A Guide for Memorising the Noble Qur'aan
English Translation and Compilation by Amjad ibn Muhammad Rafiq
Edited and Supplemented by Muhammad al-Jibali
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Before One Begins to Memorise
1. Ikhlaas (Sincerity)
Whether memorising the Qur'aan or doing anything for Allah, a most important obligation is to
purify the intention and correct the goal.
Thus, one's concern to memorise Qur'aan and preserve it must be secured for Allah, the Sublime
and Exalted, for gaining His Paradise and attaining His Pleasure, and for acquiring the great
rewards that are reserved for those who recite the Qur'aan and memorise it. Allah says (what
means):
So worship Allah, making the Deen (religious deeds) sincerely for Him (alone). Indeed, to Allah the
pure Deen is due.5
He also says (what means):
Say: I have been commanded to worship Allah making my actions sincerely for Him (alone).6
And the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said:
"Allah the Exalted said: Among all of the partners (claimed and worshipped by people), I am in
least need of shirk (insincere deeds). Thus, he who does a deed for someone else's sake as well am
Mine, I renounce him and his shirk."7
Therefore, there is no reward for the one who recites the Qur'aan or memorises it for people's
sake: to show off and to be heard of. And the one who recites the Qur'aan seeking by that a
worldly benefit or reward is greatly sinful.
2. Knowing the Greatness of the Book of Allaah
Among the matters which bring this about are:
1. Remembering that the greatness of the Qur'aan is taken from the greatness of Allaah. There is
none greater than Allaah and so it follows that there are no words more great than His.
2. Knowing the matter for which the Qur'aan was revealed and this is the guidance of mankind to
the truth and taking them out of the darknesses into the light. Allaah said:
This is the Book, wherein is no doubt. Guidance for those who have taqwa of Allaah.8
The month of Ramadan in which the Qur'aan was sent down as guidance for mankind, clear
manifest proofs of guidance and a criterion (of truth)9
3. It is from the greatness of the Qur'aan that it was revealed in the greatest of months, the month
of Ramadan.
And it is from the greatness of the Qur'aan that it was revealed in the greatest of nights, the Night
of Qadr.
And it is from the greatness of the Qur'aan that it was revealed to the greatest of the Messengers,
the Imaam of the Prophets and the Leader of all the sons of Aadam, Muhammad ibn Abdullaah.
And it is from the greatness of the Qur'aan that the best one among mankind is the one who learns
it and teaches it to others as the Messenger (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said: "The best amongst
you is the one who learns the Qur'aan and teaches it. "10
And Allaah the Exalted has described the Qur'aan with greatness (adhmah) when He said:
And We have given you the seven oft-recited verses and the Great Qur'aan.11
3. Knowing the Reasons Behind Reciting and Memorising the Qur'aan This occurs by the
following matters:
1. Knowing the great reward that one receives and which has been reported in the authentic texts
mentioned above.
2. Having the correct beliefs and ideas about Allaah, the creation and the purpose in this life, how
to fulfil it in the manner requested by the Creator, and knowing that there is no other way to
accomplish this except by the Qur'aan and by its explainer, the Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu
'alaihi wa sallam) . Allaah the Exalted said:
And We have revealed to you (O Muhammad) the Book as an explanation for every single thing12
And We have revealed to you the Reminder that you may explain to them what has been revealed
to them13
3. Acting upon the Qur'aan and obtaining, as a result, happiness and success in both the worlds.
Ibn Abbaas said: "Allaah guarantees the one who reads the Qur'aan and acts upon whatever is
contained within it that he will not go astray in this life and will not be wretched in the Hereafter."
4. Being aware that the Qur'aan is in fact easy to memorise for the one who desires to do so due to
the saying of Allaah:
And We have made the Qur'aan easy for remembrance (and understanding), so is there one that
will receive admonition?14
And Qurtubee (rh) said concerning this verse: "Meaning, We have made it easy for memorising and
We assist and help the one who desires to memorise it, so is there one who requests and desires
its memorisation that he may be helped in doing so?"
4. Having a Truthful and Firm Resolution to Memorise it.
A person should have such an intent when commencing its memorisation, in the midst of it and
even after it when one needs to return to what he has memorised in order to preserve it in his
memory.
Without this firm resolution a person will treat the whole matter lightly, will become tired easily and
will not even be able to achieve his goal.
One of the ways a person develops a firm intent is to know the excellence of the Qur'aan and its
reciters and memorisers, as has been explained above.
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."
After the Memorisation
1. To Fear Falling into Riyaa' (Showing Off)
Showing off means that a person desires to become of memoriser of the Qur'aan for the sake of
honour and for position and reverence in the hearts of people. He shows and makes apparent to
them the extent and perfection of his memorisation and this is but an instance of Shirk.
The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said:
"Indeed, what I fear for you the most is the Minor Shirk." The Companions said: "And what is the
Minor Shirk, O Messenger of Allaah?". He replied: "Ar-Riyaa' (Showing off), Allaah Azzawajall will
say on the Day of Judgement when he will recompense His servants: Go to those to whom you
used to show off and make a display to in the world and then see if you can find any reward with
them."25
And also, amongst the first of people to be judged on the Day of Judgement is the one who had
learnt knowledge and taught it and who recited the Qur'aan. The Messenger of Allaah said:
"The first amongst mankind to be judged on the Day of Judgement..." and amongst them is "... a
man who studied [religious] knowledge and taught it and who used to recite the Quran. He will be
brought and Allah will make known to him His favours and he will recognize them. Allaah will say:
And what did you do about them? He will say: I studied [religious] knowledge and I taught it and I
recited the Quran for Your sake. He will say: You have lied - you did but study [religious]
knowledge that it might be said [of you]: He is learned. And you recited the Quran that it might be
said [of you]: He is a reciter. And so it was said. Then he will be ordered to be dragged along on
his face until he is cast into Hell-fire."26
Therefore, it is obligatory for the one seeking deliverance in the Hereafter that he is zealous in
maintaining his sincerity at all times.
2. To Be Cautious of Being Neglectful in Acting Upon the Qur'aan.
This is because the Qur'aan was revealed so that it may be acted upon and that it may be taken as
a way and methodology for one's life in this world. Ibn Mas'ood (ra) said: "The Qur'aan was sent
down so that they may act upon it and so that they turn what they have studied from it into action.
Indeed one of you recites the Qur'aan from its beginning to its end and will not drop a single letter,
but he will leave acting upon it."27
And some of the People of Knowledge have said: "Verily, a servant recites the Qur'aan while he
curses himself and yet he does not know: He recites: Indeed the curse of Allaah is upon upon the
wrongdoers, and he wrongs his own soul. He recites: The curse of Allaah is upon liars, and he is
one of them."28
Anas (ra) said: "Perhaps a person recites the Qur'aan and the Qur'aan curses him."29
3. Not Being Amazed with Oneself and Considering Oneself Above the Rest of Creation
Being amazed with oneself means a person magnifies himself on account of what he has
memorised of the Qur'aan and thinking his position is above that of others. However, Allaah the
Exalted is the One Who guides a person to that and the One Who makes it easy. If it had not been
for His benevolence and His bounty the servant would not have been able to memorise the Qur'aan
or even a small portion of it.
The opposite of this is necessary for the servant, and that is to show gratitude and thankfulness to
Allaah for His favour.
Considering oneself above the rest of creation means to have pride and to consider oneself to have
reached perfection or a station which those around him have not reached. This leads him to hold
them in contempt and considering them ignorant.
The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said:
"He will not enter Paradise in whose heart there is an atom's weight of pride."30
4. Knowing that Forgetting the Qur'aan is Due to Sinning
There are many texts in the Book and the Sunnah which make the sins of a servant, the cause of
whatever afflictions befall him. Amongst the greatest of them, no doubt, is forgetting the Qur'aan.
This matter was well known to the Salaf and for this reason ad-Dahaak Mazaahim said: "There is
no one who learnt the Qur'aan and then forgot it except due to a sin that he committed, because
Allaah the Exalted said:
And whatever calamity befalls you, it is due to what your hands have earned31
and, indeed, forgetting the Qur'aan is among the greatest of calamities."32
It is also reported from Ibn Seereen that the Salaf used to hate the one who would forget the
Qur'aan and they would speak about him using very severe words.33
So do not be deceived - O Muslim - by Shaytaan and your soul after you have memorised from the
Qur'aan either by becoming proud, being amazed with oneself, disdaining others, or by forgetting it
or by neglecting its due right - which is but acting upon it.
All of that will make vain and useless your efforts in memorising it, and Allaah is the One from
Whom all help is sought.
Indeed, success is only attained through Allah's help. May Allah bestow His blessings and peace
upon our Prophet Muhammed (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam), his family, Companions and all those
who follow them until the Day of Judgement.
__________________________________________________ _____
1 Reported by Abu Daawood and Tirmidhee
2 Soorah Baqarah 2:121
3 "Yattabi'oonahu haqqa ittibaa'ihi" So the meaning of Tilaawah in this verse as Ibn Abbaas and
Ibn Mas'ood explain is Ittibaa'
4 Soorah Shams 91:2
5 Zumar 39:2-3
6 Zumar 39:11
7 Al-Bukhari
8 Baqarah 2:2
9 Baqarah 2:185
10 Reported by Bukhaaree
11 Hijr 15:78
12 Nahl 16:89
13 Nahl 16: 44
14 Qamar 54:22
15 Al-Bukhari
16 Al-Bukhari & Muslim
17 Al-Bukhari & Muslim
18 Al-Bukhari & Muslim
19 Al-Bukhari & Muslim
20 Zumar 39:23
21 Al-Bukhari, Muslim & Others
22 Recorded by at-Tirmithi, an-Nasa'i and al-Hakim; authenticated by al-Albaani (sahih-ul-jami' no.
1173
23 Israa 17:78
24 Recorded by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, and others from a number of companions. Authenticated by
al-Albaani in Sahih ul-Jami no 1300
25 Musnad Ahmad (5/428) and al-Albaanee declared it Saheeh in his Saheeh ut-Targeehb wat-
Tarheeb (1/17)
26 Reported by Tirmidhee and an-Nasaa'ee
27 Tahdheeb Mau'idhatul-Mu'mineen 1/70
28 Tahdheeb Mau'idhatul-Mu'mineen 1/70
29 Tahdheeb Mau'idhatul-Mu'mineen 1/70
30 Reported by Muslim
31 Shooraa 42:30
32 Fadaa'il ul-Qur'aan p.70
33 Fath ul-Baari' (9/86)
References:
The Noble Quran
Saheeh ul-Bukhaaree
Tafseer Ibn Katheer
Al-Qawaa'id udh-Dhahabiyyah lil-Hifz il-Qur'aan il-Adheem Abdur-Rahmaan
