For years, Lubna Kazi, this month’s Student of the Month, carried a quiet desire to return to the Quran not as the child who had once been pushed into lessons, but as a woman seeking real connection and confidence in her recitation. It didn’t take long after finding Ribaat for her to enroll in her first tajwīd course, which opened doors for her to a completed khitma, a new Arabic program, and teachers who gently transformed the way she saw mistakes and progress. Now, with her relationship to the Quran rooted in intention rather than obligation, Ribaat plays a central role in her continued learning and spiritual growth.
From Pushed to Purpose: A Journey Back to the Quran
Lubna Kazi was born in India and now lives in Edmonton, Alberta, where she works for an energy company and tends to a warm, grounded home life.
Like many who return to the Quran as adults, Lubna’s earliest memories of Quranic learning were shaped more by expectation than by love.
“I had always wanted to improve my Quran reading, tajwīd, and pronunciation,” she reflects, “but as a child it felt more like something I was pushed into rather than something I pursued with intention.”
This time, she wanted something different. She wanted to understand the rules, to recite with confidence, and to build what she describes as a “real connection with the Quran.”
She discovered Instagram posts by “Organized by Iman” and from there, Allah ﷻ guided her to Ribaat.
“From there, everything just kept getting better.”
What began as tentative steps soon became a rhythm of growth. She completed her tajwīd course and recently finished her khitma, a milestone that marked not an end but a beginning. Wanting to go deeper, she enrolled in the Arabic program to learn how to write the language, and she hopes, inshallah, to join the memorization program soon.
“My journey with Ribaat has been one of intention, growth, and guidance,” she says, “a shift from childhood obligation to adult sincerity, and a path that continues to open new doors for me.”
Guided, Not Judged
Asked about her experience with Ribaat, Lubna finds it hard to choose a single favorite teacher. Every anse, she says, has contributed to her growth in a unique and significant way.
“Each one brings her own style of teaching, her own warmth, and her own way of connecting us to the Quran and Arabic.”
Still, a few names rise to the surface. Anse Abeer and Anse Reem have had a particularly strong impact on her recitation. Anse Maryam, Anse Ola, and now Anse Saima have answered every question with kindness, “never making me feel rushed or hesitant.”
But it was Anse Reem’s patience that left the deepest mark.
The Letters That Once Felt Impossible
Every student of tajwīd knows the moment: standing before a sound that refuses to obey the tongue. For Lubna, those sounds were the ʿAyn, the Kha, and the Dha. Session after session, Anse Reem would gently correct her, returning to the same letter, the same sound, with unwavering calm.
“Instead of feeling embarrassed, I felt supported,” Lubna recalls.
That experience changed more than her pronunciation. It changed her relationship with difficulty itself.
“I stopped seeing my mistakes as failures and started seeing them as part of the process.”
It is a lesson that has spilled beyond the muṣḥaf and into the way she approaches learning altogether: with more calm, more intention, and more trust in the journey.
A Door Held Open
Looking ahead, Lubna’s hopes are simple but deeply rooted. She wants to continue strengthening her relationship with the Quran, not only through recitation but through understanding, proper pronunciation, and eventually memorization. She wants to grow in Arabic so that reading, writing, and comprehension feel natural and connected to her heart.
“Learning Arabic has opened a new door for me, and I want to keep walking through it slowly and steadily.”
Beyond the skills, her dream is to remain consistent, to keep improving, and to stay connected to a community that encourages sincerity and growth.
“Ribaat has already given me structure and support, and I hope to continue this journey with intention, becoming someone who reads the Quran with love, understanding, and respect.”
May Allah ﷻ bless Lubna’s sincerity, grant her ease and baraka in her studies, and make the Quran a lifelong companion that illuminates her heart, her home, and all those she loves. May He continue to open doors of understanding for her, and may every letter she once struggled to pronounce become a source of light on her scale. Āmeen.