Valuable Proposal: Focusing on Training Quran Memorization in the West

This week, in the Friday Bulletin, we interviewed an Imam who has travelled to various cities in England, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, South Africa and the Caribbean Area for propagation of Islam. He has served as the head of the Newcastle Islamic Centre and has experience as a permanent and temporary Friday prayer leader in England. Hujjat al-Islam Meisam Ghasemi is known as an active and dedicated figure in the cultural field. In this interview, he shared significant insights about Quran memorization training, which we hope will be taken seriously by all cultural activists in the West so that we are not left behind regarding the Holy Quran on the Day of Judgment, God willing.

1. Which cities or countries have you travelled to as a Friday prayer leader or for missionary work?

I have travelled to cities like London. Manchester, Newcastle, Blackburn, Nottingham in England, Cardiff in Wales, as well as Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago, The Caribbean Area, Colombo in Sri Lanka, Adis Ababa in Ethiopia and Vienna in Austria. I also had the honour of serving as the head of the Newcastle Islamic Centre for a period of 5 years. All these missions involved preaching, focusing on cultural and educational activities. In some cities, I served as a permanent Friday prayer leader for an extended period, while in others, my role was temporary.

2. Why do Friday prayer leaders emphasize piety and discipline in their sermons every week?

Recommending discipline is not obligatory and is usually not emphasized, but advising to piety in both sermons is mandatory. This is because the essence and philosophy of creation are rooted in servitude to God, which is impossible without piety. A person who commits sins steps out of servitude to God.

3. What are the consequences if one advises piety but fails to act upon it?

Lack of piety leads to a loss of divine opportunities in this world. The more treasure you have, the more opportunities you possess for business. If you waste your resources, you become poorer. Similarly, piety is like a treasure. The more you gain, the more paths to servitude open before you. According to the Quran, consistent piety results in God Himself teaching you the ways of servitude and nearness to Him. Conversely, those who turn away from servitude are promised, as per the Quran, that Satan will become their guide, leading them further into sin. This is like someone who starts with smoking and gradually progresses to more dangerous drugs. The deeper immersion in sin is a punishment in this world, and the person distances himself from purified life. For those who preach piety but do not practice it, their downfall is quicker, and they face harsher punishment in the Hereafter.

4. Last week marked both the birth anniversary of Imam Ali (AS) and the passing of Lady Zaynab (SA). Can you mention one shared personality trait of this father and daughter?

Amirul Mu’meneen (pbuh) described himself in Nahj al-Balagha as someone unparalleled. Lady Zaynab (SA), as his daughter, was the adornment of this divine character. Both were powerful orators. Imam Ali would deliver extemporaneous sermons devoid of specific letters like A or M which are commonly used for making words, while Lady Zaynab (SA) silenced the tumultuous enemy crowd in Kufa after Karbala and delivered an eloquent sermon that moved many to tears and exposed Yazid’s tyranny.

5. During your time in England, did you introduce any new developments that could inspire your colleagues?

While I don’t claim to have introduced groundbreaking ideas, I focused on the education of children and teenagers. Weekend schools and programs during special occasions were enriched with animations and AI tools. For instance, we promoted a mobile-friendly book teaching prayer to children using 3D animations and artificial intelligence.

Unfortunately, Islamic centres in the West do not give adequate attention to Quran memorization. To my knowledge, there isn’t a single complete Quran memorizer (Hafiz) in England who is a UK-born Twelver Shia Muslim. All of us must follow the directions of the supreme religious authority to promote Quran memorization. High-level planning should set clear goals—for example, by 2030, train 20 Quran memorizers above 20 years old and 20 below 20 years old. Necessary measures should be taken to achieve this goal.

At the very least, weekend schools should focus on memorizing the 30th Juz of the Quran, emphasizing on the meanings of the verses. Paying attention to this is crucial due to the importance of the Quran.