Stairway to Memorizing Quran
Deep down it is wish of every Muslim to memorize Quran or at least parts of it. Rewards, and importance of learning Quran by heart has been mentioned in various verses and narrations.
It was narrated from ‘Aa’ishah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The one who recites the Quran and learns it by heart, will be with the noble righteous scribes (in Heaven) and the one who exerts himself to learn the Quran by heart and recites it with great difficulty, will have a double reward.”
Efforts to learn Quran are regarded with utmost honor in the sight of Allah.
وَلَقَدۡ يَسَّرۡنَا ٱلۡقُرۡءَانَ لِلذِّكۡرِ فَهَلۡ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍ۬
“And We have indeed made the Qur’an easy to understand and remember, then is there any that will remember? [Al-Qamar:17,22,32,40]”
Learning of Quran requires serious commitment and brings in responsibility. Learning for the sake of memorizing is not the right approach.
The Messenger of Allah said, “The best amongst you is the one who learns the Qur’an and teaches it”[Al-Bukhari]
If you are willing to memorize Quran by heart, either entire Quran or any single Surah, these are some of the following practical ways keeping in view various limiting factors for different set of people;
Before you start
1. Be clear WHY do you have to memorize?
It is a communal obligation. Keep your objectives clear. It is word of Allah, He is communicating with you through this divine Speech. Moreover, if you want to make your acts in accordance to Allah’s will, you will have to know what He said. So it surely demands to have intentions clear which is to please Allah, not to have special status in society.
2. How much is your minimum obligation to memorize?
Enough to recite 5 time a day during prayer? Minimum would be Surah Al Fatiha and one more Surah to recite after. But is that sufficient to keep on doing all your life (at least five times each day)?
3. How memorization of Quran will bring or require changes?
When you learn the Words of Allah, they have a message. You cannot simply memorize and not act upon it. The whole process of memorization brings in constant repentance and rectification. The more understanding you are gaining more responsible you will become so you should be able to accept changes in your lifestyle.
Once you have clear intentions and you are ready to memorize Quran, there are following steps of preparation which have to be followed before jumping on to memorization.
Steps to Memorize Quran:
1. Find A Teacher:
Learning on your own brings in risks especially when the subject is Quran. It is suggested to find a good teacher who is committed to be your guide in terms of knowledge sharing, time and grooming. It is also very important to select a teacher who is certified to have grip on Tajweed, pronunciation and understanding of Quran. When you have made commitment to memorize Quran, try to do it in the best possible way.
2. Select Standard copy of Quran:
There are different styles of printing Quran with different number of lines on one page, different font styles etc. When you are memorizing it is important to have a standard copy throughout the memorization process to help relate to the text and get a constant recap.
3. Learn Basic Tajweed:
When you are learning Quran, it is a different language altogether. The art of pronouncing the words of Quran correctly is called Tajweed. Quranic Arabic is even different from conventional Arabic, so if it is not your first language you have to be particular about its pronunciations. Meanings are altered when we recite without proper Tajweed hence effort has to be put in to make sure to learn Quran correctly.
4. Dedicate time and Space for Learning Quran:
The key to learn Quran in a consistent manner is to have a fixed schedule. Which means fixed time, whatever suits you most and when you are most focused. Moreover choose a spot which is most comfortable for you without any distractions. Also, learning pace should be fixed and if you fail to meet your set goals one thing should be clear; to never stop. Try to meet your goals next day or revisit your daily goals but keep going.
5. Memorize, Recite and Repeat:
Memorize one Ayah at a time, make sure to repeat it multiple times. It depends on your capacity and retention power but be realistic when setting up the goals and fixing schedule for yourself and then follow it through. Repeat however times you are comfortable with, point is to learn. Recite it by heart without seeing the text, until you stop making mistakes. When you are repeating Ayaah without any mistake then you are good to move to the next one. And when you have completed another Ayah repeat it with the previous Ayah which you have memorized to keep the connection and flow unbroken.
6. Recite Frequently:
A good way to remember the Ayahs you have memorized is to repeat them throughout the day especially during Salah. Praying 5 times a day brings in good opportunity to rehearse the Ayahs which you have memorized. Other than that while you are travelling or before sleeping you can repeat your day’s lesson to perfect the remembrance. You can also have a learning buddy (preferably who themselves are memorizing or have memorized). They help in keeping up the motivation level and you can recite to them each day. Such practices help in reaching the ultimate goal smoothly i.e. memorizing the Quran.
7. Fix Review Schedules:
Other than daily repetition of lesson, fix a day in week and then in a month to recite altogether what you have learned in that period. These weekly follow-ups will help you in assessing your own learning and will bring in the flow to your memorization. Daily lessons must be connected to previous learnt Ayahs and weeks’ time is a good option to rehearse and review.
To sum it up, these are few learning techniques which will help any beginner willing to learn Quran by heart. Ultimately, you have to pick and choose which suits you most and come up with realistic goals and practical methods to memorize the Quran. Important aspect to conceptualize while memorizing Quran is to follow the key i.e. commitment and consistency. At the end of the day it does not matter how fast or slow you were able to memorize Quran or even parts of it or how much were you doing on daily basis but true remembrance and retention should be the ultimate goal.
(This article is inspired by Yaser Birjas’s Lecture “Memorizing the Quran“)
Author: Rida Fatima
