Hifz Series: Part V – Other Priorities Regarding the Qur'an and Final Remarks

Bismi llāh, wa l-ḥamdu lillāh, wa ṣ-ṣalātu wa s-salāmu ‘alā rasūli llāh, wa ‘alā ālihī wa ṣaḥbihī wa man wālāh

As much as memorisation of the Qur’ān has been encouraged in the dīn, we must ensure that we do not forget three other crucial aspects regarding this book:

1. Tajwīd and Tartīl. Ensure that your tajwīd (rules governing Qur’ānic recitation), especially your makhraj (pronunciation), is up to scratch. Also make sure that you recite in a pleasant manner (tartīl), as instructed by Allah in Surat al-Muzzammil.

2. Understanding the Qur’ān. Take some time out to understand what you're memorising/have memorised. In my opinion, the best explanations of the Qur’ān in the English language—by a mile—are those by Sh. Abdul Nasir Jangda and Ust. Nouman Ali Khan, which can be found here. They currently have tafsīrs (exegeses/explanations) on Sūrat al-Baqarah (in progress), Sūrat Maryam (in progress), Sūrat Yāsīn, Juz’ Tabārak and Juz’ ‘Amma.  I highly recommend that you listen to them. Though a note: their tafsīrs aren't actually "tafsīrs" in the classical sense; they're more of an linguistic (particularly semantic) study of the Qur’ān, coupled with life lessons and advice we can learn and implement—they don't really go into what a typical tafsīr would go into, such as asbāb al-nuzūl (science of causes of revelation), fiqh, branches of ‘aqīdah, etc.

For a good, accessible, classical tafsīr, it's hard to go past Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr, which can be accessed online here. If you have an Android device, you can download this app. For iOS devices, check out this app.

3. Implementing the Qur’ān. This is the most important aspect. The Qur’ān came primarily to be implemented in our lives. Hence, we must base every element of our lives upon this book, as well as upon the sunnah of the one onto whom the Qur’ān was sent down, ﷺ.

May Allah aid you in your ḥifẓ endeavours. May He make us the people of the Qur’ān, those who are His people and His elect ones. May He make us from those who permit what it has permitted, forbid what it has forbidden, act upon its unambiguous āyāt, believe without doubt in its ambiguous āyāt, and recite and learn it the way it ought to be recited and learned. May He make it an intercessor and proof for us, not against us, on the Day of Judgement. May He make us from those who recite the Qur’ān and guard its commandments, and may He not make us of those who recite the Qur’ān but violate its commandments. Āmīn.

Hifz Series: Part IV – How to Memorise a Section of the Qur'an

Bismi llāh, wa l-ḥamdu lillāh, wa ṣ-ṣalātu wa s-salāmu ‘alā rasūli llāh, wa ‘alā ālihī wa ṣaḥbihī wa man wālāh

Please note: this is what worked best for me. Everyone has their different methods of memorisation, and you may find that a certain method of memorisation works better for you than the one given below. Use what works best for you. If you feel comfortable with the method you currently use to memorise a section of the Qur’ān, stick to it. Otherwise, if you haven't quite figured it out yet, you can try the method below and see if it works out for you. If it doesn't, try modifying it to suit you. Alternatively, ask someone else who has completed their ḥifẓ or is making good progress with his/her ḥifẓ, or search online.

1. Warm-up. This helps ready yourself to absorb a new section of the Qur’ān and commit it to memory. Warm-up by revising the previous day's memorisation, followed by reading—whilst looking—the section you plan on committing to memory.
2. Read—whilst looking—the first āyah of the section, repeating it three times.
3. Try to recall as much as you can of the āyah. Whatever you can recall, repeat it seven times. If you stumble, you must restart the count to seven.
4. Read, whilst looking, the next few words of the āyah three times. Then, recall those words without looking, repeating those words seven times. (If three times isn't enough for you to be able to recall anything after removing your eyes from the muṣḥaf, try increasing this number to five or seven or any number that suits you.) If you stumble whilst trying to recall, restart the count to seven.
5. Recall what you have memorised from the beginning of the āyah and link it with what you have just memorised, three times. If you stumble, restart the count.
6. Continue until you have reached the end of the āyah. Once you've reached the end of the āyah, recall the whole āyah from memory three times. If you stumble, restart the count.
7. Repeat steps 2-6 for the subsequent āyāt. Once you have completed an āyah, recall from memory the first āyah till the latest āyah. If you stumble, complete the āyah you are on first, then restart from the first āyah.
8. Once you have committed the entire section to memory, recall it from memory, repeating it three times.
9. End by praising Allah. This can be done by saying "ṣadaqa Llāhu l-‘aẓīm", "al-ḥamdu lillāh" or the like. Make a small du‘ā’, asking Allah to bless you with the Qur’ān, to make you a person of the Qur’ān and to aid you in your endeavours to memorise the Qur’ān.

This style is more geared towards longer and medium-length āyāt, such as those in al-Baqarah, al-Kahf, Yāsīn, al-Mulk and al-Bayyinah. As for suwar with shorter āyāt, such as al-Raḥmān, al-Wāqi‘ah and al-A‘lā, I would suggest that you take one or two lines as an "āyah".

May Allah aid you in your ḥifẓ endeavours. May He make us the people of the Qur’ān, those who are His people and His elect ones. May He make us from those who permit what it has permitted, forbid what it has forbidden, act upon its unambiguous āyāt, believe without doubt in its ambiguous āyāt, and recite and learn it the way it ought to be recited and learned. May He make it an intercessor and proof for us, not against us, on the Day of Judgement. May He make us from those who recite the Qur’ān and guard its commandments, and may He not make us of those who recite the Qur’ān but violate its commandments. Āmīn.

Hifz Series: Part III – A Unique Method For Memorising the Qur'an

Bismi llāh, wa l-ḥamdu lillāh, wa ṣ-ṣalātu wa s-salāmu ‘alā rasūli llāh, wa ‘alā ālihī wa ṣaḥbihī wa man wālāh

Used mainly in Turkish ḥifẓ schools and dating back to the Ottoman period, the method described below is the one I have found to be most effective for the memorisation and revision of the Qur’ān. This method relies on using the "15-line muṣḥaf", i.e. the copies of the Qur’ān printed in Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, etc. that have 15 lines page and have 20 pages per Juz’. It also relies on the ability to memorise one page a day and revise an increasing number of pages as one progresses through one's ḥifẓ. It works like this:

1. Start by memorising the last page of the 1st Juz’.
2. The next day, memorise the last page of the 2nd Juz’. (As a warm-up before commencing memorisation, it's a good idea to revisit the previous day's memorisation.)
3. The next day, memorise the last page of the 3rd Juz’. Keep going with this pattern until you've memorised the last page of each Juz’. This should take about 28-30 days, depending on whether you've already memorised the last few Ajzā’ of the Qur’ān. This is one "cycle" once completed.
4. At the beginning of the next cycle, memorise the second-last page of the 1st Juz’; as well, revise the last page of the 1st Juz’.
5. The next day, memorise the second-last page of the 2nd Juz’; as well, revise the last page of the 2nd Juz’. Continue with this pattern until the end of the cycle.
6. At the beginning of the next cycle, memorise the third-last page of the 1st Juz’; as well, revise the last two pages of that Juz’. Continue with this until the end of the cycle.
7. With each cycle, you'll be memorising one new page of the Qur’ān a day, moving backwards from the end of the Juz’, in addition to revising all the pages you've memorised of the Juz’ you are focusing on for that day.

Being able to memorise one page a day is key to making the most of this method. If you're not capable of that as of yet, continue with your current memorisation plan until you are eventually able to memorise at this rate. You will need to push yourself to get there.

I would suggest beginning each memorisation cycle at the beginning of the calendar month (preferably the Hijrī month). It makes it easier to monitor your progress, lest you fall behind in your memorisation schedule.

If you memorise with a teacher (something I assume most ḥifẓ students do) and would like to follow this memorisation method, do discuss it with them first. They know more about your capabilities than the author of this post does. Furthermore, they may be apprehensive in going through with this method with you due to their unfamiliarity with it.

May Allah aid you in your ḥifẓ endeavours. May He make us the people of the Qur’ān, those who are His people and His elect ones. May He make us from those who permit what it has permitted, forbid what it has forbidden, act upon its unambiguous āyāt, believe without doubt in its ambiguous āyāt, and recite and learn it the way it ought to be recited and learned. May He make it an intercessor and proof for us, not against us, on the Day of Judgement. May He make us from those who recite the Qur’ān and guard its commandments, and may He not make us of those who recite the Qur’ān but violate its commandments. Āmīn.

Hifz Series: Part II – A Memorisation List for Starters

Bismi llāh, wa l-ḥamdu lillāh, wa ṣ-ṣalātu wa s-salāmu ‘alā rasūli llāh, wa ‘alā ālihī wa ṣaḥbihī wa man wālāh

(This list is based on my knowledge of the virtues of certain sections of the Qur’ān. And Allah knows best.)

For Those Fluent in Qur’ān Recitation

- al-Fātiḥah
- The "ten" āyāt of al-Baqarah (i.e. 1-5, 255-257, 283-286) OR entire al-Baqarah
- Last "ten" āyāt of Āli ‘Imrān (i.e. 190-200)
- al-Kahf
- al-Sajdah
- Yāsīn
- al-Dukhān
- al-Raḥmān
- al-Wāqi‘ah
- Last three āyāt of al-Ḥashr (i.e. 22-24)
- Juz’ Tabārak
- Juz’ ‘Amma
(Sum: ~ 3½ Ajzā’/~ 6 Ajzā’)

For Those Not Yet Fluent in Qur’ān Recitation

- al-Fātiḥah
- First five āyāt of al-Baqarah (i.e. 1-5)
- Āyat al-Kursī (al-Baqarah, āyah 255)
- Last 2 āyāt of al-Baqarah (i.e. 285-286)
- First ten and last "ten" āyāt of al-Kahf (i.e. 1-10 and 100-110)
- Last three āyāt of al-Ḥashr (i.e. 22-24)
- Last 22 sūrahs of the Qur’ān (i.e. from Surat al-Ḍuḥā till Surat al-Nās) OR entire Juz’ ‘Amma
(Sum: ~ ½ Juz’/~ 1¼ Ajzā’)

If you're not yet fluent in Qur’ān recitation, I wouldn't recommend that you pursue memorisation of the entire Qur’ān.

May Allah aid you in your ḥifẓ endeavours. May He make us the people of the Qur’ān, those who are His people and His elect ones. May He make us from those who permit what it has permitted, forbid what it has forbidden, act upon its unambiguous āyāt, believe without doubt in its ambiguous āyāt, and recite and learn it the way it ought to be recited and learned. May He make it an intercessor and proof for us, not against us, on the Day of Judgement. May He make us from those who recite the Qur’ān and guard its commandments, and may He not make us of those who recite the Qur’ān but violate its commandments. Āmīn.

Hifz Series: Part I – Twelve Tips and Advice on Memorising the Qur'an

Bismi llāh, wa l-ḥamdu lillāh, wa ṣ-ṣalātu wa s-salāmu ‘alā rasūli llāh, wa ‘alā ālihī wa ṣaḥbihī wa man wālāh

Numerous people have asked me for tips and advice on memorising the Qur’ān. So, with the month of the Qur’ān just around the corner, I've decided to put in writing some of what I have to offer those who have committed themselves to this noble task.

I've divided what I've got to offer into a series of five articles: 1) twelve tips and advice on memorising the Qur’ān, 2) a memorisation list for starters, 3) a unique method for memorising the Qur’ān, 4) how to memorise a section of the Qur’ān, and 5) other priorities regarding the Qur’ān.

I ask Allah that those who read this benefit from what they have read. Āmīn.

Twelve Tips and Advice on Memorising the Qur’ān

(Note: These tips have been written primarily for those who seek to commit the entire Qur’ān to memory, i.e. become ḥuffāẓ. Though if you're aiming for lower than that at the moment, don't worry—these tips should, in shā’ Allāh, still be of benefit.)

1. Taqwā. Keep your duty to Allah. Fear Him. Be conscious of Him at all times. Adhere to His commandments and keep far away from disobedience of Him. Allah says:

 وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۖ وَيُعَلِّمُكُمُ ٱللَّهُ ۗ

"Have taqwā of Allah, and Allah teaches you." (Qur’ān 2:282)

Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (رحمه الله) stated: "Sacred knowledge is a light which Allah throws into the heart and disobedience extinguishes this light. Imam al-Shāfi‘ī (رحمه الله) said:

'I complained to Wakī‘ about the weakness of my memory,
so he advised me to abandon disobedience,
and informed me that the knowledge is light,
and that the light of Allah is not given to the disobedient.'"

2. Commitment. You need to be serious about your ḥifẓ endeavours. Don't treat ḥifẓ as something secondary. Place ḥifẓ amongst your top priorities, even if you're only doing part-time* ḥifẓ. Put in the required time—I would suggest at least two hours a day. Plus, if you're only doing ḥifẓ because your parents are forcing you to, or because you're scared of your Qur’ān teacher, or because it's the only way you're getting that gift for Eid, then let me tell you now—something is seriously wrong. You need to rectify your intentions. Should you continue with your ḥifẓ? Yes, but you really need to actively try as hard as you can to make Allah the purpose of your ḥifẓ. Ḥifẓ is a form of worship, and worship done for other than the sake of Allah is of great detriment both in this life and the next. (This ties in with the last point on this list.)

3. Ṣabr and determination. The word ṣabr embodies several concepts, such as patience, constancy and perseverance. You, as an aspiring ḥāfiẓ, must have all these, plus the willpower and determination to complete your ḥifẓ. Don't take breaks in your ḥifẓ schedule. Once you start slacking off, it becomes harder to pick yourself up and get back on track. Add to that the classic weapon of Shayṭān—Satanic whisperings—and the numerous weapons of mass distraction around you—social media, TV and games for a start—, weapons aimed at your willpower to memorise. Don't be lazy. Let me tell you: you're already lazy enough. (Don't believe me? Go have a read about how Imam al-Shāfi‘ī and Imam al-Nawawī were during their youth.) If you're anticipating something that will disrupt your schedule (e.g. commitments, invitations, family outings, etc.) then plan beforehand how you'll cover for the missed time. Don't be lazy. If you feel like you're not making progress, don't let that dishearten you. Have the determination to complete you ḥifẓ and persevere in doing so.

4. Step by step. Take it easy, especially at the beginning of your ḥifẓ journey. Start by memorising, say, half a page per day, and if you're constant with this regimen you'll eventually be able to memorise something like one or two pages per day in a shorter amount of time. Don't start off by trying to memorise the entire Sūrat al-Baqarah in one month. You don't want to bite off more than you can chew and burnout later on as a result.

With me for example, I initially memorised at a rate of one page a week (yep, waay too slow for a young guy like me). However, I eventually—al-ḥamdu lillāh—ended up memorising at a rate of one page a day, each page taking about 20-30 minutes to memorise, bi idhni llāh.

5. Goal-setting and self-discipline. Set an amount for how much you want to memorise per day/week/month and stick to that. I'd advise not to go above that amount if you've completed it before the due time, unless you're planning on sticking to memorising at that increased rate. Either way, how ever great your goals are, ensure that you discipline yourself to meet your goals. (Clue: whisperings of the devils and distractions)

6. Time management. Manage your time well. Schedule your day and decide on when you will spend time in your ḥifẓ endeavours. Take advantage of Fajr time, as the Qur’ān mentions in Surat al-Isrāʼ that the recitation of Qur’ān at Fajr is witnessed by the angels of the night and the angels of the day. Furthermore, the early hours of the day are full of barakah; the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was reported to have said, “O Allah, bless my nation in their early mornings” (Narrated by Abū Dāwūd and Ibn Mājah). Besides, you're at your freshest in the mornings (provided you had a good night's sleep). Other virtuous times for spending time with the Qur’ān are after ʻAṣr and after Maghrib—these times are usually too short to conduct and complete worldly affairs. Besides, ʻAṣr time is supposed to be a time of remembering Allah, and what better way to do that than by committing to memory His Book!

7. Revision. Revise OFTEN. I've heard numerous, unfortunate stories of "ḥuffāẓ" who aren't really ḥuffāẓ because they have forgotten much of what they have memorised. Revision is ABSOLUTELY KEY to successfully completing your ḥifẓ.

8. Know what you're memorising. After memorising a section of the Qur’ān, take some time to read a tafsīr or translation of the meaning of what you've just memorised. It helps you appreciate what you're committing to memory. It also may help in various life-situations, such as when attempting to give daʻwah or when you're going through tough times in life.

9. Take advantage of your youth. Allah's Messenger ﷺ, in a ḥadīth narrated by al-Ḥākim, advised us to take advantage of five matters before five other matters, the first of which was youth before old age. We all reach an age when our brains no longer absorb information like they did during our youth. So take advantage of your younger years, when your brain is still like a sponge which readily absorbs water.

I usually advise school students who are doing ḥifẓ to take advantage of their pre-senior high school years (Years 11-12 in NSW, Australia), as once you get to senior high school you'll struggle to find the time for ḥifẓ, especially during your final year.

10. Motivation. Seek motivation, both from people who have completed their ḥifẓ and from the various aḥādīth of the Prophet ﷺ regarding the virtues of ḥifẓ and the ḥāfiẓ. A good book in the latter regard can be found here.

11. Use the same muṣḥaf. Stick to the same type of muṣḥaf (copy of the Qur’ān) when doing your ḥifẓ. If you're using the 15-line Madinan/Syrian muṣḥaf, stick with that throughout your ḥifẓ journey. If you're using the 13-line Indian muṣḥaf, stick with that throughout your ḥifẓ journey. Don't switch between muṣḥafs. You lose the advantage of a “visual memory” of the portions of the Qur’ān you've memorised.

12. Don't become heedless of the One who sent the book. Moisten your mouth with dhikr (remembrance of Allah). Have shukr (gratefulness) for EVERYTHING you've been blessed with. Be like the lowly Earth when walking on it; walk on the Earth with dhull (humility). But most importantly, be frequent in du‘ā’ (supplication), asking Allah to aid you in your ḥifẓ endeavours. And even more importantly, have ikhlāṣ (sincerity) in your intentions in memorising the Book of Allah.

"And be not like those who forgot Allah, so He made them forget themselves. Those are the defiantly disobedient." (Qur’ān 59:19)

"And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, 'If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favour]; but if you are ungrateful, indeed, My punishment is severe.'" (Qur’ān 14:7)

"And do not walk upon the earth with conceit and arrogance. Indeed, you will never tear the earth [apart], and you will never reach the mountains in height." (Qur’ān 17:37)

"And your Lord says, 'Call upon Me; I will respond to you.' Indeed, those who are too proud for My worship will enter Hell, humiliated." (Qur’ān 40:60)

"... (Regarding the first three who will be judged on the Day of Resurrection) Next, a man who had acquired and imparted knowledge and read the Qur’ān will be brought forward. Allah will remind him of the favours He had bestowed upon him and the man will acknowledge them. Then He will ask him: 'What did you do to express gratitude for it?' The man will reply: 'I acquired knowledge and taught it, and read the Qur’ān for Your sake.' Allah will say to him: 'You have lied. You acquired knowledge so that people might call you a learned (man), and you read the Qur’ān so that they might call you a reciter, and they have done so.' Command will then be issued about him, and he will be dragged on his face and thrown into Hell." (Ḥadīth of the Prophet ﷺ. Narrated by Muslim.)

May Allah aid you in your ḥifẓ endeavours. May He make us the people of the Qur’ān, those who are His people and His elect ones. May He make us from those who permit what it has permitted, forbid what it has forbidden, act upon its unambiguous āyāt, believe without doubt in its ambiguous āyāt, and recite and learn it the way it ought to be recited and learned. May He make it an intercessor and proof for us, not against us, on the Day of Judgement. May He make us from those who recite the Qur’ān and guard its commandments, and may He not make us of those who recite the Qur’ān but violate its commandments. Āmīn.

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* Part-time ḥifẓ: when you endeavour in memorising the Qur’ān alongside your school/uni/work/etc. commitments. As opposed to full-time ḥifẓ, when you quit everything to focus only on ḥifẓ.