DUBAI, 27 September 2007 — He may be blind physically but definitely not spiritually. Shehab Ahmad, a contestant at the Dubai International Holy Qur’an Award, brought tears to the eyes of the audience last night with his beautiful recitation of the sacred book. The young man who is from Iraq kept his spirits high by memorizing the Qur’an from a tape recorder.
He is a shining example of winning over all odds. As a child, Shehab could not go to school simply because there were no schools for the blind in his hometown in the province of Mosul. Shehab was born at a time when the general situation in Iraq was in decline. By the time he was ready to go to school, the crippling sanctions that the world had imposed on Iraq were in place. So students with special needs had no opportunities of learning.
The situation deteriorated further after the fall of Saddam Hussein. The chaos and bombings in Iraq have forced many parents to stop sending their children to school. “If those who are normal are not getting a proper education, what are the chances for the handicapped?” he asked.
The situation is especially bad for girls as most families have stopped sending their daughters to school for fear of them being kidnapped. Only those girls who are lucky to live near a school still go. They are usually accompanied by male relatives who guard them.
Shehab’s three younger sisters do not go to school. They go to the nearby mosque, which has taken over the role of schools. The chaos in Iraq has also made life difficult for Shehab’s family. His father who was a lorry driver cannot work anymore. “My father used to transport goods to Baghdad but it is not safe to do so now because of the highway robberies. Even work in Mosul has dried up because of the long curfews,” he said.
The family lives off the small amount given to Shehab by the government as part of his handicap benefits.
Despite all the hardships, he is upbeat and hopeful. “I decided to memorize the Qur’an by myself when I was 13. I started listening to recordings by Sheikh Al-Minshawi and repeating after him. Then the imam of my neighborhood mosque listened to my reading and corrected me,” he said. After three years of hard work, Shehab had memorized the entire Qur’an.
Nowadays, students who want to memorize the Qur’an approach him in order for him to teach them. Shehab hopes to win one of the first prizes in the competition so that he can help his family. After that he wishes to find a nice young woman to marry and share his life with.
Shehab advised Muslims to memorize the Qur’an, saying: “The words of God give us strength to deal with any adversity in our life. The Holy Book calms its readers and gives a sense of peace and serenity.”
