VERA VERINAK BECAME FIRST UKRAINIAN MUSLIM TO MEMORIZE QUR’AN

Kiev, Ukraine, 6 Jumadil Akhir 1436/26 March 2015 (MINA) – A woman, who reverted to Islam 17 years ago, has become the first Ukrainian to memorize the Holy Qur’an in full, overcoming language barriers and time constraint, Aljazeera reported.

“I started by learning Arabic language, so I used to write the verses and translate their meanings to understand and memorize them,” said Vera Verinak, whose new name carries the meaning of Iman or faith, IINA News quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

“This took me long time as I was a university student, before getting busy with work, marriage and children.”

Learning Arabic language was a great help for the ambitious Muslim revert, she added.

“After learning Arabic, the Islamic cultural center in Kiev put a schedule to help me memorize the Qur’an which helped me to memorize it within nine months only,” she said.

Vera, who helped her brother, mother and four sisters to revert to Islam, has been helping young people seeking knowledge about the fastest growing religion.

Vera, 35, noted that she did not expect to succeed in memorizing the Qur’an in full, especially after considering language barriers and lack of time.

Achieving her life dream of memorizing the Qur’an, the Muslim mother says she is keen on teaching Muslims the Holy Qur’an as well as spreading true image of Islam among non-Muslims.

A Ukrainian young revert, Jana, said she took the decision to revert to Islam after meeting Vera who convinced her that “Islam was both a faith and a way of life.”

As of 2012, there was an estimated 500,000 Muslims in Ukraine and about 300,000 of them were of Crimean Tatars. Today Islam is the largest minority religion in Ukraine, coming next to Christianity.(T/R05/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)