It is the perfect time for students to start or renew their memorization now that the summer break is upon us and Ramadan is right around the corner inshaAllah.
We hope that these answers are beneficial to you and us. May Allah make us from the Companions of His Book and unite us with His righteous slaves in the highest gardens of Paradise. Ameen.
Ustadhah Kareema Czerepinski, author of the three part book series: Tajweed Rules of the Qur’an, memorized the Quran and went on to receive an ijaazah in the way of Hafs ‘an ‘Asim, by the way of Shatibiyyah, and another ijaazah by the way of Tayyibat Al-Nashr.
She then continued and received an ijaazah in the ten qira’aat min tareeq Ash-Shaaitibiyyah and Ad-Durrah. She is in charge of the non-Arab division at Dar Al-Huda Qur’an School for ladies.
What is your advice for the one who has embarked on the journey to memorize the Quran?
“Exalted are You; we have no knowledge except what You have taught us. Indeed, it is You who is the Knowing, the Wise.”
Assalaam alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. First of all, I thank you for the good supposition you have about me, pray that this is for the benefit of the Muslims, and ask Allah to guide me in my answers to that which is best and helpful to the Muslims who wish to learn and memorize the Words of Allah.
This question alone is one that books could be written on. I will try not to, but it is hard. The main three points of advice surround intention, schedule, and being tested.
Intention
Of course the first step is to make one’s intention solely for the pleasure of Allah and not for any earthly gain. I say “of course” thinking that it is hardly possible for one to embark on this journey without pure intentions, as it is one that requires great amounts of time, patience, and perseverance, continual supplication to Allah for success, and deep from the gut determination. Then again, lately there has been a rise in Muslims forging documents, claiming to have a certificate they don’t, or a chain of transmission that they don’t, all to charge others great amounts of money for the chance to recite to them. The stories get more and more amazing as the years go by and some Muslims lose track of the fact that Allah is always monitoring, watching our every move and knows what is in our hearts. For that reason, I feel like it is still the number one thing to say, even though it is obvious. The Muslim brothers or sisters who have embarked on or are going to embark on this journey need to be honest with themselves and clear up any kind of wiswas (whispers) that may occur in their intentions.The student may want to research the sound ahaadeeth on the benefits of memorizing the Qur’an and the honor those who have memorized receive on the Day of Resurrection. One may put posters up in different part of the house with some of the ahaadeeth, then change them every week or so, to help refresh the intentions and feel motivated.
Schedule
The next is to set up a reasonable schedule, one including daily memorization and review. It is of the upmost importance that this schedule is neither too ambitious, so the student of memorization doesn’t get frustrated and give up, nor too easy so the student feels unchallenged and loses interest. It is always best that the memorization and review are sequential and not random. This helps give the memorizer a clear picture of where he/she is and where he/she is going.
The best way for most is to be in an organized group with a set curriculum, time and days of class. This helps keep motivation up, as no one likes to be behind the class, and also formulates bonds of brotherhood/sisterhood between the students for mutual cooperation and assistance. There are some who do better on an individualized program, but with a group where each person recites what he/she has memorized to the teacher or individually has a set date for reciting his/her memorization to a teacher. Still others have the patience, perseverance, and self motivation and control to do the memorization by their selves. On the whole, this form takes the most struggle as it is easy to get distracted and fall out of the daily routine when there is no appointed time to recite to a teacher and no group for extra motivation.It is important to set apart a specific time of day to memorize and review, the time of day when there is the least amount of noise, and least amount of chance of being bothered or distracted. This time is set by the individual circumstances, but if possible right after fajr is what I would recommend.
Review/Testing
Don’t be in a hurry to finish memorizing and whiz through it without the memorization being firm. The student should be able to close the mushaf (copy of the Quran) and recite what he/she memorized completely without a mistake, then that same section should be repeated during the day. It is very important, no, imperative, that someone who is proficient in the Qur’an listens to what has been memorized and checks it. It is also crucial to be tested on a whole juz’ when finished, and then on groups of ajzaa, such as 3, 5, or 10 at a time as the memorizer progresses through the stages of putting the Qur’an in their memory.The review part of the daily section is just as important as the new memorization. One cannot call himself or herself a haafidh when in fact he/she memorized piece by piece and never put it together or reviewed intensely.
How does one face a period of laziness that might attack in the middle of this journey?
The student of the Qur’an needs to realize before they start that shaytaan is going to come to them and try to dissuade them from their noble goal. The wiswas can be in the form of making one feel like it is never going to end, or seeing others having “fun” while the student is struggling forth, or any other sort of tool. Knowing this should keep the student on guard and help recognize the cause of the laziness or feeling of wanting to stop.The worst thing to do at this time is take a break from memorizing. This will make returning to the memorization more difficult and usually one will feel like the task has become harder. The best thing to do is make dua’, renew one’s intentions, change the hadeeth on the wall to a new one and read all the previously hung hadeeth. Reading other’s stories of struggle can also help.What is the best way to schedule memorization around work, school, and/or other responsibilities? Or is it recommended to take time off and devote oneself completely for it, for better results?
As previously mentioned, the student of memorization needs to find a quiet, consistent time where he/she can memorize and review. Memorization should have first priority in the day, and insha’Allah there will be barakah in the remaining activities.
It is hard to say whether it is better to take time off from studies and work to memorize or not. Oftentimes with a tight schedule and well planned time control one can do more than freeing oneself completely to devote all one’s time to memorization. For many, taking time off is not an option. Others do better in a classroom situation with a set curriculum and complete devotion to memorization.
Any tips on the best way to memorize the Mutashabihaat verses? (i.e. those verses that are repeated, similar, etc.)
Memorizing them isn’t nearly as difficult as keeping them straight when reviewing. Since memorizing is a slow build up, the first few mutashaabihaat are not too difficult to keep straight. It is later when firming up memorization and reviewing that it can become difficult. One tool is writing down the different stories of the same content or groups of aayaat and comparing them. As the same story comes up in different surahs, the memorizer can add the new aayaat to his/her comparative list and study them and review them all at the same time, finding the similarities and differences. The stories of the Prophets is one area in which this