One of the most important objects we have in Yemen is the Quran because it is Islam book and it was sent by God to our prophet Mohamed (PBUH). People read it every Friday and during the holy month of Ramadan because these times are holy times. No one is allowed to touch it unless they are pure (they have to wash themselves before holding it). The Quran is always available in the Mosques. But we always have it in our home, when we feel depressed or saddened, we read it to feel better. In Yemen, I have an old paper of the Quran that carries just one of the chapters that my grandfather gave to me to learn and memorize. We have to keep the book on a higher table so that kids do not play with it. You cannot throw Quran papers to the garbage or write on it. You cannot take it into the bathroom because it is considered a dirty place. You also cannot burn the book or leave it there for a longtime without reading it. You are not allowed to abandon the book. The book that my grandfather gave to me is very important to me because I could not read the big version of the Quran, but the one he gave me is a simpler version that I could read as a kid. I used to take it with me to the mosque every Friday. Everyone in my family had their Quran with them, but I could not read it as a kid because it was harder.   It was placed in a mosque where other kids read it today because we couldn’t abandon it in our home. I am still connected to that book because it helped me start reading and learning about the Quran, so every time I read the Quran I remember that version that my grandfather gave me.

– Imran sharaf

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