A Method On How To Memorize Quran Really Well

How to memorize Quran? There are many methods I've shared on how to memorize Qur'ān. The method I'm about to share today is honestly really good. If you implement this method and perfect it, your Hifz will be as strong as iron, by the Will of Allāh.

Many of us memorize Qur'ān but we complain of having memorized but then quickly forgetting it. There are many reasons for this. Amongst those reasons is that we move quickly towards new portions without making what you're currently working on completely solid. This results in continuous weaknesses that you're battling constantly.

The foundational principle

The method I am sharing today works towards trying to combat this very thing. There's a saying amongst scholars that memorizing in 2 hours across 2 different sittings is better than sitting for 4 hours in one go. This refers to the principle of memorizing with spaced repetition. This method is based on the belief that memorizing a new portion should never be done in one day, particularly for those who can't memorize full-time.

Whether you're memorizing a page, or two pages of the Qur'ān, or even less, the foundational principle of this method is to memorize across 3 days. This is done across various methods.

The method of memorization across 3 days

There are three basic elements to memorization of the Qur'ān: (1) new (2) recent and (3) old. So those who write will write a new portion daily for whatever they are memorizing. Those who memorize Qur'ān using the board and writing, typically they will use one side of the board for new memorization and the other side for revision.

Similarly, every method has something you will need to memorize every day but the technique may differ from method to method. The technique is rooted in how you use repetition, senses, and processes.

What do you do for your new memorization?

Remembering that this will be done across 3 days, your 3 days will look like this:

Day One

First Session

You will need to recite the intended portion you seek to memorize by looking. Initially, with full focus and attention to all details, you need to recite your portion 10 times. This focus must be with intense concentration. You are reciting out loud with a focus on every letter, vowel, word, line, and verse. Now repeat it 20 (or 30) more times. Once you've done this take a break.

Second Session

Now, later on, perhaps in the afternoon or early evening, recite the portion again but 30 times by looking. Stop and take a break.

Third Session

Now, again, later on, during the night, recite the portion but 30 times by looking.

This means you repeat the portion 90-100 times across the day and like this, you will complete day one.

Do you do everything while looking? Yes.

Day Two

You will recite the same page as yesterday again 30 times across three sessions. There's an addition today, however, you need to recite the next new portion as well by following the same process as yesterday across the three sessions. So for the portion of yesterday: 30, 30, 30, and the new one: 10+20 (or 30), 30, 30.

Day Three

You will recite the first portion 20 times, yesterday's portion 30, and then a new one 10 times, then 20-30 times in the morning. Then in the second and third sessions, recite yesterday's portion 30 times, and the new one 30 times.

This completes the three days.

Before addressing further questions, you need to make sense of the process with some examples.

Example one

Let's say you want to cover a page across three days. The assumption is that you're using a 15-lined mus-haf. If you're using another, you will need to divide the page into three sections. It will look like this:

At the end of the three days, you will start to recite the page from memory and move on to doing the same for the next page for the next three days. If you were to do this, you would know that page by heart as strong as iron.

How long would it take to memorize the Qur'ān like this?

It would take you at least on the conservative side at around 6 to 7 years. You would expect to average doing 4-5 Juz' a year on the assumption that you miss at least a month (4 weeks) in the year.

Example two

Let's say you want to cover a page a day across the three days. The assumption again is that you're using a 15-lined mus-haf. It will look like this:

At the end of the three days, you will have recited:

• page one at least 200 times
• page two at least 180 times
• page three at least 90 times

So you begin to see that the ultimate aim is to recite the page up to 200 times. Only when you've recited the page across 3 days up to at least 200-220 times, you won't drop that page from the process. A page will be dropped every third day. On the third day, you are expected to have memorized the page. That's when you can start to recite it from memory.

How long would it take to memorize the Qur'ān like this?

Again, you are doing a page across three days. It would take you at least on the conservative side around 5 to 6 years. You would expect to average doing 5-6 Juz' a year on the assumption that you miss at least a month (4 weeks) in the year.

But what do you do for days three to six?

You would continue the process by looking at it as three-day blocks. So taking the example from above of the page-a-day basis, days three to six would look like this:

Can you see the pattern? You drop a page every three days. You would continue like this on an ongoing basis.

However, the main question remains.

How are you supposed to review?

How are you supposed to revise the pages you drop? And how are you supposed to revise when you finish a Juz'?

When I learned of this method, I learned it from a Moroccan Shaykh who didn't mention anything about revision. So for this part, I share what I might do for revision if I were to use this method.

The first thing to do is to break down when you'll be finishing a page and when you'll be finishing a Juz'.

So you're memorizing a Juz' across at least 2 months. That's 6 Juz' a year if you're consistent, every single day without fail.

At a most basic level, you should look to revise everything you know divided across a week as a minimum or up to ten days max. This is how you're revision would look with a principle of a week.

This is a basic guideline for anyone doing Hifz. If you start to have difficulty in reciting beyond a certain point, then you can start to look at your revision into set daily chunks. For example, you begin to focus on one juz' a day for revision after you reach 7 juz'.

This is the method I wanted to share today. I hope it benefits someone and if you do use this, do get in touch and let me know how it goes.

Allāh grant blessing in your efforts!