I reached out to the community and asked them to share the Hifdh routine or schedule that they follow to memorise the Qur'ān. I want to put together real examples and share them with you.
This would allow us to find people that are like us and find what worked for others so that we can also implement the same in our lives. Below is a form that I want you to fill in and share your own routines with me so that I can update this article from time to time.
The schedules shared are based on three categories:
- Huffādh - Those who have already memorised the Qur'ān
- Those that are currently memorising Qur'ān
- Parents that are memorising Qur'ān (mothers or fathers)
These include those that are working and those are are not working.
Real-time Hifz Schedules of 40+ People
Below are schedules that have been shared with me so far. There's an amazing variety and a lot to soak in.
May Allāh bless everyone who has shared their schedules with me to date. May Allāh ease their affairs and grant them Hifz of the Qur'ān. Make sure you pray for them as you read their words!
A mother about her daughters
My daughters schedules whilst memorizing is sabak in the morning before school 5:30-6:30am. Sabki and dhawr in the evening 8-9pm. The 2 who have finished use the same times but for revision only. As much as they can do each day and a test at the weekend. Myself, I have reviewed for years now so I do my daily revision once the kids leave for school. And on weekends first thing in the morning. When I was with a teacher, they would test me but now my daughters test me in the holidays.
A sister who is memorising
I usually start with my sabaq early morning and after I'm done with my regular portion I review the same thing till Asr. Then post maghrib I'd like to do my dhor (revision) and sleep.
A brother who complete memorising the Qur'ān (during and after)
While memorising, Ziyad (I shared his story previously) used to listen to Qur'an whenever possible - journeys to uni/work. 2 hours a day 5-7pm.
After memorising, my routine is: after fajr 1 juz', and after magrib 1 juz'. Ideally but sometimes fail to keep this up.
A brother who started memorising during the 'pandemic'
Assalamualaikum. I'm 26 years old and started hifz just before covid started. Haven't completed hifz yet but basically my routine is ill learn the para one pge a day once for familiarity but will not do any Sabak dhor. Then I'll learn it again, this time with translation.
Next when I learn I learn in rukus and link ruku to ruku. Once the quarter is done I'll spend a day learning that quarter well. After quarter one is completed I have to read that quarter while driving without mistakes only then will I read to my ustaadh. I'll read that first quarter as Sabak dhor now and continue with the next three quarters in the same manner until I complete the para.
Still trying to figure out a good dhor routine but I'll focus on a particular quarter for the day and revise the previous three quarters. At the end of which I try to read the full para to my ustaadh. Jazakallah khayr for your page, many techniques were picked up from reading your blog. May Allah reward you abundantly.
A mother and her son
I used to take my son out for trips walks, etc, even train rides and bus rides and pray so he doesn’t feel restricted to sitting in one place and praying. We have done 5 juz dor to try to improve his hifz afterwards and I think it really helps Ideally you do 3 a day then 5 at weekends build then get to 10 at weekends then 15 then a one sitting with less than 6 mistakes Takes around 6 months practice.
At the start of the journey
I’m still in the beginning of my learning journey, but I started memorising surat Al Kahf from January the first of this year (2023) and I am now half way through it. I know it’s taken me a while, and I know it will take a lot of patience to memorise the entire Quran, but for a person with a busy schedule that includes: uni, work, pursuing hobbies, side hustles etc it’s working pretty well. So every morning after fajr I stay up and memorise one or two or five ayat if it’s not too long, and I will revise the ayah I memorised the next day. If I still need revision I will spend at most 4 or 5 days making sure I’ve corrected any mistakes before I move on to the next ayah. I also started writing down the verses I’m memorising as that helps with solidifying it in my mind. I don’t feel burnt out and it works well for a busy schedule. I love reading Quran first thing in the morning as it helps set my day straight and clear my head. 🙂 I hope someone can learn from this.
A busy mother
As a busy mother of 4, I find that praying Sabak looking inside the night before 5 times and then learning it early morning works best for me, Sabak para is always prayed whilst dropping children off to school and doing housework. 1 para Dhor is learnt and prayed during the day. I try to pray atleast half para dhor in namaz to consolidate it.
Another busy mother who has been on and off
I have been revising the ten juz I learnt before I had my kids. I have been on and off for years. But this latest time I started end of November. I started taking the pressure of myself to complete a fixed amount but instead focused on a routine. I started with juz 21 and just did up to 5 pages a day and recited it to my teacher the next morning.
I use the tarteel app as it saves time compared to recording and listening when I practice. Now I am halfway through juz 28.
Your articles and emails really help motivate.
Recently the app is giving the paid version and this has given me a motivating boost as it shows the mistakes and helps me correct my sounds. I think I will buy it when the month ends! I also made sure not to do any other review because too much review with three young kids is what made me give up last time. I just do the portion of the day, and I recite the day befores to my teacher. And I leave the rest.
As I am a perfectionist it was hard to let go and do this.
I'm not sure if it's good to leave review. But I'm sure once I've done this run through. I'll be more fluent and quicker the next run through.
I spend about 1-2 hours after the school run learning and reciting. Then maybe a read-through in the evening too.
The schedule of an A-Level student memorising Qur'ān
I’m an A-level student, currently on 17th Juz. Aspiring to do medicine (ان شاء الله). Your page has helped me on my hifz journey probably since I was on fourth Juz. (جَزَاكَ ٱللَّٰهُ خَيْرًا)
My schedule in yr 13 has been the following: (I left madrsah so mostly been doing it on my own as well as with a teacher who listens to my Sabaq). It starts from the night before where I’d read tmrws Sabaq until it’s fluent usually by listening to Minshawi (to get that on point tajweed).
The next morning Before college:
Memorise Sabaq. Then go over Sabaq para, pray it to someone and if there’s time I try and read once the dhor (half Juz for that day)
After college:
I go over my dhor (revision) and and pray it to someone.
Solidify Sabaq (new memorisation) and pray it to someone.
And then I’ll try and do some more dhor (a cycle on my own).
I’ve also been trying something new. Last year Nouman Ali Khan posted something for Ramadan and I’m trying to implement it for my Sabaq. You read the translation. And then you journal about it. As well as listening to the tafasir. I’ve only done this a few times but it makes my hifz more meaningful rather than being robotic. The simplest translation that’s helped me transform my hifz and I think every hifz student needs it (The Majestic Quran).
The past few months I’ve really transformed my focus from ‘trying to finish hifz’ to building a relationship with Quran. It became almost too robotic and I wasn’t enjoying myself anymore. But focusing on building on my relationship has rlly helped and my love for the Quran has really increased. الحمد لله
A working father who is currently memorising Qur'ān
Currently I'm memroising juzz tabarak, completed juzz Amma last year. I'm working full time during the day, five days a week, Monday to Friday normally my work day is 8-9 hours plus 1-2 hours of driving to and from work. I normally do 6 hifz classes a week, these classes are one hour online classes with a teacher in Egypt focused on memorising and revision. The classes are at 10pm each night. In between classes I listen to surahs on repeat on Quran apps. I try to read juzz Amma once a week also to retain the visual memory of the surahs and for revision. I also have started using the Tarteel app to assist with revision in between classes. I'm also reading Islamic books each day to further my knowledge in the religion.
The schedule of a mother currently memorising Qur'ān
My routine is to wake between 3:30am and 4am. I have a hifz buddy and we both test each other. I usually memorise first before fajr any new ayahs and then go over my recent memorisation after fajr. I will also sit for about 45 minutes during the day at around zuhr time and go over new and old sabak again. If i get the chance at isha ill do the same. Sometimes i dont get the chance after zuhr or isha but will not miss my fajr routine.
I have school duties and I also study Arabic self taught and also online twice a week.
I am 42 year old married Homeschooler with 4 children. Two of my children are in school and the younger two 4 and 5 i teach at home. No-one knows I’m trying to memorise. Just because I don't know if I can! I have completed juz 30 but it is still weak. I intend to go over juz Amma as best as i can during the week before Ramadan (this week) and then begin surah baqarah Insha Allah on Ramadan. I initially went straight into surah baqarah and i know the first three ruku but then stopped and began juz Amma.
I take a break on wednesday mornings and sunday mornings but will go over old memorisation with as much time as i can afford.
My short term goal is to memorise juz Amma and surah Baqarah. If i can do these two consistently and with minimal mistakes and my memory js good then i think i can i can go ahead with it and will find a teacher who can help me Insha Allah.
The schedule of a father working full-time
I work full time and I am a father of 3 young children. I initially memorised the Qur'an between 13 - 16 years of age. This was over 16 years ago. Due to busy work/ family life schedule my revision become weak over the years. The biggest mistake I made was revising alone and simply reading daily by looking in. Over the last year I started my journy to strengthen my hifz. My routine is recite 4 pages to teacher after fajar focusing strictly on tajweed then sit in mosque and recite half to one juz sabaq para. I then go to work and find time during day on travels to review 1 to 2 juz dor. I have a few juz remaining but this has helped a lot. I also listen to sheikh minshawi and follow in the mushaf to help take out any little mistakes. I intend to lead taraweeh next year and I plan to recite half juz in review daily in Salah and in shahban recite 1 juz daily to complete a cycle before Ramadan.
The schedule of a mother who homeschools
I am new at memorizing the Quran and had only learned some short surahs when I was young. I've had the most transformative Ramadan ever this year (2023) and want to continue getting closer to Allah by memorizing the Quran. I begin my day by waking up for Tahajjud prayer (4:00 am), making duas for guidance, and increasing knowledge. I ask Allah to open my mind to retain as much of the Quran as possible, stay focused, and forget useless knowledge like jingles or song lyrics. After Fajr (about 5:00 am), I memorize for about an hour by reading. I'm keeping a notebook of the word-for-word translations, as knowing the sequence of events in English helps me to recall the order of the words and the verses. I meet with a teacher three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 6:00 am), and she listens to my recitation. I am subsequently working to improve my Tajweed, and I have a half-hour class from Monday - Saturday. This schedule and routine are brand-new, as I've just started after Ramadan, but I've kept it consistent, and it's been working well for me.
I am a parent and also homeschool my child. Our school day starts between 7 and 7:30 am (from Monday-Friday), and we usually finish by lunchtime (12:30 pm). After lunch, we pray Dhuhr at the Masjid, and my son has extra-curricular activities until Asr prayer. While he's doing those activities, I revise my notes at the library. I have an accountability buddy I check in with during that time, and some days we meet on Zoom to study together. After the library, we head back to the Masjid for Asr prayer. My son reads a page daily with the Sheikh after the Asr Prayer, and I take some time to revise some more.
The schedule of mother who works as a freelancer
Mother to a little child, working as a freelancer. The memorising time is not fixed because it depends on my child's needs and work commitments which are irregular/unpredictable. I try to revise everything I've memorised every 7 days. So when I get time for hifdh, the first thing I do is review my quota for the day. Then with whatever time is left, I memorise as much as I can. Every new ayah is repeated 5 times looking, 5 times not looking, 5 times looking, 5 times not looking. Then connect with the previous ayah and again 5 looking, 5 not looking, 5 looking, 5 not looking. I also play the audio of 1 juzz a day in the house and the juzz goes by calendar date. So if today is the 10th of May then I play juzz 10. Thus every month we hear the entire Quran even if without actively paying attention. This makes the Quran familiar and easier to memorise eventually.
The routine of a Hāfiz who is working full-time
I started memorising the Quran at 17 years old. I was studying during that time. I usually memorised the Quran in the morning, after Fajr.
For revision, I usually make it a habit to review the Quran when travelling, in the bus or train. I attended Talaqi classes at least twice a week and it helps me increase my fluency in reciting the Quran.
During my hifdh, I took tahfiz exams for every juz. I had to answer 5 questions and I would move on to the following juz after passing the test. I had complete all 30 test for each juz. The tahfiz exam start with 1 juz, followed by 5 juz, 10 juz, 15 juz and the final test is 30 juz with 10 questions.
I took 7 years to complete my hifdh and I am preparing for my 5 juz exam at the moment. I am also teaching two tahfiz classes per week.
A new mother memorising Qur'ān
I am a new mother. My goal is to memorize 1 side a day(15 lines). I have Alhumdulilah Completed Juz Amma and Surah Baqarah. Currently learning surah Ale Imran. Juz Amma, I learnt at a young age so it is solidified hence I do not revise it daily. Out of the 2.5 juz that I know I revise 1 juz today and 1.5 juz the next day. I recite my sabaq to my aunt who is also pursuing her hifz. I do not have a routine set as my son is only 6 months. Out of the windows of times available in my day i byheart by repetition and mnemonics is my go to method. Memory palaces have been on my mind but never tried it. Imagery helps a lot. Once byhearted I repeat the page without looking about 10 times. The goal is 20 times but I hardly have the energy to do that.
A student memorising Qur'ān during University
I started my memorization when I was 13 in a madrasah that I attended everyday during the holidays. During my early days in memorizing, I would memory a page four times, meaning the times I went madrasah, during some holidays I would go to madrasah after Subhi, after Asr and after Isha and most of the holidays I went after Asr only. I continued this schedule till I gained admission to the University. I stopped during my first year but continued in the concluding weeks of my second year. Then, I started attending a weekly madrasah in my school masjid, I would memorize three pages per week then and during the holidays I would continue with the holiday madrasah. During my 4th year, I stopped my holiday madrasah due to convenience. Now in my 5th year and I continued by reciting 10 pages per week to my Ustaz in my school madrasah.
I memorize 10 pages weekly, 2 pages daily and the I revise the memorized pages in the remaining two days.
A single working mother striving to memorise
I'm a single working mother striving to memorise the Quran. I've started with surah Baqarah 1st Juz and moved on to 2nd Juz but now I have to go back as I've forgotten many ayah in between and can't synchronize them. I usually memorise in the morning after Fajr. That's it. I work whole day and in the evening I gave to sit with my son checking his homework. It's a really tough journey but I will continue until I memorise the whole Quran In Sha Allah. Please keep me in your dua.
A sister memorising Qur'ān
I set weekly goals for my hifdh/revision of djuz 30. I make sure that I accomplish my goal by the end of my hifdhweek. I make the amount very small. So even if I am not consistent and I miss a couple of days, I am in cha Allah able to accomplish my goal.
I am also memorising/revising al baqarah, I have a more strict schedule I follow, and I commit to it daily, that's why I am more easy on myself with djuz 30.
I listen, read and then learn my portion. I love to listen to Sheikh ayman swayd. His pronounciation is very clear Allahumma baarik and it helps a lot with improving in tajweed.
I read surah al baqarah often, even if memorising the surah takes a long time. I hope that my constant reading will help me to memorise and remember it with more ease.
I read the tafsier of the new surah/ayaat I want to memorise from djuz 30. It helps in loving the process of memorising. And I feel that with every new surah/ayaat I learn/revise that I find more healing and guidance from Allah. I am currently not working.
May Allah Help us to be consistent in our quran journey and may He Grant us ikhlas and tawfeeq
A graduate memorising the Qur'ān
I'm Bsc physics graduate from India Now preparing for NHS STP Medical physics programme. I also spend time for memorizing Quran as much as I can self memorization using Tarteel Ai App. After Fajr, Asr, Isha is my memorization time every day. Revise using Tarteel end of the day & week.
A working mother
I am a special education teacher, my day ends at 2:30pm. I attend Madressa between 3:30 and 5pm. At first I tried to include memorization and dhur into my home routine but I could not find enough focus time. So I now I decided that I will do all my learning only in Madressa during the specific time. When I come home I’m quite exhausted and sometimes fall asleep on the couch. I have to get up at 12am to perform Esha and then I go back to bed as I have to be up by 4am to perform Tahajjud and recite all my morning Adhkar then pray Fajr and get ready for school and make breakfast and lunch. I leave for school at 7:25am. My hifz journey has been slow, Alhumdulillah I started in 2021. Since then I had major surgery, I had family members who had Covid and my Madressa teacher had a baby!! It is only through Allahs mercy that I have memorized the following Surahs, Khaf, Yaseen, Dhukan, Sajda, Waaqia, Mulk, Jummah. I have begun Amma Para with surah Naba and have just completed Surah Burj. Alhumdulillah . My journey I think is slow because my routine is not disciplined, I would like to do more and incorporate exercise into my day but I just don’t seem to have the energy or the hours. Incidentally, I was inspired to join a hifz class through your Instagram page on Surah Mulk!!! Jazakallah for that! Although I am slow and lack discipline hifz class is my favorite part of the day❤️
The schedule of a Hāfiz who is working and is a father
I started memorizing roughly at the age of 20/21, this was the same time me and my Mrs welcomed our new born daughter. So straight of the bat I was already hitting a hurdle, I was reading at an institute that I would attend once a week. This meant I had to be a very well disciplined student to make sure I was ready for my lessons. Sadly I wasnt disciplined so would find myself trying to memorize whenever I could, or when I would find something online I would use that strategy, or sometimes I would just cram before lesson. The quality in my Hifdh was not good in these time and it would continue like this for the next few years. Also I forgot to mention I wasn't in a stable job nor did I know what I wanted to do in my life but one thing for sure was I wanted to memorize the Qur'an. The institute I read at lasted a couple years, I had different teachers in that time with different strategies. Eventually I had to leave the institute which is another story altogether.
Fast forward, after struggling with memorizing, stopping and starting along the way, and changing to different jobs. I was about 25/26 and years old I finally decided to try a different route to memorizing the Qur'an and that was with a teacher I was familiar with online. I knew of the sheikh because I had been following his content since I started practicing Islam when I was about 17/18. The Sheikhs name is Sheikh Abu Taubah. He changed my life with the Qur'an, my attitude, my discipline, my outlook, and many other things during my time with the sheikh online which spanned over 2/3 years. I managed to re-memorize alot of ajzaa with the sheikh and then he finally let me finish what I originally had left of the Qur'an. Unfortunately I couldn't gain ijaazah from him because his program involves writing out the whole Qur'an, and reading the whole of ibn Katheer and other stuff. I wasn't able to continue the online journey but that's another story aswell lol. In that time period another child was welcomed aswell while i was finishing my Hifdh.
Thereafter, I wanted to re-memorize the Qur'an as I felt it was all too weak. I joined a local institute where I am currently reading for an ijaazah but personally I see it as re-memorizing for myself.
There is alot that's happened which I have cut out and missed. If you want more details or want to collect all this info properly then I am happy to assist.
Currently re-memorizing the Qur'an but while reading for an ijaazah if that makes sense.
I am a father of two with another one on the way, work a full time job, train bjj and workout regularly. But my ultimate passion is the Qur'an. My current routine is preparing a Hizb to read to my sheikh weekly which is for an ijaazah but gives me a chance to re-memorize the Qur'an. My revision is up and down. I haven't really found the right routine when it comes to revision. I have reached Surah Yusuf but need to strategise so I can at least keep all the ajzaa from baqarah up until Yusuf soft so that when I read another khatam afterwards I can start focusing on perfecting and solidifying the whole Qur'an iA.
A student currently memorising Qur'ān
Assalamu Alaykum. I had to stop memorising because of lack of teacher. If I could get a female teacher (I'm female as well) that would be amazing. I don't like that I had to stop. A hifdh buddy if any sister would be interested would also be nice. I learnt the complete recitation years back and I memorised almost half the Qur'an and forgot due to lack of revision. This time though, with Allah's aid I have been consistently reciting and revising but I am stuck because of pausing my memorisation. Routine would be to recite 3 ajza daily before I sleep(spread throughout the day depending on when I am able because I am a student). JazakAllahu khairan for doing what you do.
A working brother at 40 years old
In the name of Allah the most merciful and peace and blessings upon Rasoolullah SAW
Alhamdulilah all praise is due to Allah, I'm currently on my 29th Juzz 3 quarters left until I hope to finish inshaAllah the memorization of the Qur'an.
My journey to this point has taken me approximately 10 and a half years and I'm currently 40 years old.
My best tip when it comes to schedule for men is to pray Fajr in masjid and then sit to with the intention to memorize at least one ayat before leaving, you can do more but the main intention is let me just quickly learn my one ayat for today.
This is the time when my family, work, nothing can interrupt me, even shaytan has to sleep and one of my teachers mentioned this is the time in the day even shaytan is sleeping after night of doing his work causing mischief. It's only Allah that doesn't need sleep.. SubhanAllah
So after fajr is my main time, technique I like using is 33 times looking at the ayat and 33 times without looking, then next ayat and then combine 33x looking 33x without looking. I find this technique and initial effort can seem tedious but really, really helps with long term memorisation.
Slowly over time I find myself drifting and moving away from this technique but always find myself coming back to it eventually especially for long ayats or ayats I initially find difficult, as its the most effective and i really appreciate it on the parts I used this technique on, as the recall is I find so much easier compared to other methods of memorising that I've tried.
My teacher advised me to memorize 5 lines at a time breaking the page into 3 parts. Once i know all 3 parts I read the whole page looking and without looking many times and try recite the whole page in nafl salah loudly whilst recordimg myself whenever I can find some privacy, if i cannot do this comfortably then I do not move on because simply in my mind I just don't know it well enough to move on.
The tesco quote "every little helps" comes to mind 5-10 mins after zuhr to go over the new memorisation from the morning.
Next depending on the year, short days or long days, long days I try to sit after asar to read 1 to 3 juzz the from previous memorisation total time is 1 hour for 3 juzz I used to do this more than I do now.
The goal is 3 juzz before bed (20 mins per juzz) so i want to at least do 1 to 2 here. Finally remaining 1 juzz 20 mins after isha before bed of already finished start looking at the new subbak.
Short days. Where fajr is later .. I try to wake up an hour or 2 earlier to start learning new subbak, any subbak i can do before Fajr I find I can make some serious gains, it's so much easier to memorize at this time. Again no one needs me at this time, work, family etc.
After zuhr few mins on the days that I can make it to the masjid for zuhr salah, then I sit after magrib or after isha 7.30pm to read 3 juzz. Or a combination after both salahs to read x3 juzz, it just takes 1 hour. However this portion I have now changed to learn more new subbak due to wanting to finish.
For past 1.5 years I have a teacher I travel 1 hour each way to read to once per week on Friday evenings after work, this is key piece and the external pressure has made me make more progress in my hifdh these past 1.5 years compared to 5 years prior.
The subbak pressure reading to teacher has made me neglect my 3 juzz per day as the pressure to finish is on, but I can't wait to start revision properly when i finish with my teacher.
This schedule is good for men who are working and have family commitments.
Also during downtime I like watching or reading hifdh related stuff, traveller with Qur'an season 1 and season 2 and like listening to hifdh status podcast on YouTube, also generally any videos or lectures to do with hifdh has helped keep me inspired as well as this newsletter and Qari Mubashirs blog on medium I have read on and off for a few years. Would also recommend his book the Promise of Ten which he never promotes, but you can get a lot of inspiration from.
Hope this is helps.
From a student of Qur'an
A young student memorising Qur'ān
So I started after high school, in August 2023. I am hoping to finsih memorizing this year. I don't work or study but I did intern for a month ( my hifdh was weak becuz commutes were long I quit becuz it affected my hifdh) and later taught a 6 year old for 3 months ( this did not affect my hifdh as i did it after masjid during my free time) Memorization schedule is typically just reading with a sheikh at night max 10 times and in the morning i somehow know it 65 percent then I solidify it, it takes me an average of 30 mins? I try to memorize 2 pages a day and I memorize in advance, at least 2 days in advance because I can't recite whilst memorizing the same day. I lost some motivation in the middle so I used to memorize 1 page a day and my revision was practically non existent ( I did not revise as much as I should have - min 3 juz a day but I have been trying and alhamdulilah sort of consistent now last 5 is solid and planning to solidify 3 juzu a month after October insha Allah. My revision is kind of weak it's slow but it's not as difficult as I imagined Alhamdulillah There is a test for the last 5 this month so im currently revising that and learning 2/3 pages of Surat Al An'am now. Hopefully Insha Allah finish soon by december or mid january?
A medical student who just started memorising
I'm currently started to memorise The Qur'an. At the same time I'm focusing on my medical studies. I hifdh in the morning time - i read every new ayah repeatedly still I'm comfort with this ayah. In afternoon prayer (dhuhar), i clarify my mistakes with my usthad. Evening time i started to revise my old sabaq.
A college student shares her schedule
I try to wake up for tahajjud and revise one page then, but if I do not wake up for the hundred after Fajr, I do not sleep. I memorize 1 page annd revise 1 page from the night before and then revise my previous lessons from my Sabqi and Manzil. I didn’t take my coat on class around 12 PM so from six or 7 AM my classes go on till 12 PM with a few breaks. I then do my online college assignments or a quick workout, and then review by audios from Asr -Maghrib. I sometimes tutor in the evenings so after tutoring & college work, I then pray Isha and memorize 1 page. After memorizing one page, I either review one soda or 1/4 of a Juz by heart, or by listening to it, and then call it a night.
A school student shares her schedule
I try to check the tafseer of my day's memorisation (1 page) at night or the day I'll recite to my partners. I try to memorise whenever I can during the day because of school, I often don't have a specific free time as it could be anytime. I recite 2 juz for khatam at night, one hizb from Al Mujadalah downwards to an Nas to maintain my hifdh.Then I recite ⅓ of al Baqarah which isn't too consistent now as I am memorising al Baqarah itself currently so everyday i engage with it Alhamdulillah. From yesterday, we decided to have a portion of revision from al Baqarah everyday as the revision is beginning to pile up and we don't want to forget or anything. I struggle with prioritising more revision of al Baqarah or from the khatam I try to complete every two weeks.
A sister who also works as a teacher
I'm currently memorising the Qur'an after delaying for many years due to intense doubts, fears and insecurities around Hifdh.
I am currently both employed and self employed. I teach Qur'an, Arabic and various islamic sciences three weekday evenings and one daytime - these are usually in blocks of 3 hours at a time. I am employed for staff management and curriculum development at a weekend islamic supplementary school for 4 hours in the morning till lunchtime. Besides that, I have decided to cut down on all other work - last year when I started my hifdh in Sept 2022, I worked many more hours and it was much more intense. I've decided to cut down so that I am feeling less mentally and emotionally drained, and so that I can work on focusing on my Hifdh a little more this year. If financial difficulties do continue, I'd have to increase work hours in January. My parents are both not well so household maintenace does fall on me, as well as financial responsibilities. London's cost of living crisis isn't great, والحمد لله!
My hifdh schedule since the new academic year has been changing every so often due to external circumstances.
But for the most part:
- Mon-Thurs, 5:45AM - 7:45AM: Hifdh classes with teacher. Structure: We are put in partnered groups, we read 1 juz revision to our partner, as well as sabaq juz (recently memorised). Teacher comes into zoom room to listen to sabaq, sometimes may listen to sabaq juz. That lasts duration of the lesson.
- Mon-Thurs, 4:30am - 5:45am: Revising my sabaq (new portion) in preparation for lesson
- Most days**, 12:00PM-1:30PM and 6pm - 8pm: Working on either solidifying the portion I read to teach that day, working on new memorisation, or strengthening any weak revision.
**I can't give specific times, as my day to day errands, work hours or other commitments fluctuate. However, I keep my own diary where I would track how much time I spend and doing what, as well as a daily plan of what I intend to cover. Before UK winter time hit, I would plan around salah time e.g. post fajr/dhuhr for new memo familiarisation and old revision, Asr/Maghrib for new memorisation, Ishaa/just before bed for familiarising new portions. I aim to hit 2.5 hours outside of lesson time. Becuase my schedule is unpredictable (I could be completely free one day and be busy that same day the following week), I have a time goal and page goal to hit. As opposed to a timetable.
I know that if I went back to my old habit of having solid blocks of time, I'd do better. With recent health struggles of everyone in the household has meant I had to take a break till the end of December. I'm using this time to just work on strengthening my revision and get my health back up a little, getting a schedule back in. InshaAllah back to lessons in January.
Although I aim to have active time with hifdh for 2.5/3hrs a day, I do fall short (especially recently). At the same time, I balance it out by listening to a lot of Quran any moment I can - during household chores, on days when my energy is too low, during errands and commute etc. A good couple of hours total up there.
I recite to a teach for ijazah in Hafs and Shu'bah twice a week, and that class is 1.5 hrs long. I only recite for 10 mins, so while I'm waiting for my turn, I use that time to also work on my Hifdh. In addition to my daily diary plan (which doesn't take more than 10 mins in reality - 5 mins at the start of the day, 5 mins before bed as muhāsabah), I spend some time every so often writing a hifdh journal or looking for patterns/similarities/connections/mutashābihāt and jotting them down, like my own little personal database.
As part of my familiaring time, I read the oage a couple times, look up any words in a dictionary, read/compare translations, pick up an Arabic tafsir book, browse through Arabic dictionaries for any words that catch my attention -- switching it up so I get to "feel" the page, before I memorise it.
Not sure how much more detail to put! Although I've felt the process of hifdh completely rip me apart and put me back together multiple times, it's a process I thoroughly enjoy and try to immerse myself in as much as possible. Maybe I'm deluded in my ambitions, but I believe anything is possible when Allah is at the centre.
I'm open to any further questions or discussions at any point!
P.s. I read your memorising Quran in 6 months book recently and it was the best thing I've read in a long time. Had me hooked differently. I haven't got round to writing my reflections on each chapter yet, I wanted to just read the book in its entirety first and soak it all up before I get to writing. I really hope there are other books in the pipeline!!!!!
A young student at school memorising Qur'ān
I have been memorizing the Quran since I was 2. I don't work, I do the Quran 7 days a week. I usually do the Quran surah rahman on Sundays and Saturdays. On weekdays I memorize surah mursalat in school. I do it for 45 min a day. I memorize and I review in the 45 to an hour time. I am on these surahs now, but it will change in the future.
A sister currently memorising Qur'ān
I get up after 4 in the morning pray tahajjud and fajr, then I revise my sabqi. i get down to memorising my sabaq from 10 to 12. I take a break after zohr. And then If there's any sabaq left i complete it and then do my manzil at night. Sometimes I miss my manzil, for that I makeup the next day
A mother who works full-time
I work full time, and I am a mother of two kids, third one on the way. My average office work hours are 9-10 hours a day. M-F.
My schedule is as follows:
Day 1:Listen to a Qari (3 times each ayah, repeat the page this way 3 times while following along with a pencil) , understand the part by looking up word meanings and reading up on tafseer if I don’t understand. Then, recite the page by looking until I am fluent.
The same night: Recite the page as fast as my tongue can allow me to recite 10 times by looking.
Day 2: wake up pre-fajr and recite the page as fast as my tongue can allow me to recite 10 times by looking. Memorize half a page. Recite at fajr salah.
Post Asr (after work): revise last 10 memorized pages and 20 pages before the last 10 memorized pages without looking. When I revise I record myself to recheck my pages. It also helps me to listen to the pages so it’s another layer of revision for me.
Get busy with household stuff after that. Cooking cleaning etc.
Post maghrib/dinner: listen to the current Juz in memorization with a Qari while looking at the pages. Re-do the half page done in the morning And prep that same page fully again by reciting as fast as I can for 10 times. Recite the part in Isha.
Day 3: again same routine but revise full page now after the second half of the page is done.
Same routine every single day.
A busy working mother memorising the Qur'ān
I work as a nephrologist in a private practice. I have to go to several dialysis unit hospitals and see patient in office. I have two children and also have some personal health condition
This is my routine
- Wake up pray qiyam prayer most days
- Then new memorization which is 3/4 to one page depending on difficulty Fajr
- Review recent quarter and prepare homework for teacher.
- Go to work leave at 7:45. On the way listen to the new lesson by Shayikh Mishary
- After several dialysis visit 8:00 am review new lesson 8:30 quran class 30 min to 1 hr M-F 5 days
- Go to work and finish by 4 pm pick up kids from school
- After dinner clean up review from 7:30 to 9:30
- On my way every day i listen to the parts i struggle to keep in memory specially surah Anam
- During my work i pray quickly so cant fo much review but try to review juz 30 and 29 in prayers not very consistent though as i want it to be. I need to manage an extra hour to hour and a half as i am trying to review all my memorization in a week some place.
Another working mother
I work 12 hours a day so I memorize after dinner till 10 pm, then from 4 am to 6 am.
A school student memorising Qur'ān
I do not work and do not want to do the Quran all day. I need to take a break. I don't like doing the Quran early in the morning, I like it in the evening. I am memorizing Monday to Thursday with the class in school, so that's good. But on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, I need a schedule. I spent 30 to 40 minutes doing hifdh. I usually only memorize when I want to start reading and reviewing. I also have school from 8:15 am to 3:15 pm. But I get home by 4 to 4:30.
A mother who works as a doctor
I am a doctor, working school hours, mother of 2 teenage boys Alhamdulillah. I listen to Quran on my commute which can vary 1 to 1.5 hours one way depending on my work site, at least 3 days a week.
I listen to Quran in the morning commute and while getting ready. Then listen to tafsir audios on the way back home. And then memorise/ revise on the way to work with dedicated apps that repeat audio, as well. I have memorised random surahs, and very patchy memorisation of 28, 29, 1st juz. I intend to start memorising Surah Imran this year InshaAllah, currently memorising Surah Al Hadeed. I read my revision to my teacher once a week and am completing my tafsir course online. Both memorisation and Tafsir studies complement each other. I still remember listening to Quran recitation by Qari Mishary Al Afasy for the first time and getting goose pimples. That really lit my desire to memorise and read like him. I listen to the same recitation by him most days and get confused if I change the audio until it is firm. Literally like having an audio tune/ map in my head, then I can predict what follows next. Similarly, I use the sane Mushaf for memorising, then I retain a visual memory of what the page looks like while trying to recall.
A sister consolidating her Hifz
I am done with my hifdh. However, I have been battling with the Murojaa'. I have been able to do the Murojaa' of the first 10 Ajzã from baqorah and I am now perfecting it in this manner; half of a juzu per day, by splitting the pages to after every solah and I am on the second half of the sixth juzu already. Also, I am planning to take the Murojaa' of the remaining 20 Ajzã this year by revising a sheet ( 2 pages) of the Qur'an per day, reciting it after each solah, from February, bi idhni llah.
A student at university
I am currently a student in the university. I have been struggling with consistency in my hifdh due to sometimes environmental changes and sometimes not having a structures mode of revising my memorized portions. So this 2024, I made a resolution to get back on my hifdh better and stronger after reading several of your newsletter Alhamdullilah! I finally got a plan. I divide my memorization into half baked, strong memorization (MANZIL), Sabaq and sabqi. I do my sabaq (1 pages), sabqi (Hizb), and Manzil (1) in the morning after fajr. Then I do my Half baked (half page), then manzil (2) at night after Isha. I divided my manzils into 2 because I have memorized some portions from (Juz 1-5) and some (Juz 20- 30). Though I have my half baked around juz 20-25 or so. I am still working and trying methods to strengthen my memorization and I am taking the revision of my sabqi very seriously so that they won't turn to half baked memorization.
I am currently on my week 4 of my new resolution. I will really love to share my weekly hifdh journey with you In Shaa Allah, which will also help to keep me on my toes knowing I have to report my journey. Though so far within this 4 weeks have encounters some lows but I have identified them and gave room for them during my planing for my new resolution, so Alhamdullilah, I was able to pull through regardless even if not 100%, I make sure I did not miss all. Also, the theme of my new resolution is actually building a connection with the Qur'an in connecting with Allah because I am sure once I have that connection Bi Idni Llah, my hifdh will be much more easier and I won't see memorizing as a chores. Jazakumullahu khayran for this great platform. Barakallahu fihi!
Working full-time and trying to do Hifz
I am 28 years old and I'm currently memorizing the Quran. I started memorizing just 3 lines a day while I was still working full time. Alhamdulillah currently I have the blessing of not working anymore, so now I focus on memorizing full time. I memorize a page a day, I recite my para sabak (the current juz I'm memorizing) everyday, then I recite 2 other paras for revision. I go to a local madersa and recite to a teacher or other students. Usually I revise after fajr for an hour, then go to madersa from 9am-1pm ish, then memorize at home for about an hour, then revise/finish memorizing for about 2 hours after a break.
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