Juz for sharing :)

I remember Ustazah Aishah saying about points 1 and 6. It helped a little y'know. So, for those still having to memorize specific surahs from the holy Qur'an for madrasah oral exams, try it!

Memorizing the Holy Quran
Posted by miorkhabir on October 21, 2007


What you should do before, while, and after memorizing the Book:

1. Ikhlaas - (Sincerity)

The purification of ones intention and correcting ones desire is obligatory. It is likewise for making ones concern with and memorisation of the Quran for the sake of Allah, and for gaining success with His Paradise and obtaining His pleasure. Also for obtaining those mighty rewards which are reserved for those who recited the Quran and memorised it.

“Say: Verily, I am commanded to serve Allah with sincere devotion…”
Az-Zumar, verse 11.

2. Correction of ones pronunciation and recitation (tajwid)

Taking the Quran from a good reciter is obligatory. Likewise, correcting ones recitation firstly and not depending oneself in its recitation even if one is knowledgeable of the Arabic language and of its principles, is also obligatory. This is because in the Quran there are many verses which occur in a way that is opposed to what is well known in the rules of the Arabic language.

3. Specifying a daily limit for memorization

It is necessary for the one desiring to memorize the Quran that he sets himself a daily limit for memorizing; a number of verses for example, perhaps a page or two or even an eighth of a juz (maqra’). So he begins, after he has corrected his recitation and set his daily limit, to learn by frequent repetition. It is also necessary that this repetition is done melodiously and this is so that a person follows the Sunnah firstly and that the memorization is made firm and strong secondly.

“Whoever does not beautify the Quran (recite it melodiously), he is not of us.”
Riwayat Sahih Bukhari.

4. Not surpassing one’s daily limit until you have perfected its memorization

It is not permissible for the memorizer to move to a new portion of the Quran until after he has perfected the memorization of his previous limit, so that what he has memorized is firmly established in his mind.

5. Memorize using the same copy (mushaf) of the Quran

Among the things which aid the memorization is that the memorizer should keep for himself a specific mushaf (copy of the Quran) which he should never change. This is because a person memorizes using the sight just as he memorized using the hearing. The script and form of the verses and their places in the mushaf leave an imprint in the mind when they are recited and looked at frequently. If the memorizer was to change his mushaf from which he memorizes or if he was to memorize from a number of different copies, the places of the verses would be in different places and also the script may also be different. This makes the memorization difficult for him, and therefore it is obligatory for the one memorizing the Quran that he does so from a single script and mushaf and should never replace it.

**There are differences of script in the Rasm Uthmani mushaf and the other ones, such as the symbols of sakinah (tanda mati) and tanwin.

6. Understanding is the way to memorize

Among the things which greatly aid the process of memorization is understanding the verses that one has memorized and knowing their relationship and link, one to another. Tafseer is necessary, no doubt, and this makes easier for him to memorize the verses. But it is not good to know the meaning alone in the term of memorizing. Repetition of these verses should be the foundation. Ones who rely upon the meaning alone will forget often and his recitation will be disjointed due to his mind being scattered and occupied with other things. This occurs frequently, especially when the recitation is long.

7. Do not move from a complete surah until you have completed the first part of it to the last

It is desirable for the memorizer that he does not move onto another surah after finishing one, except after having perfected its memorization and connecting its first part to its last so that his tongue can flow in the recitation, from beginning to its end. It should be like flowing water and like a person who recites al-Fatihah without any difficulty or having to think about it.

8. Reciting to others

One should not depend on himself for his memorization. He should test his memorization by reciting the verses or surah to somebody else. Many individuals among us who memorize a surah make mistake and a person may not realize that until he looks into the mushaf. Furthermore, he may not realize by himself at which place he makes an error in his recitation despite the fact that he may be reciting from a mushaf. Reciting to others is a means of perceiving and knowing these errors and being constantly aware of them.

9. Constantly returning to what one has memorized

The Quran is different from any other materials that is memorized such as poetry and prose. This is because the Quran is quickly lost from one’s mind.

“By Him in whose Hand is my soul, it is faster in escaping than a tied camel.”
Riwayat Sahih Bukhari and Muslim.

So it is obligatory and a must upon the memorizer of the Quran to continuously recite what he has memorized from the Quran. Without it, what he has memorized will escape.

10. Being aware of the resembling parts of the Quran (mutashaabihat)

The Quran has approximately six and a half-thousand verses and there are approximately a thousand verses in which there is a resemblance of some sort. One of the ways to aid oneself in this matter is to study those books which deal with this topic of resembling verses in the Quran. Among the most famous of them are:

1) Durratut-tanzeel wa ghurratut-ta’weel fii bayaanil aayaat al mutashaabihaat fii kitaabillahil aziiz - by al-Khateeb al-Iskaafee.

2) Asraarut-tukraar fil-Quran - by Mahmood bin Hamzah ibn Nasr al-Kirmaanee.

11. Taking advantage of the golden years of memorizing

The successful one, inevitably, is the one who takes advantage of the best years of memorization and these are from the age of 5 to 23 approximately. A person’s ability to memorize during these years is very good. In fact, these are the golden years of memorizing.
To memorize at this stage can be done very quickly and forgetting is not so easy. The opposition happens after this time when a person memorizes with difficulty and forgets with great velocity.

And with Allah is success and prayers and peace be upon our Messenger Muhammad, upon his family and all his companions.

* Taken from “Al-Qawaid adh-dhahabiyyah lil hifzil quranil azeem” by Abdurrahman Abdul Khaaliq.

** English translation by Amjad ibn Muhammad Rafiq, University of Essex Islamic Society.