Watch: Meet Dubai petrol attendant who practises Quran recitation while on the job

Holding a tasbeeh (prayer beads) and sporting a smile, Muhammad is well-recognised and well-liked at the petrol station

Nasreen Abdulla

Published: Wed 5 Apr 2023, 6:00 AM

Last updated: Wed 5 Apr 2023, 2:57 PM

If you pass by the Emarat petrol station next to Dubai Bowling Centre and hear the melodious recitation of the holy Quran, you might mistake it for the recitation playing from the radio of a professional qari (Quran reciter).

But it isn’t. It is petrol attendant Muhammad Altaf practicing his daily qiraat (recitation) in between his job. On the day Team KT visited, he was reciting the chapter Ad-Duha from the Holy Quran.

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Holding a tasbeeh (prayer beads) and sporting a smile, Muhammad is well-recognised and well-liked at the petrol station. Always the first to help out with a friendly demeanour, he has made a lot of friends with customers. “Some people come to just chat with me,” he said. “While others want to hear me recite the Quran. If my recitation makes someone else’s day, what more do I need?”

He utilises the time he gets in between attending to his customers to revise his recitation. When he gets home after his shift, he spends time to learn more of the Quran by heart.

Learning the Quran

For the Pakistani expat, learning the Quran comes naturally. “Back in Pakistan, I used to go to the madrassa (religious school) and I used to learn the Quran,” he said. “Over there, Quran is taught in three ways – one is hifz, which is learning the Quran by heart; one is tajweed which teaches how to recite well and the third is nazarey, which teaches to read with focus and understanding the meaning. I learnt the nazaray method.”

Learning the Quran is an act of worship for Muslims, and many choose to become a hafidh (learn the whole Quran by heart).

However, Muhammad had to abandon his Quran studies when his mother died, and he had to take up the responsibilities of the household. “I came to Dubai to earn for the family and since then I have been trying to learn as much as I can on my own,” he said. “I really miss being in that environment where all of us students used to compete with each other to learn and do better each day. But I am happy that I am in a place and job that helps me to continue learning.”

With his constant learning, recitation and revision, Muhammad has managed to learn 5 juz (parts) of the Holy Quran. “I am dreaming of a day when I am able to finish learning the whole Quran, God willing,” he said before hurrying to assist another customer.

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