Ameenah Emi has always dreamed of memorizing the entire Quran in Arabic. It has been a great effort, though, to make this dream a reality in Japan for Ameenah. She feels blessed to have met some teachers there who have helped her on her memorization journey thus far. However, she has not had the same access to studying the language of Arabic in her country.
“I want to also be able to understand what I am reading and memorizing in Arabic,” says Ameenah, who is a mother of five and the owner of an online Islamic bookshop for children’s books and educational toys. “After embracing Islam, I have not found accessible Arabic teachers where I live, so I started teaching myself through various textbooks.”
Despite Ameenah’s diligence in self-based learning, she still felt a void in her studies without a formal Arabic teacher. She soon found out about Ribaat’s Arabic program online and decided to give it a try, going into it with high hopes.
“When I learned about Ribaat, I thought, this is it!” recalls Ameenah, who became a dedicated student of the program three years ago. “It has opened the door for new learning experiences which I had never even imagined.”
After completing a semester of Arabic, Ameenah decided to try some additional courses that the program offers. In turn, she has been able to set even higher goals for herself.
“The Purification class has given me a chance to reflect on my life and made me realize how much my character has transformed after becoming a Muslim,” says Ameenah. “I have learned to analyze myself better, so I can grow spiritually.”
Ameenah was even inspired to name her baby after a companion she learned about in the Companions of the Prophet (s) course. She attributes that to finding a recent love for the companions after taking the Ribaat class. Ameenah is now working towards an ‘Alima certification through Ribaat.
“Joining Ribaat was one of the best decisions of my life,” Ameenah says. “It’s so wonderful to be able to recite and understand the meanings right away without any translations. I think that’s the whole purpose of Quran: to recite and communicate with Allah (swt) Himself. I hope more people can benefit from Ribaat like I have and be a part of this global sisterhood.”
