The “Takrār program” (Tikrar method) is for the memorisation and perfection of the Qur’ān located in Madinah al-Munawwarah. It is also a method that has been adopted in other countries too. Takrār means repetition. So this method is a systematic practice that is carried out through repetition regularly, orderly, and with a set of practices.

The method involves a period of memorisation and a period of mastery.

First: A new memorisation course that consists of memorising one page daily. This enables one to complete the whole Qur’ān in approximately one year and eight months. Or for those wishing to complete the memorisation of the Qur’ān in ten months are required to memorise two pages daily.

Second: A period of achieving mastery that consists of perfecting three pages daily over a period of seven months, or four pages over five months. This is once you have memorised the entire Qur’ān but are yet to gain some mastery.

Both periods (memorisation and mastery) in the method are built upon three pillars which are: “memorisation”, “connection”, and “revision” not sufficing with one at the cost of another. This is basically the same as Sabaq, Sabqi, and Manzil (as used in Indo/Pak/Malaysia) but with certain tweaks.

Let’s look at it.

The Method of Memorisation

The method of memorisation in both periods are as follows:

First: Listen to the page that is to be memorised three times by a reciter while following along in the Mus’haf during the period of new memorisation. For the period of mastery, you will do this once only to safeguard the memorisation from errors and mistakes.

Second: Read the Tafseer (interpretation) of the page to be memorised during the day to enhance awareness of the meanings of the particular verses covered. You can go onto apps like ‘QuranHive’ to read Tafseer by Ibn Kathīr and others. There are not many available in English at present but whatever you can gain access to, use it. It’s good to use a vast range of translations too.

Third: Begin to memorise the daily portion of the Qur’ān, paying close attention to two important matters:

(1) Be aware and focus on the stopping and starting points of the verses on the page being memorised.

(2) While memorising the current page don’t stop at the last verse, but rather memorise the entire page, along with the first line of the following page; repeating it together to help connect both pages.

Third and Fourth: After the student is confident he has memorised the page, using a voice recorder he/she should then proceed to record himself/herself reciting the memorised page three times from memory without looking at the Mus’haf.

After completion, he should then listen to the recording while looking at the Mus’haf to ensure proper memorisation and to ensure there are no errors.

If any mistakes are found (even one!), this phase is to be repeated. Using the voice recorder he/she is to then recite three times again. If no mistakes in the three times, then proceed to the following phase.

Fifth: Following that, he/she is to begin repeating the page from memory without looking at the Mus’haf (30 times) for the mastery period or (40 times) for the new memorisation phase. If a mistake occurs in any repetition, this count is removed from the overall number and replaced accordingly.

Sixth: If memorising more than one page a day, please be advised to follow the previous steps on the second and third pages etc.

Seventh: On the following day, repeat what was memorised yesterday five times without looking at the Mus’haf, which is known as: [Repetition of Yesterday]. Whereas the previous steps are known as: [Today’s Repetition].

Connection

This is reciting all mastered (perfected) pages over the previous 30 days from memory; one time, without looking at the Mus’haf.

Revision

This is reciting the old memorisation from memory without looking at the Mus’haf. It is upon the student to complete the old memorisation every six days. Old memorisation means the portion of memorisation that has gone beyond the “connection” phase.

So once you begin memorising form the first page, you continue reciting it from memory one time every day for 32 days. On the 33rd day, you drop the initial six days of memorisation, and then after six more days have passed you drop six other days from the beginning. And like this continue; every time six days pass you drop six days from the beginning. You will notice that the “connection” phase will not contain less than 25 days of memorisation and will not increase more than 30 days.

The beginning days that have been dropped from “connection” become Old Memorisation, which has its own section known as “revision”, it must be completed every six days.

It is incumbent upon the student in all phases to pay close attention to reciting properly, in a voice that is heard, not fast or slow, but in the middle which is called ‘Al Hadr’.

Check out the schedules for the method.

SCHEDULES

Memorizing one page daily
https://tikrar.net/document/en/memorizing-1.pdf

Memorizing two pages daily
https://tikrar.net/document/en/memorizing-2.pdf

The Mastery course

Mastering three pages daily
https://tikrar.net/document/en/perfecting-3.pdf

Mastering four pages daily
https://tikrar.net/document/en/perfecting-4.pdf

YouTube explanation:

Other schedules [UPDATES]

Reversed Tikrar schedule

There have been a number of people requesting a schedule that is reversed (starting from Surah an-Nās to al-Baqarah), I have had one being made.

Half a page (Tikrar schedule)

One page (Tikrar schedule)

Two pages (Tikrar schedule)

Three pages (Tikrar schedule)

Four pages (Tikrar schedule)

May Allāh grant blessing