Maryam Masud Laam a sixth-grade student at An-Noor Academy in New Jersey, USA, who became a Hafiza of the Qur’an at the tender age of 9. She is the host of the kid’s program “Quran With Maryam” on GuideUs TV and iTV USA, and she has participated in many national and international competitions, many of which she has won and she is involved with many interfaith humanitarian activities. There’s a lot more to her life that you need to know and Insha Allah you would surely be inspired.
Ayshabintmahmud: Assalam Alaikum my little sister, Hafidha Maryam. You’re my great inspiration and I’m so excited having you here, Masha Allah. So, Maryam Alhamdulillah Allah has chosen you! You’ve memorized the entire Quran at a very young age. What challenges did you face memorizing the Quran? What was the whole process like for you?
Maryam Masud: Memorizing the Qur’an is just the first step. We need to understand the Quran, and in order to do that, we need to learn Arabic. Since I want to learn Arabic, I am using Bayyinah TV. There is a show called Arabic with Husna and it helps me a lot to learn Arabic. Also before I started listening to Bayyinah TV, I took Arabic 101 with our beloved Br. Asif Hirani. These are some of the resources I am using to learn Arabic so I would suggest the same for my brothers and sisters. The Qur’an consists of many Surahs — some are very easy to memorize and some are very tough. So it would be better if we start off with the easy Surahs, like the Juz Amma Surahs and then you can move on to harder Surahs, like Surah Al Kahf. For me, the surahs that had same ayah’s repeated many times, like Surah Mursalat and Surah Rahman, were a little bit difficult to memorize, and the most difficult ones are Surah Al Noor and Surah Al Nisa, but now that I have reviewed them they have become much easier. Also, big ayahs would be hard to memorize, when I came across these ayahs, I would break the ayah into parts, and memorize them separately.
A: You’re a very busy young person, doing humanitarian works, TV presentation, amazing Islamic programs and a lot more. How do you balance all these with school assignments and projects? How do you strike that balance between your Deen and Dunya?
M: Sometimes, I have lots of homework and projects, but I try to manage everything. Right after I come home from school I quickly finish all my homework, and then I take some rest. Then after I pray Maghrib, I start with my Qur’an. The key here is consistency and efficiency so you can manage everything you are doing.
A: Now that you’re a Hafidha, an amazing Islamic speaker and teacher, and still on your path to being a great female scholar of our own time. What’s your goal for the future? And what course, would you like to study in University?
M: I have two goals, of course, one is for the hereafter, and one is for this world. For the hereafter, I want to be an Islamic Scholar, to motivate my younger brothers and sisters to learn Qur’an and understand the true beauty and peace of our religion, Islam. Before I tell you my goal for this life, let me tell you something. I grew up seeing my father doing so many interesting stuff with software and technology. For example, every year he attends Google IO, the yearly developers’ conference and he brings some cool ideas and sometimes involves us to implement those. I now have a passion for computer science and technology and if Allah wills, I want to seek my career in this field.
A: How many siblings do you have? And what’s your bond like?
M: I have an elder sister Mayeesha Masud who just graduated from High School this month and is going to study Computer Science at a prominent University in the USA this fall session. My younger sister is Fatima Masud (3 yrs), she has memorized a few Surah’s – Surah Al Fatiha, Surah Al Lahb, Surah Al Iklas and a couple of ayahs from Surah Yaseen – so she is just starting.
A: Allah has given you so much wisdom, knowledge, and intellect. Alhamdulillah. So, What do you do in your free time?
M: In my free time, I like to play with my baby sister. If there is good weather, I like to ride my bike and sometimes I take my baby sister with me and she has a little car that she rides around our driveway. I and my older sister sometimes play badminton in our driveway. Also, sometimes I play on my tablet and play video games.
A: You’ve been blessed with the best loving parents, Masha Allah. What techniques can you share with our parent-readers to help their kids follow your footsteps?
To learn more about Maryam’s work, on her FaceBook page and her YouTube Channel.
Truly I am moved by Maryam’s lifestyle, achievements, her soothing voice, her intelligence, and her sense of reasoning, that too for someone of her age. I appreciate and see her parent’s sacrifice and effort as a huge investment. May Allah grant her family Jannah and always keep them steadfast on the Deen, and may Allah guide other parents to follow same path. Ameen.
