How to memorize the Qur’an in 10 years, regardless of Age or Profession? (3)

Outline

Introduction

Alhamdulillah; to Allah alone, belong all praises and thanks; in this world and in the Hereafter. The entire existence sings praises (salawat) and is longing to Sayyidina Muhammad; may Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him, his family members, his companions and all those who follow their guided path, till the Day of Judgment.

Alhamdulillah; we have come to Part 3 of “How to Memorize the Qur'an in 10 Years, Regardless of Age and Profession”, which marks the last part of this topic. The fact that you are reading this (Part 3) indicates that, you have read Part 2, three weeks ago. You have, certainly, 3 weeks prior to that, read Part 1. All that comes to highlight, the great interest you possess, for this noble mission of lifetime; memorizing the Qur'an. Therefore; congratulations to you, for your determination. Keep up the good job!

In our final part of “How to memorize the Qur'an in 10 Years…”, as promised; we will be discussing and share 3 things, mainly. And the three things are:

• How to maintain and retain our memorization?
• Related stories, and;
• Some references (recommendations).

I would like to share with you, in the beginning of this article, the story of Usaid Ibn Hudhair, r.a. I believe, most of us have read or heard of Usaid Ibn Hudhair, r.a. So what is the story of Usaid Ibn Hudhair, r.a.?

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Usaid Ibn Hudhair, r.a.

Usaid Ibn Hudhair, r.a., was one of the great companions (sahabah) of Rasulullah, s.a.w. Sa’ad Ibn Mu’adh, r.a. and Usaid, r.a., both embraced Islam together (on the same day, with Usaid bringing in Sa’ad, though) under the call of Mus'ab Ibn Umair, who was the first ambassador in Islam. Both Usaid and Sa'ad were tribal leaders in Yathrib (present day Madinah) before Rasulullah, s.a.w. migrated to Madinah.

When Usaid and Sa’ad embraced Islam, they were able to persuade their entire [two] tribes to accept Islam. A clear indication of effective, reliable and treasured leaders.

One night (after ‘hijrah'), Usaid, r.a., was reading the Qur’an, with his little son, Yahya, lying by his side, and his horse tied to a tree next to him. As Usaid read, his horse went wild and started to whine. Usaid stopped reading, and the horse calmed down.

Usaid, r.a., resumed his recitation, so did the horse went wild again; and whined. This scenario repeated several times. Eventually, Usaid had to stop, because he worried about his little son, lying beside him, to be hurt, accidentally, by the wild-whinny horse. He then looked up to the sky, only to see a cloud, centred with bright lights shading him. The cloud rose up gradually, and disappeared.

The next morning, Usaid, r.a., went to Rasulullah, s.a.w, and narrated to him, his experience, the night before. Rasulullah, s.a.w., then said to Usaid: “You should have continued to read, O Usaid! That was Angels, who descended down, to listen to your recitation… If you continued to read, they would have remained; and people could be able to see them with their naked eyes.” [Al-Bukhari].

Moral of the story

This story emphasis the fact that, anytime you recite the Qur'an, you are not alone. Not only the angels come down to listen to you, you are in the protection of Allah, s.w.t. We all know that, wherever angels are present, ‘Jinn' surely avoid that place, except the pious (good ones) among them. On top of all that; you secure the Pleasure of Allah, s.w.t.

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How to revisit (muraja’ah) the memorized parts of the Qur’an?

Anything, including human names, if they are not revisited frequently, will fade in the memories of most of us, which will eventually subject them to be forgotten. Only the geniuses do not forget what they had heard, for once, for the rest of their lives. Though, each one of us is a genius, but only a few among us are practically, geniuses.

The only thing that we seldom repeat but never forget is one self's name. This is because, although we don’t repeat them (our names), we hear them most of the time. However, we still call our own names, in our unconscious conversation and thoughts.

The next thing in line, which we seldom forget, is the names of the closest people to us. This is because we repeat their names more often than we do for anything else. In the case that we don't call out their names loud, we think about them.

Anything other than that, needs to be revisited, frequently, in order to retain them. And “[Correct] practice makes perfect”.

There are a few ways which are helpful in retaining and maintaining what we have already memorized, in Al-Qur’an. I have categorized them into two main categories. They are constant reading of the Qur'an and constant listening to the Qur'an. Again, focus and determination are the secret of most successful stories.

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Constant reading of the Qur'an

Constant reading (revisiting) of the Qur'an can be done in four different ways, which are: reading alone in Solat, reading alone outside Solat, reading to another person and reading in a group.

Revisiting the Qur’an in Solat

One of the best (if not the only best) situation, in which one can revisit their memorization of the Qur'an, is when they are able to read them in their solat. Reading the Qur’an in solat can be when you lead as an imam for your family, your friends, or in your local mosque. The best of it is when you do it in Qiyamullail, followed by leading in taraweeh, during the month of Ramadhan. In the last two situations (qiyamullail and taraweeh), you may be given the opportunity to read longer; big number of pages. The advantage of this method is: You are able to carry out various ‘ibadah at one time; solat, reading Al-Qur'an and training your memory, for good.

Revisiting the Qur’an outside Solat

One can include in their “To-Do” list, a time slot, in which they will revisit a certain number of pages from their memorization, outside Solat. This is in addition to our scheduled 3 lines, four days a week; our 40 times or more repetition; and our revision of the most recent 5 pages. If we want to master something (anything), we must have time for one self. If we can't have time for our own selves, then we should less expect others to have time for us.

Revisiting the Qur’an with a friend

Another best thing, which you can attain from your journey with Al-Qur’an, is when you are fortunate to have someone who is in the same boat, as you are, and hence, both of you, come together, to revisit your memorizations together. You listen to their memorization, and they listen to your memorization. How nice will it be, for the Qur'an to be the cause for your close friend and you, to be entitled for the honour, of been shaded under the shadow of Allah, s.w.t., as narrated in the Hadeeth by Abu Hurairah r.a., and reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim, in which Rasulullah s.a.w. says:

سَبْعَةٌ يُظِلُّهُمُ اللهُ فِي ظِلِّهِ يَوْمَ لاَ ظِلَّ إِلا ظِلُّهُ، إِمَامٌ عَادِلٌ، وَشَابٌّ نَشَأَ فِي عِبَادَةِ اللهِ، وَرَجُلٌ قَلْبُهُ مُعَلَّقٌ بِالمَسَاجِدِ، وَرَجُلانِ تَحَابَّا فِي اللهِ؛ اجْتَمَعَا عَلَيْهِ وَتَفَرَّقَا عَلَيْهِ، وَرَجُلٌ دَعَتْهُ امْرَأَةٌ؛ ذَاتُ مَنْصِبٍ وَجَمَالٍ، فَقَالَ إِنِّي أَخَافُ اللهَ، وَرَجُلٌ تَصَدَّقَ بِصَدَقَةٍ، فَأَخْفَاهَا حَتَّى لاَ تَعْلَمَ شِمَالُهُ مَا تُنْفِقُ يَمِينُهُ، وَرَجُلٌ ذَكَرَ اللهَ خَالِياً فَفَاضَتْ عَيْنَاهُ

It means: “There are seven; whom Allah will shade with His shadow, on the day when there will be no shade, except His: the just ruler; a young man who grew up worshipping his Lord; a man whose heart is attached to the mosque; two men who love one another for the sake of Allah; they both met and parted on that basis; a man who is called by high ranked and beautiful woman, and he says: “I fear Allah”; a man who gives in charity and conceals it, to such an extent that his left hand does not know what his right hand gives; and a man who remembers Allah secretly, and his eyes fill up.”

In case you are not able to find someone for this purpose, remember that, one’s best friend can't be anybody, other than their spouse.

Revisiting the Qur’an in a group

Sometimes, we may be blessed with more than one faithful (close) friend. In that case, what applied above “Revising the Qur’an with a friend” can be applicable here, too. How nice will it be, to see a group of Muslim riders, who go for their usual excursion, stop at a comfortable place and revisit their Qur’an memorization, in turns, and then carry on with their recreation. How ‘cool' will it be, to see a group of Muslim sisters, make it a point to stop somewhere, on their way to “window shopping”, to revisit their memorization of the Qur'an. One of the major benefits of this gathering or “together gather” is that, everyone gets motivated, when everyone has the same common cause in mind. Compare your Solat at home with your Solat in the mosque, in jama'ah. In jama'ah, even when done at home, we empower one another, hence, Muslims (as well as any other people) are stronger as long as they are united; and work together, let alone the multiple rewards granted for jama'ah. Above all that, we still have fun!

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Constant listening to Al-Qur’an

Likewise constant reading of the Qur’an, constant listening to the Qur’an, to revisit one's memorization comes in different forms. They are: Listening to a good Qur'an reciter (Qari) and listening to your local imam.

Listening to good and recommended reciters (Qari) of Al-Qur’an

We unconsciously learn from what we hear and listen to. You won’t believe how much you will benefit from listening to good reciters of the Qur’an until you have started to do so, and this works perfectly with children. Since the learning process here, takes place unconsciously, the result should not be observed in a short period. In order to do so effectively, one will need to replace the content of their iTunes and likes, on their computer; from music to Qur'an! Also, they may need to replace the Maher Zain CDs and likes, in their car with Qur'an CDs. I am not able to suggest a specific name of Qari, but I will suggest that you consider a Qari, whom you can comfortably follow their way of recitation on your own. The reciter's voice being nice, may not necessarily mean, you can comfortably follow their recitation. The other benefit of listening to good reciters is that, you can choose who to listen to, what to listen to, and when and where to do so, including the type of platform and device of your choice. Listening to good reciters also helps you to develop good enunciation in reading the Qur'an.

If you have an easy access to the internet, Qur'anExplorer.com and Tanzil.net are among the best websites which provide easy-to-customize Qur'an content, with variety of reciters, plus many versions of translations, in different languages, to suit (almost) all tastes. Another beneficial site that you may visit is IslamWeb.Net. Its Arabic version is richer; for those who understand the Arabic language. iPad and iPhone users will find Qur'anExplorer more flexible, due to the fact that, it offers an app in the App Store.

Alternatively, you can conveniently download high quality audios of hundreds of Qur'an reciters from around the world, from MP3Quran.net. I have a dream; your recitation, too, will be added to the list of reciters in the above mentioned sites, in 10 years to come, Insha Allah. Your main objective may not be that, though. But the rewards start in this Dunia.

Listening to Al-Qur’an recitation from the imam of your local mosque

One of the good ways that a Hafiz or a Hafiz-to-be may find useful, is to follow your local imam in regular solat(s) (Maghrib/Ishaa/Subh), and in taraweeh during the month of Ramadhan, provided that he reads something which benefits Qur’an learners. If you adopt this way, please be informed beforehand; you may correct the imam if he errs or forgets, but it's very important to know the ‘adab' of correcting imams in solat. Don't make it a habit to correct the imam anytime he misses single letters like: م or ف or و or other minor mistakes.

The advantage of this way of revising the Qur’an is that, you are listening to a live and “formal” recitation, compared to all the above (regardless of the quality, though).

It’s important to notice that when we listen to a recorded audio of the Qur’an, or listening to our relatives or friends, we can choose what we want to listen to. But in the case of following an imam, we have no choice over what we listen to. He (the Imam) may read some verses, which we are familiar with. He may also (very likely) read verses, which we never heard of before, nor are we familiar with, in the case of beginners. This is the disadvantage of following the Imam, sometimes.

It will be wise, not to ask the Imam, nor suggest to him (before solat) to read from a specific Surah, for one's benefit. The Imam is for all (the jama’ah), and not for one person. And he is free to read what he prefers.

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What's the difference?

The difference between the two ways (constant reading of Al-Qur'an and constant listening to the Qur'an) is significant. Constant reading engages one actively, it engages their mouth, voice and attention (focus), whereby constant listening, although it's beneficial, engages one, only when they are attentive.

Constant reading is crucial, and hence, it's essential in revisiting the Qur'an and ensuring the quality of one's memorization. And constant listening is considered as an added-value, but not essential.

In other words, constant reading can be sufficient for the quality of one's memorization, but constant listening does not.

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What's the preferable amount of pages to revisit daily?

This is another set (or another way) of muraja’ah all together. If you remember, we talked about the “most recent 5 pages” a day in muraja’ah, that's 4 days a week. We also talked about the “most recent 10 pages”, which we do on weekends; 2 days a week. All those are for the most recent pages, which one memorizes. What about what we have memorized three months ago, one year ago, or two years ago? Do we have to wait until we fully memorize the entire Qur'an, before we turn to them? The answer is clearly: no! Quality is one of our objectives in this mission, so we should not neglect it at any point.

Since we are talking about revisiting our previous memorization (not the most recent), a big number of pages are supposed to be covered (revisited). Therefore, I will suggest that you are able to revisit 10 pages a day. These 10 pages are not something you are going to re-memorize. They are certainly, neither the “most recent 5 pages” nor the “most recent 10 pages”. However, they will be flowing in, smoothly – believe me – if you have followed the “40 times or more” technique.

We may choose to revisit the 10 pages at one time. Or, we may consider distributing them to the number of our daily solat; 5 times a day, 2 pages in each solat. If you happen to lead in a solat as an imam, then, good for you! If you are not an imam, you can still do them in the ‘sunnah’ prayers, before or after the ‘fardh’ prayers, accordingly. Notice that, revisiting our memorization can be done silently, too, but more focus (double the normal) will be required. So it can be done, in Zuhr and ‘Asr prayers, too.

As we do this, they must be in the sequence to cover all our memorization. Anytime we finish (covering all our memorization), we start over again.

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What if I can’t do it in 10 years?

As long as you are still alive.. Don’t give up! Rasulullah said in a Hadeeth reported by Abu Hurairah, authenticated by Muslim:

اِحْرِصْ عَلَى مَا يَنْفَعُكَ، وَاسْتَعِنْ بِاللَّهِ وَلاَ تَعْجِزْ

It means: “Strive for that, which will benefit you, and seek Allah's help, and do not give up!“

Didn’t you hear the story? I mean the story of the 80-year-old man and Al-Qur'an?!

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The 80-year-old man and Al-Qur'an

An 80-year-old man approached a Tahfeez teacher in the Masjid Al-Nabawi (the Grand mosque of Madinah) and said, “I would like to memorize the Qur'an”. The teacher humbly replied: “Uncle, your age does not allow you to memorize the Qur'an. However, you may join our halaqahs; just to listen to recitations of the Qur'an”.

The old man insisted, and emphasized his request. So, the teacher asked him to read, so to evaluate the reading capability of the old man. But the teacher was shocked by the old man's answer, “I can't read. I don't know how to read. I would like you to teach me, from the beginning”.

The Qur’an teacher started to teach the old man how to recognize letters. You can imagine how the teacher had to struggle in teaching him, like a secondary school teacher would struggle to teach a Primary 1 pupil. SubhanAllah! Believe it or not, the 80-year-old man was reported to have successfully memorized the Qur'an in 5 year. Yes, five years!

Moral of the story

This story (along with other stories not mentioned here) is certainly, what raises high, my expectations (yaqeen) in you that, you are going to memorize the Qur'an in 10 Years, insha Allah!

As long as you love the Qur'an dearly; as long as you want the rewards every genuine Hafiz/ah is promised; as long as you are still alive, it's not too late. Just start… If your ‘sun sets' before you accomplish the mission, our hope in Allah, is that He will grant you satisfaction. Satisfaction and pleasure, such that will not be less than what will be granted for those who have practically memorized and finished it, in their lifetime.

Allah says in Surah Al-Nisaa, 4:100:

وَمَن يَخْرُجْ مِن بَيْتِهِ مُهَاجِرًا إِلَى اللَّـهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ثُمَّ يُدْرِكْهُ الْمَوْتُ فَقَدْ وَقَعَ أَجْرُهُ عَلَى اللَّـهِ وَكَانَ اللَّـهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا

It means, “And whoever leaves his home as an emigrant to Allah and His Messenger and then death overtakes him – his reward has already become incumbent upon Allah. And Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful.”

So, if you cannot do it in 10 years (I'm not saying “if you do not want to do it”), and you are not giving up hope, for you; I have a suggestion. This time around, let’s triple the duration, from 10 years to 30 years. I hope this suggestion keeps your hope alive. I can't give up on you, insha Allah.

Although I’m suggesting this 30 years solution (plan), let that be our last option to consider, when we are making the decision to memorize the Qur’an.

We all know that, Allah s.w.t. has promised the God-fearing; a Paradise, which to human imagination and understanding, is as vast as the heavens and earth combined.

وَسَارِعُوا إِلَىٰ مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ

It means, “And vie with one another for your Lord's forgiveness and for a Paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth…” [Aali Imran, 3:133].

What is the price for that?

أُعِدَّتْ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ

It means: “It has been prepared for the God-fearing” [Aali Imran, 3:133].

So the price for that is: Righteous deeds! A practising Hafiz will be granted that and beyond, insha Allah.

In Singapore for instance, it takes one, 30 years, to pay up for their mortgage. How big is the house? You know, better than I do! Some even pass, and bequeath their loans down to their children. If it takes 30 years to pay for a small-sized temporary cemented concrete apartment, we should be more courageous to prepare the price for a Palace of eternity with rewards beyond the Paradise, which is as vast as the heavens and earth combined.

In that case (assuming we adopt the 30 years plan), we will be mastering 1 juz’ a year. One Juz is 20 pages. We are going to divide the 20 pages (a year) by 365 days! Can we do it?J Yes, we can!

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What if I “really” cannot?!

I hope the above solution keeps you going. But if you “really” can’t memorize the Qur’an, in your life, and have made up your mind about that, why don't you consider the following? This time, no memorization is involved; but passion and affection for those who are memorizing. Why?

Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari (r.a.) narrated a Hadeeth compiled by Abu Dawud that the Prophet s.a.w. said:

إِنَّ مِنْ إِجْلالِ اللَّهِ إِكْرَامُ ذِي الشَّيْبَةِ الـمُسْلِمِ وَحَامِلِ القُرْآنِ غَيْرِ الغَالِي فِيهِ وَالجَافِي عَنْهُ وَإِكْرَامُ ذِي السُّلْطَانِ المُقْسِطِ

It means, “Part of glorifying Allah is honouring the grey-haired Muslim; the one who carries (memorizes) the Qur’an, not exaggerating in it, nor distancing from it; and honouring the fair ruler.”

The Qur’an is [obviously] the Book of Allah. Therefore, glorifying it (the Qur’an) and honouring its learners is considered as glorifying Allah, Himself.

ذَلِكَ وَمَن يُعَظِّمْ شَعَائِرَ اللَّـهِ فَإِنَّهَا مِن تَقْوَى الْقُلُوبِ

It means: “That [is so]. And whoever honours the symbols of Allah – indeed, it is from the piety of hearts.” [Surah Al-Hajj, 22:32].

One can show/present tribute to the Qur'an, if they are not able to memorize it themselves, through three ways:

• Nurture your child or grandchild to live your dream; we have seen many parents who were able to train and bring up their children to live their dreams, be it their dreams (the dreams of the parents), which they have already achieved, or which they ever dreamt of, or which they started but couldn’t finish them up, in their lifetime. If you really can’t do it to memorize the Qur’an in 10 years, nor in 30 years, or in your life, you can start praying to Allah, that He blesses your descendants with the memorization of the Qur’an. Making du’a of this kind is important, for everyone; even if one could memorize the Qur’an in 10 years, earlier or later. To boost your du’a, you have to practically engage your child[ren] in the cause.
• Lend your financial support to a needy Muslim, who strives to memorize the Qur'an; you can consider lending financial support for a Muslim youth, who has interest to memorize the Book of Allah, to live the Sunnah of Rasulullah and to continue creating vibrant and rich Islamic-Qur’anic societies. Tahfeez Qur’an schools are easily located in every Muslim community around the world. So, reaching out to them, shouldn’t be troublesome, insha Allah.
• Lend your moral support to those who are in the process of memorizing the Qur'an; one of the things you can do, if you “really” can’t memorize the Qur’an yourself, is to offer your moral support to those who are trying to memorize the Qur’an. The least one can do, is to avoid saying to a Tahfeez student, “What is your future in Tahfeez?”! I believe you will agree with me on the fact that, saying words like that, is an obvious demoralizing. Abu Hurairah, r.a. reported a Hadeeth, compiled by Al-Bukhari and Muslim; Rasulullah said:

مَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَاليَوْمِ الآخِرِ، فَلْيَقُلْ خَيْراً أَوْ لِيَصْمُتْ

It means: “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him say something good or else remain silent.” One must strive to be part of support, encouragement and lifting up spirits, towards progress and development. If for some reasons, they are not able to be part of targeted and desired progress and development for our communities, the least they should do, righteously, is to avoid being part of destroying what has already been achieved.”

The ultimate quality one can do (with regards to our subject matter) to relate to Al-Qur'an, is to be able to combine all the three virtues together:

1. Be a Hafiz or Hafizah yourself;
2. Nurture your child[ren] to be a Hafiz and/or Hafizah (or Huffaz), too;
3. Lend your moral and/or financial support to those who strive to memorize the Qur’an.

And this (if achieved) will be the ultimate quality in relating to Al-Qur’an. Allah says in Surah Al-Nisaa, 4:95-96:

لَا يَسْتَوِي الْقَاعِدُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ غَيْرُ أُولِي الضَّرَرِ وَالْمُجَاهِدُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّـهِ بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ، فَضَّلَ اللَّـهُ الْمُجَاهِدِينَ بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ عَلَى الْقَاعِدِينَ دَرَجَةً، وَكُلًّا وَعَدَ اللَّـهُ الْحُسْنَىٰ، وَفَضَّلَ اللَّـهُ الْمُجَاهِدِينَ عَلَى الْقَاعِدِينَ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا * دَرَجَاتٍ مِّنْهُ وَمَغْفِرَةً وَرَحْمَةً، وَكَانَ اللَّـهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا

It means: “Not equal are those believers remaining [at home] – other than the disabled – and the mujahideen, [who strive and fight] in the cause of Allah with their wealth and their lives. Allah has preferred the mujahideen through their wealth and their lives over those who remain [behind], by degrees. And to both Allah has promised the best [reward]. But Allah has preferred the mujahideen over those who remain [behind] with a great reward. Degrees [of high position] from Him and forgiveness and mercy. And Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful.”

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Summary

This summary summarizes all the three parts, which we have covered in this article. It’s advisable; if you have not read Part 1, Part 2, and the earlier sections of this part (Part 3), to do so. That will help you to understand this summary, better and easier.

1. We memorize the Qur'an to get closer to Allah, s.w.t.; in a bid to the pursuit of Allah’s Jannah. This is what is called genuine intention; Iklhas!
2. Memorizing the Qur’an requires great interest, passion, prioritizing it over other habits, and discipline.
3. Get a copy of Al-Qur'an for yourself, which can be used for the entire duration of this mission.
4. We must know how to read the verses correctly, before we start to memorize them.
5. Read from the book (Al-Qur’an) when you are memorizing (not necessarily when revising/revisiting).
6. Read the set of verses (or short Surah) which you are newly memorizing; loud!
7. Whenever we sit to memorize a Surah or a few verses, regardless of time and place, we need to focus!
8. The best time to memorize Al-Qur’an is anytime, other than the times, in which we are supposed to carry out our duties, responsibilities and obligations.
9. However, the early hours of the morning; an hour before Fajr time (azan) is more recommended.
10. We will be memorizing only 3 lines, a day. “Lines” means written lines in a page of the standard copies of Al-Qur'an in our hands toady.
11. It’s important to get all the 3 lines memorized together, in one session of the first round of memorization.
12. Repeat your new memorization for 40 times or more!
13. The “40 times or more” is meant for the 3 lines, memorized, alone.
14. The “40 times or more” can be distributed to different times of the day.
15. The “40 times or more” comes after one has memorized the intended set of verses or short Surah.
16. We will re-read (muraja’ah) 5 pages a day, one time, before we start with our new memorization.
17. This rule applies after we have memorized 5 pages or more.
18. That “5 pages” will always be the most recent 5 pages we have memorized.
19. Remember, only after this (after 5 pages and 3 lines), we will start with the “40 times or more” session, insha Allah.
20. It's better to revise the previous memorization to get them concrete, than memorizing new ones.
21. We memorize 5 days a week (preferably week days).
22. Take a break (from memorizing; not from ‘muraja'ah) on weekends (Saturdays and Sundays, Thursdays and Fridays or Fridays and Saturdays based on the recognized weekends in your location).
23. The 2 days, in which we will be having break, is for us to revise the most recent 10 pages of our memorization and strengthen them.
24. Sometimes, one verse may be more than 3 lines, whereby we are supposed to memorize only 3 lines. If the remaining part of the verse, which we are memorizing, is quarter a line, or half a line, we can add it to the current day’s portion of memorization. In that case, we will be memorizing more than 3 lines. Alternatively, you may leave it; and add it to the next portion of memorization, insha Allah.
25. We start our memorizing with the last 5 Juz', first. The last 5 juz' are: Juz' number 30, 29, 28, 27 and 26.
26. After we have successfully memorized the last 5 juz', we can (preferably) continue to memorize in the ascending form. Or alternatively, we can start to memorize from Surah Al-Baqarah down.
27. To maintain our memorization, we should revise (muraja’ah) at least 10 pages a day. This is a standard revision for our older memorization.
28. We can distribute the 10 pages to the number of obligatory solat, which we establish daily.
29. We should do them in sequence, to cover all our memorization.
30. Some of the ways which can help us in muraja’ah, in our memorization journey is through reading and listening.
31. Reading can be personal; i.e. when one prays alone, or as an imam. It can also be with a family member or a friend. It can be in a group, too.
32. Listening can be in the form of listening to good reciters of the Qur’an, listening for other Hafiz (friends/family members), or listening to the imam of your local mosque.
33. If you cannot memorize the Qur’an in 10 years, you can consider doing it in 30 years. That means, 1 Juz’ (20 pages), per year (365 days).
34. If you “really” cannot make it to become a Hafiz in your life, you may consider nurturing your child or grandchild to be one, or alternatively, sponsor a Muslim brother or sister, financially or morally, who are striving to be a Hafiz/ah.
35. You can combine all the three virtues together:

• Be a Hafiz yourself;
• Nurture your child[ren] to be a Hafiz and/or Hafizah (or Huffaz), too;

• Lend your moral and financial supports to those who strive to memorize the Qur’an.

And this (if achieved), will be the ultimate quality in relating to Al-Qur’an.

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One last thing!

We have already discussed the “Dos and Don’ts for a Hafiz”, which I humbly consider as the etiquettes of a Hafiz. Many of it, is still unsaid, though. Here I’ll touch on the expected etiquette in dealing with, and handling the Qur’an, itself.

It’s important that we handle the Qur’an with respect and sense of value. Putting the Qur'an on the floor is something we should avoid. We should not put anything on top of the Qur’an, not even Islamic religious books! When we are packing things into a bag, which will include the Qur’an, it will be wise that we put the Qur’an in a way that, when we put the bag on the floor, or on our laps, or anywhere else, the Qur’an won’t be at the bottom, but rather on top, or on a side.

In other words, we should not handle the (copies of the) Qur’an the way we do for newspapers, or any other story books. We should rather handle it with more respect than the way we handle the letter sent by the most beloved person to us, whom we have been waiting to hear from, for long!

In doing so, we are showing respect to Allah; thus inviting His pleasure, s.w.t.

إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ

It means: “It is We who have sent down the Reminder [Qur'an] and We will, most surely, safeguard it.” [Surah Al-Hijr, 15:9].

The Qur’an is protected and preserved. So our respect for it doesn’t honour it, as a book, because it already possesses the honour it deserves as the “Word of Allah”, from Allah. Instead, we are the ones who are gaining the honour, when we show respect to it.

I know you can't wait for the homework. You are curious to know what it's going to be, since this is the last part of this article. But before that, let me share with you the story of the young man who was honoured to memorize the Qur'an, after he fulfilled his mum’s wish:

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The young man, his mother and Al-Qur'an

An Egyptian young man had a mother, who aged 60 years. She wished to have a big-sized copy of the Qur'an, which she could comfortably read from.

The 60-year-old mother made known of her wish, to her family members, but unfortunately, her wish was either taken lightly or ignored. Until one day, her son, the young man, saw big-sized copies of the Qur'an been sold in the market for 20 Egyptian pounds each. He, fortunately, quickly recalled his mum’s wish, and hence, purchased a copy of the Qur'an, for her. All he had that day was the 20 pounds, which he used to pay for the Qur'an. You can imagine the happiness on the mum's face, as she finally gets her wish and request fulfilled.

A few days later, the young man had a dream; he was honouring his mum with a golden crown!

True enough, this dream came true; Allah, s.w.t., opened the heart of the young man; and enabled him to memorize the entire Qur'an by heart. The young man is now (at the time this story was first published) learning the 10 various Qira-aat.

Moral of the story

If the “Paradise lies beneath the feet of our mothers” I believe that, pleasing them at any possible (permissible) cost will ease our way to becoming Huffaz, insha Allah.

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Now, the homework; the hidden magic!

To maintain the good bonding we have already established with Al-Qur’an, let’s take away the following as our final homework, for this article.

• The magic, which I have never talked about in the entire three parts of this article, although most of you know it, is du'a. Du'a is the weapon of the believer (mu'min). So never fail to pray to Allah with regards to your intention, or your ongoing memorization of Al-Qur'an Al-Kareem. Du'a… du'a… and endless du'a!
• The homework we did in the previous two articles (Part 1 and Part 2), are applicable in the rest of the 10 years period, with changes that has to be applied to the content (of the activities) as we progress.
• Make sure, no matter what, in whatever condition or situation, a day will not pass by, without you reading Al-Qur’an.
• I’ll be humbled to attend your ceremony of successfully memorizing the Qur’an, in 10 years to come, insha Allah!

Alhamdulillah; with that, we have come to the end of “How to Memorize the Qur’an in 10 Years, Regardless of Age and Profession”. Whatever you have read here, whether you found it useful (I hope so) or not (hopefully not), that was just theoretical. And theory remains theory, and may not be useful, unless it has been translated into successful and disciplined practice. And the only one, who can make that come true, is you. You have my du’a at all times, and I say “Ameen”, to your du’as.

I’ll appreciate your feedback and comments, as I do welcome your questions. Feel free to contact me at: salam@gsalam.net.

Allah knows best.

Allahu Hafiz 🙂

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