How To Use The Singaporean Method To Memorise Quran

I want to share another method with you today that is known as the Singaporean method. It's a very interesting method rooted in a repetition system.

I will also share a bonus tip that can be used to not only memorising the Qur'ān but for any of your other studies.

The Singapore Hifz Method

This is a method is based upon the five at a time rule. Something that I have mentioned a lot which means that you do things based around the number five.

The Singaporean method is not difficult to understand and it works as follows. Let's use the example of Surah al-Mu'minūn, the first page of Juz' 18. There are 17 āyāt (verses) and let's say you want to memorise the page.

1. Make your recitation fluent and error free

With the Singaporean method, you will need to first recite and repeat the page at least 10 times or more. The idea is to become fluent in your recitation and remove any errors in your recitation.

2. Take an āyah (verse) at a time

The idea now is that you need to repeat a single āyah 5 times looking, and then 5 times without looking. This should be done 50 times.

Now move onto the next āyah and do the same process of looking 5 times, and then 5 times without looking. Again, this should be done 50 times.

You should now recite them together 5 times, and 5 times without looking. This can be done once. You should combine everything in the same way.

Is there any other way to use it?

You may group the āyāt by meaning or by a specific number and repeat them together 5 times looking, and then 5 times without looking until you do it 50 times. You can also repeat the entire portion 5 times looking and then 5 times without looking, again 50 times.

Once you have memorised the entire portion, you may repeat it all 5 times looking, and then 5 times without looking.

3. Memorisation the next day and after

The next day you memorise, you will repeat the previous portion 25 times. As well as memorising a new portion in the same way as done previously.

The same portion that you memorised on day one will be repeated 25 times on day two, then 20 times on day three, then 15 times on the day four, then 10 times on day five and six, and then day seven you'll repeat it 5 times.

So looking at your memorisation for a week:

This is the way you will revise until each page reaches one repetition. You should be doing this again in 5's - 5 times looking and 5 times without within each set. So when we say repeat yesterdays 25 times, you will do 5 times looking, 5 times without to make 10, and then 5 and 5 again to make 20, then finally do 5 times without looking.

Eventually as you reach 5 and once, you will always recite from memory.

Once the entire Juz' and pages have reached 'one' repetition, you will revise the entire Juz' daily. Then when you memorise 10 ajzā', move to doing 2 Juz' daily, when you have memorised doing 20 ajzā', try moving to do 3 ajzā' daily. You may increase this to reach 5 ajzā' a day. If you can't do these numbers, stick to anything between 1 to 3 ajzā' daily.

Bonus tip: Using the 7–3–2–1 Method to improve your weak Hifz and long-term memory

This means you look at your days as 7 days, 3 days, 2 days, and today slots based on spaced repetition.

As you've learned your Hifz portion, you will want to remember it in the long-run. But sometimes certain portions can grow weak. Now, what you should do is recite those weak portions under the following schedule: today (1), tomorrow (2), the day after tomorrow (3), and then on the 7th day from your first recitation (7). If you read something today, say, March 10th, you’d re-read it on the 11th, 12th, and the 17th.

So take any weak portion and apply this method alongside the Singaporean method of repetition and you will find your weaknesses now becoming strong, bi idhnillāh.

May Allāh grant us success in this world and the next.