A Guide for Memorising the Noble Qur'aan English Translation and Compilation by Amjad ibn Muhammad Rafiq Edited and Supplemented by Muhammad al-Jibali Copyright 1996 by AIM - University of Essex Islamic Society -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Practical Steps for Memorising 1. Correcting Pronunciation and Recitation The next step in memorising the Qur'aan is to correct the pronunciation. This cannot be fulfilled unless one listens to a good and precise reciter or memoriser of the Qur'aan. The Qur'aan cannot be learned without a teacher. The Messenger (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) was the most eloquent of all the Arabs. Yet, he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) learned the Qur'aan from Jibreel orally. Also the Messenger (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used to recite the Qur'aan to Jibreel once in every year - in Ramadan. And in the year that he dies, he recited it to him twice. Likewise, the Messenger (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) taught the Qur'aan to his Companions orally; and he heard it from them, after they had learned it from him, time and again. Therefore, one is required to learn the Qur'aan from a good reciter, to correct ones recitation on a first occurrence basis. Also, one should not rely solely on oneself in learning the recitation of the Qur'aan, even if one is knowledgeable on the Arabic language and its principles. This is so because in the Qur'aan there are many ayaat that occur in a way uncommon in the rules of the Arabic language. 2. Adhering to a daily Limit for Memorisation One must set a daily limit for the amount of Qur'aan that one wishes to memorise. This limit should be reasonable and possible to fulfil. It varies in its amount from one person to another; it can be a number of ayaat, a page, two pages, an eighth of a juz, etc. One should resist the temptation to move to move to a new portion of the Qur'aan before perfecting the memorisation of the current portion that agrees with the set limit. This is a disciplinary measure that helps one concentrate on one thing at a time, reducing interruption, and enabling one to firmly establish one's current portion in one's mind. 3. Continual Recitation and Review Once one has corrected his recitation and set his daily limit, one should begin his memorisation process by continual recitation and repetition of his daily portion. The memorizer must occupy himself with this through the hours of the day and night. He should recite it: * In the fard (obligatory) as well the nafl (optional) prayers, * While sitting in the Masjid (mosque) awaiting the jama'ah (congregational) prayer, * For a few minutes after the jama'ah prayer, * Before going to sleep. * While waiting for anything (bus, dentist, etc.), * While riding a bus, car, etc. In this way, it is possible for a person to practice his memorisation even when occupied with other matters, because he is not restricted to just one specific time for memorising the Qur'aan. And with approach of night one will find that his set limit is memorised and firmly established in his mind. And if something unusual happens to occupy the memorzer during the day, preventing him from completing his set limit, he should not move onto his next portion of the Qur'aan on the following day. Rather, he should continue with what he had started the day before, until his memorisation is perfected. 4. Reciting in a Melodic Tone During memorisation, one should recite the Qur'aan in a melodic tone, beautifying his reading as much as possible. It is important the one reads melodically. This is important for the following reasons: 1) Melodic recitation conforms with the Sunnah of the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) who used to recite the Qur'aan in a melodious and tranquil manner. 2) It conforms with Prophet's command who said; "Whoever does not chant the Qur'aan (recite it melodiously) is not of us."15 3) It is pleasing to one's ears, providing incentive to continue with the memorisation. 4) It helps make one's memorisation firm and strong. The tongue will always return to a specific tone of voice, and would thus detect a mistake whenever the balance or harmony in one's recitation becomes disordered. The reciter's tongue will not comply with him in making a mistake when he is unmindful. 5. Using the Same Copy of the Qur'aan (Mushaf) A memoriser of Qur'aan should have a specific mushaf (copy of the Qur'aan) from which he reads all the time. A person memorises using vision as he does using hearing. The script and form of the ayaat, and their places in the mushaf leave an imprint in the mind when they are recited and looked at frequently. The positions of the ayaat would be different in different types of mushafs, and the script may be different also. This confuses the memory and makes memorising more difficult. 6. Understanding Is the Way to Memorising An important thing that greatly aids the process of memorising Qur'aan is to understand the meaning of the ayaat one is memorising, and know how they are linked to each other. Thus the memoriser should read the tafsir (explanation) of the ayaat that he desires to memorise, and should bring their meanings to mind while he is reciting them. This makes it easy easier for him to remember them. Knowing the meaning of the ayaat is extremely important for memorisation, and to increase the rewards of reciting Qur'aan. However, one should not merely rely on this for memorisation. Rather, as explained earlier, the repetition of these ayaat should be the foundation. He should repeat them many times, until the tongue can recite them easily - even if the mind drifts away from the meaning. As for the one who relies upon the meaning alone, he will forget often, and his recitation will be disrupted as soon as his mind wanders, which is a common occurrence with lengthy readings. 7. Linking the Ayaat As one completes memorising a full surah (chapter of the Qur'aan), he should perfect it by connecting its ayaat together, both in meaning and in the flow of his tongue easily through them. One should be able to recite the ayaat without having to think or go through trouble remembering them. Reciting these ayaat should become as easy for him as the flow of water. He should be able to recite them without hesitation, even if his mind wanders away from their meaning. When the ayaat are well linked and perfected, one should be able recite them almost as easily as he recites al-Fatihah. This only occurs through repeating these ayaat frequently and reciting them often. Thus, a memoriser should firmly establish a surah that he is memorising in his mind, with its ayaat well linked together. He should not move to another surah until he has fulfilled this in a very good way. 8. Reciting to Others A memoriser should not rely on memorising individually. Rather, he should test his memorisation by reciting the ayaat to a companion who knows them by heart, or who can follow from the mushaf. It would be most recommended that this companion be a precise memoriser himself - he would then be able to alert him to possible subtle errors, as well as prompting him when he forgets or makes mistakes. It is very common for one to make mistakes in memorising a surah, without realising it - even when he looks at the mushaf. Reading often races the eyesight; and one may overlook his mistakes while reading from the mushaf. Reciting Qur'aan to a knowing companion is a means of avoiding these errors and keeping his mind constantly alert. 9. Constant Review of What Has Been Memorised Qur'aan is different from any other material that one memorises, whether poetry or prose. It quickly evaporates from one's mind. Allah's Messenger (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said: "By Him in whose Hand is my soul, it (Qur'aan) is more likely to escape than tied camels."16 No sooner would a memoriser leave what he finished memorising, even for a short while, but it starts slipping away from him - he quickly forgets it! Thus, it is necessary for one to follow up to what he has memorised in a constant and careful manner. In this regard, the Messenger (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said: "Verily, the example of a possessor (in memory) of Qur'aan is like a possessor of tied camels. If he watches over them carefully, he would keep them; if he lets them loose, they would run away from him."17 And he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said: "Guard the Qur'aan (in your memory); for by Him in whose Hand is my soul, it slips away faster then tied camels"18 This means that a hafiz (memoriser) of the Qur'aan should have an allocated portion that he constantly reads every day. This portion should not be less than one thirtieth, and should not exceed ten parts (of thirty) of the whole Qur'aan, because Allah's Messenger (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said: "Anyone who recites the (full) full Qur'aan in less then three nights would not comprehend it"19 Only with this constant revision, and consistent watch, one would retain what he memorised of the Qur'aan and protect it from slipping away. 10. Watching for Analogous Sections of the Qur'aan Various parts of the Qurt'an resemble each other in meaning, wording, or repetition of ayaat. Allah says (what means): Allah has sent down the most beautiful of speech, a Book, (parts of it) resembling (others), often repeated. The skins of those who fear their Lord shiver from it. Then their skins and their hearts soften to the remembrance of Allah.20 The Qur'aan consists of more than six thousand ayaat. Of those approximately two thousand carry some sort of resemblance to others. The resemblance varies from total coincidence, to a difference in one letter, a word or two, or more. Thus a good reciter of the Qur'aan should direct special attention to the ayaat that resemble each other in wording. The excellence of one's memorisation depends on this watchfulness in this regard. One may benefit from the books that deal with this topic of similar ayaat in the Qur'aan. Among the most famous of them (in Arabic) are: 1. "Durrat ut-Tanzili wa Ghurrat ut-Ta'qili fi Bayan il-Ayaat il Mustashabihati fi Kitab il-Lah il Azaz (The Gem of Revelation and the Peak of Interpretation, in Explaining and Resembling Ayaat in Allah's Noble Book)" by Khatib ul-Iskafi. 2. "Asrar ut0Tukrari fil Qur'aan (The Secrets of Repetition in the Qur'aan)" by Mahmud Bin Hamzah Nasr al-Karmani. 11. Taking Advantage of the Golden Hours of the Day The best time to memorise Qur'aan is the last part of the night that precedes the fajr (dawn) prayer, or the early morning hours that follows it. At this time, the body is rested and fresh, the mind is clear and sound, the worldly attractions are few and remote, and the blessings abundant. As for the last part of the night, the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said: "Our Lord, Glory be to Him, descends to the lowest heaven on the last one third of the night; and He says, "Who would call Me so that I may answer him? Who would ask Me so that I give him? Who would seek My forgiveness so that I forgive him?" He continues to say this until the dawn arrives."21 And he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said: "The closest that the Lord is to the servant is in the last depth of night. If you can be among those who remember Allah at that hour, do so."22 And as for the early morning, Allah, the Most High, said (what means): And the Qur'aan (prayer) of dawn; indeed the Qur'aan (prayer) of dawn is witnessed (by the angels).23 And the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said: "O Allah, bless the early part of the day for my Ummah (Nation)."24 Thus, one should take advantage of this part of the night to memorise Qur'aan instead of wasting it in sleep or worldly affairs. 12. Taking Advantage of the Golden Years of Memorising Successful is he indeed who takes advantage of the best years of memorisation, which are approximately from the age of five to twenty-three - these are the golden years of memorisation. During them, one's ability to memorise is very good and fast, and forgetting is much slower. When the human being grows older, he would normally memorise slowly and with difficulty, and would forget quickly. Therefore, it is important that we make use of these golden years of out lives to memorise as much as we can of Allah's Book. If we did not, we should at least make sure that our suns and daughters do so. He indeed spoke the truth who said: "Memorising in youth is like engraving on stone; and memorising when old is like engraving on water."