Noussair Mazraoui has been increasingly immersed in Islam since the World Cup, he says in a candid conversation in the podcast Minute to Allah. The right back of Bayern Munich admits to being ashamed of the lack of knowledge of the Koran, which makes him want to change course. The former Ajax player now wants to learn the holy book completely by heart and work towards the ultimate goal: becoming an imam (a holy cleric).
“I think I started reading the Quran again six months ago,” Mazraoui opens about his increased involvement in Islam. “At first I only read a lot during Ramadan, but outside of that I didn’t read enough. That’s when I started and after the World Cup I took the step to learn how to memorize. During my prayer, there were certain suras (verses, ed.) that I kept reciting, and that was it. I was ashamed of that.”
Noussair Mazraoui in the podcast Minute for Allah
During the prayers, Mazraoui felt that he was repeating himself too often, which is why he now wants to gain more knowledge. “I then took the step to learn how to memorize. Ultimately, my goal is to become a hafiz to fully memorize the Qur’an.” A hafiz refers to someone who knows the entire Qur’an by heart. “Then I aim to understand and implement the Qur’an in my life and to share that knowledge with my fellow human beings. And, as icing on the cake, to eventually become an imam.”
“I expect to need perseverance, consistency and patience to achieve my goal,” continues Mazraoui, who recently traveled to the holy city of Mecca for the small pilgrimage. In Saudi Arabia, his connection to faith has become stronger. “It was a dream for me to be with my parents Umrah to go. It was beautiful, indescribable,” said the Moroccan international.