Quran), especially since I know zero women who have reached this honor.

The title The Crowning Venture takes its name from the hadith that the parents of the person who memorizes the Quran completely will be given a crown of honor on the Day of Judgement. In some Muslim cultures, after girls and women finish memorizing the Quran, they celebrate the achievement with their friends, family, and teachers and wear a beautiful crown to signify that they are now Hafiza. The Crowning Venture recounts thirteen women, including the author’s journey to fulfill this act of worship that is done solely for the sake of Allah.

This book focused on present-day women, who have to juggle numerous responsibility including schooling, jobs, and life but still found the time to accomplish this high honor. The story that touched me the most was that of Charlotte, a Black American revert, who memorized her first pages of the Quran without knowing any Arabic letters. She was able to memorize by listening to it. Her road to becoming a Hafiza was not easy as her first teacher left the area, men in her community did not take her seriously saying ‘Oh, that’s that women trying to learn Quran? She’s crazy’ and even reciting to her teacher over the phone. But throughout her entire journey, she continued to persist and eventually reached her goal. She even memorized the English translation to help her understand what she was saying.

After each interview, the author included the method, pointers, advice, and tips that the Hafiza used to achieve their goal. By including the different methods the women used, showed that there is no one way to memorize the Quran and that each person needs to find a way that worked best for them. Also, included were the stories of two women who did not become Hafiza mainly because they were deterred by others. I appreciate that she included their stories as a reminder that we should always support memorizing the Quran, especially if the person is female.

Unfortunately, even though the author included direct quotes from each Hafiza, I would have appreciated hearing their stories directly via first-person essays. As it allows for each of their stories to be told in their own distinct voices and allows the reader to immediately understand each Hafiza’s experiences.

The Crowning Venture inspired me to start memorizing again and served as a reminder that it is never too late to try to become a Hafiza. The women’s stories show the importance of not just memorizing but establishing a life long connection with the Quran.

Gems

“We allow ourselves to get deterred from doing good because we are not good enough. If we say that out loud, it sounds absurd. And, yet we do it. It is one of Satan’s favorite tricks to steer someone off the path who cannot be tricked with other transgressions.” – Page 28
“You may not have the most ideal situation time-wise, but if you really want to, you can find five minutes a day to devote to something you care about. Based on your intention and effort, bigger doors may open. But you can only know if you put in the initial effort.” Page 29
“There are few things that are going to keep us grounded and really save us in the end, and Quran is one of them. If you make Quran your friend and build a relationship with it, that’s your insurance. That is your protection in life.” – Page 56
“In this case, what the person is held accountable for is the action that led them to become indifferent to the Quran. So to protect one’s connection with the Quran, a person has to be vigilant about all of her affairs. For a slip in a seemingly unrelated aspect of one’s life – which could include anything from one’s character to one’s prayers to guarding one’s senses – can lead to a diminution in her relationship with the Quran.” – Page 96

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