City of Quran Memorizers in Tunisia
There are many memorizers not only among the city’s men but also women. Some 250 women and girls of Beni Khedache are Quran memorizers, ten of whom have recently completed the courses of the region’s Quranic Society.
It has trained hundreds of Quran memorizers so far.
When one enters the city, they are attracted to the sound of Quran recitations.
Reciting the Quran and committing the divine verses to memory is a common activity in Beni Khedache.
People here have been teaching their children the Quran for a long time even before schools emerged in the region.
Many prominent Quranic and religious figures have been raised in the city some of whom are holding top positions in Tunisia.
They include Sheikh Mohamed al-Baroudi who formerly headed the National Quran Association of Tunisia and Abdul Majid al-Najjar who currently heads the country’s Association of Scholars.
In a recent interview, Al-Najjar said he knows Beni Khedache with its many Maktabs (traditional Quran schools).
“I personally started memorizing the Quran and learning religious principles in the city since my childhood there.”
The president of the Quranic society, Ali Al-Hawiwi, says the city’s Quran memorizers are from different age groups and backgrounds.
He says there are even memorizers who are illiterate.
Among those who has learned the Quran by heart in Beni Khedache is a 63-year-old woman named Manjiyeh Mahzawi.
She says she has managed to memorize the Quran with the blessing of God and thanks to the help from her teachers and classmates.
The Holy Quran is the only religious Scripture that is memorized by its followers.
Innumerable persons in every Muslim community have memorized the Quran since the first day it was revealed.
The Quran has 30 Juzes (parts), 114 Surahs (chapters) and 6,236 verses.
