I wanted to share this not only to give you a boost but to remind you of what is possible when you put in the effort with the time that you have.
Let's get straight into it.
1. Have a teacher or someone to recite to
Firstly, he says to have a teacher or someone to recite to and set achievable monthly targets for both memorisation and revision.
2. Have a schedule
Have two separate sittings a day. One for revision and one for memorisation and recent memorisation.
3. Recitation, Audio, Understanding
When he sat down to memorise he had three apps open:
- YouTube to listen to Shaykh Khalil al-Husary or Shaykh Muhammad Siddiq al-Minshawi etc
- Quran.com to read an English translation, in this case, the Clear Quran by Dr. Mustafa Khattab
- Tafseer Ibn Kathir app (by MyWebAdmin Solutions - which I believe is no longer on Playstore, but you can find alternatives and most apps include Tafsir Ibn Kathir)
He would spilt the page he was going to learn into sections according to the translation (in the Tafseer In Kathir app which shows how the āyāt link to each other). This is usually 2-3 sections per 1-2 pages.
He would listen to Husary recite one section and then he would read the translation on quran.com. Sometimes he would read the Tafseer if the translation wasn't clear.
He will then memorise the sections and repeat them.
4. Learning the overall themes
He started from Juz' 1 but whenever he started and ended a Surah, he would learn about the overall aim (maqāsid) and the central theme of that Surah first. He would read how the verses and stories relate. It would give him context, an understanding of the reasons for revelation, and why the revelation needed to be heard at that specific point. This helped him learn the order the pages come in. He would cover all of this again after he finished the surah so it solidifies.
5. Revision by listening during commutes
He would revise through listening to recent memorisation (the last 5 days) on his commute in and out of the hospital in the car.
6. Recite to the teacher for 30 minutes
When he got back from the hospital, he would try to complete his Qur'ān study and read it to his teacher before he would start his medical studies.
7. Managing time
Qur'ān studies are fixed, medicine is more flexible. He would try to squeeze in whatever slot he could for his medical study (for example, if there was a break during the day between sessions, or time before meetings).
He would re-arrange or cancel social time with his friends because he knew he would be late to start his Qur'ān studies.
He would read an hour before going into placement and then from 5.45(ish) to 7.30pm, then driving into and back from the hospital (40 mins), and 30 mins reading to the teacher. Tafseer reading would be done in his extra time.
8. Tips
Follow Qur'ān and reminder pages to keep himself motivated and recommended following @qarimubashir on Instagram.
Ask your parents to continue making du'ā' for you.
Use something like the Ibn Kathir app that shows how the āyāt are spilt. For example, it shows:
| Verses | 25, 26 |
| Verses | 27, 28 |
| Verses | 29 |
| Verses | 30, 31 |
| Verses | 32, 33, 34, 35, 36 |
| Verses | 37, 38, 39, 40, 41 |
| Verses | 42, 43, 44 |
| Verses | 45, 46 |
| Verses | 47, 48, 49 |
| Verses | 50 |
When memorising make sure to look into the mus'haf while repeating the ayah while memorising (helps visual memory).
Take the first steps and Allāh makes it easier.
Allāh grant blessing!
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