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Quran Study – Vol. 1, Chapter 1

Growing up with the Torah, the story of Moses has always been very close to my heart.

Daily Routine

I try to go to the mosque as often as possible. I typically go at least once a day, starting with Maghrib (sunset prayer) and staying until Isha (evening prayer). I go a bit earlier for the sake of socializing, this typically places me at the mosque from around 7:45 to about 9:15 on most days.

Eventually, I want to also start coming to the mosque for Fajr (dawn prayer) but it’s tricky due to my work schedule.

Right now, my work schedule is pretty open, mostly consisting of a class in the morning (on weekdays) and a few scheduled meetings throughout the day. I’m trying my best to take it easy, for the sake of adjusting to my new city, taking care of my mental health, and dedicating more time and energy to Islam. Since I have the opportunity, it only makes the most sense to build my schedule around my worship.

Language Barriers

The hardest part about reverting to Islam is learning Arabic. In addition to learning Arabic, I also have to learn Haitian Creole, or Kreyòl Ayisyen.

Haitian Creole is the language of my ancestors. It resonates with me in a way that’s hard to explain at my current level of understanding. The best way to put it would probably be this:

piti piti, zwazo fè nich li

It’s a proverb that I found online in the small but supportive Haitian community. This blog has always been about understanding myself through my family history, but I never realized how much language would play a role in it, although religion always been a critical component.

I have yet to memorize the proverb above (I’ll try by adding it to my prayers) but I have memorized the following phrases in Haitian Creole:

M se Senyè Bondye

A phrase found in the Torah

Pwoteje m Bondye, kont Satan

Said before studying the Quran

Nan non Bondye Toupisan

Janti Anpil, Mizerikod Anpil

Lwanj pou Bondye

Senyè mond yo

Janti Anpil, Mizerikod Anpil

Met jo jijman an

The first few ayat (verses) of the first Sura (chapter) of the Quran, titled Al-Fatiha, also known as “The Opening”.

Solo Study vs. Group Participation

I’ve been attending the Quran recitations at the Islamic Center of New Port Richey for the past two weeks. They usually occur between Magrhib and Isha, and usually draws a crowd of about 10 or so gentlemen. The format of the study is simple: everyone reads the designated section and tries to make as few mistakes as possible.

The atmosphere at the recitation is usually pretty friendly and supportive, especially since it’s an older crowd, with a mix of people who make no mistakes and people who make a few. I usually don’t participate mostly because I haven’t had time to prepare.

The Torah is relatively easy to study. The entire Jewish community is on the same weekly schedule meaning you never have to question “what are we studying this week?”, while also giving you a weekly self-paced schedule should you choose to study on your own. Personally, I like to have a decent understanding of the material on my own before I share or otherwise ask questions. I’ve only been Muslim for 2 months.

It’s crazy to think about everything that’s happened this year:

• Moved to Tampa, Florida
• Transferred MD Insurance License to FL
• Worked at a Marketing Firm for 3 months
• Engaged to a Muslim woman for 2 months
• Moved to New Port Richey

From Tampa to New Port Richey is about 25 miles which is a bit unfortunate since my current office is in Tampa. At the same time it’s more important that I live in walking distance to the mosque than live within public transportation to the office, since it’s objectively more important to pray and study Quran than it is to work. I’m sure some people might disagree, but that’s kind of the reason I started this blog.

Weekly Progress Report

I’ll be splitting the content on this website into three different blogs that will all serve as weekly progress reports into different subjects.

Quran Study will be my progress in memorizing the Quran in Arabic and Haitian Creole.

Blood Money will be my progress in building my insurance agency.

Once a Marine will be my progress as a security guard in the context of current events.

Next week’s entry into this blog will focus on memorizing the first chapter of the Quran in Arabic, Haitian Creole, and English, in that order.

I’ll be working on creating an email list and a group chat for this blog specifically, ideally starting with the second entry— that way I can start with a double header while getting everyone excited about future entries, whether they are excited to see my progress, or whether they are using it to compare to their own. If this blog gets one person to more earnestly study the Quran, than the mission will have been a success.