I've learned a couple alphabets, Hebrew among them, just for fun. I'm pretty confident I could learn to recite the Quran with a month of steady practice.

But memorize the whole thing? Like, name a sura, and I'm off to the races? That's very impressive.

And without any understanding of the underlying words! That's even more impressive, but my heart sinks a little at the waste of human potential which it represents.

Perhaps they're right, and they earn a lifetime in Paradise for their trouble. I can't help but thinking there are better ways to spend ones youth.