Ammar AlShukry

Bismillah Alrahman Alraheem
This Inshallah shall be a summary of the Book "How to memorize the Quran" by Sh. Ali bin Umar Badahdah


Those that would like to read the book(arabic) can find it here

Inshallah since I'll also be translating it, any help or corrections will be appreciated.

I ask Allah that it be beneficial for the Muslims in this Month of the Quran, done solely for His sake

Ammar AlShukry

How to memorize the Quran?



Inshallah we will answer this question in 5 parts.

• The beginning steps
• Memorizing
• Revising
• Tying it all together
• Differences

The Beginning Steps



There are a number of beginning steps that must be taken, and it may be that one cannot be successful without fulfilling these requirements.



1st requirement: A pure intention.

A pure intention is the key to the acceptance of our deeds, and if the intention is lacking then the actions will not bear the fruits that are desired, even if they bring forth some of the fruits.



2nd requirement: Minimizing sins

Allah subhannahu wa ta’ala said “And fear Allah and Allah will teach you” (AlBaqarah 282)

Ibn Masood said “A man may lose knowledge due to a sin that he had committed”

Sins extinguish the light of the heart and cause a person to not be given success. So to fear Allah and have Allah teach you is a practical approach. The heart then is filled with the light of iman, and the soul is at ease with what Allah loves and the person prepares for this great affair of memorizing the Quran.

Ammar AlShukry

3rd requirement: A sincere commitment

A person who is uncommitted and lazy will not be able to memorize the Quran. This matter needs a strong commitment and a person will no doubt have to give up some habits, and pick up new ones such as lightening their sleep and increasing their good deeds. Most importantly a person needs to be equipped with the will not to surrender when hit by the first obstacle.

Ammar AlShukry

4th requirement: Correct Methodology

More shall be brought up about this topic Inshallah. Some of the people who start to memorize the Quran begin with great energy, but they go about it in the wrong way and thus their energy quickly becomes extinguished or they become unable to continue. This is like the one who starts by memorizing a surah from one part of the Quran and another from some other part. Another example is someone who memorizes juz after juz but not in the their original order of sequence. The problem with this method is that a juz by itself will not encourage the person to retain it as it will not be connected to the juz before it or the one after it. It is of course beneficial to memorize any surah, but this is not the correct way for the one who wishes to memorize the entire Quran. Also one should consult and ask the people who have memorized before him or the people who are engaged in memorizing at the moment and those who are teaching. In short this is not a solitary effort.

Also one should have a set program for memorizing, going about it ‘on the fly’ will not usually bring about the desire outcome.



5th requirement: A continuing effort

Keep in mind that memorizing the quran is a great task that will take a long commitment. Prophet Muhammad was asked what actions were most beloved to allah, he said the ones that are most consistent even if they are small. Remember, A little that is consistent is better than a great deal that is cut off!

Ammar AlShukry

Part two: Memorization

The method of memorizing will be discussed as well as necessary preconditions.



Firstly there is the method of memorizing by looking at the ‘whole page’. That the person reads the entire page that he wants to memorize, three or five times with focus and awareness to what is being read. So when the page is read a number of times he closes the book and tries to recite from memory. Obviously he will not be able to recite the entire page, most probably will read and stop and that is when he will reopen the book and continue from where he stopped. The point of this method is that the step by step process will allow the memorizer to not make the same mistakes. The place that he stopped in the first time he wont stop in the second time. This is to be continued until the memorizer is able to recite the entire page without stopping. So after the memorizer has initially read the page five times, and then repeated from memory until he was able to recite it without impediment, he will already have read the page around eight or more times. When this happens the page should be recited around three times in totality from memory without mistakes or needing to look at the book. If you read the page 3 or 5 times from the page with attentiveness, and then try to recite it in around 3 or five attempts, and then tie it all together correctly three times, the page will be engrained in your memory in a strong fashion inshallah.

The benefit of this method is that you won’t stop or stumble when you are continuing from page to page. Instead of memorizing disconnected ayahs and not remembering what comes next, you will see the entire page in front of you and that will help you not only in memorizing but in future recollection.

Ammar AlShukry

The second method is that of memorizing one verse at a time.

You read one verse a number of times and then try to recite it, when that is completed, move onto the next verse. When the second verse is memorized correctly you read the first and the second together and so on with the third verse until the end of the page. Then recite the entire page from memory three times. It is very important to connect all of the ayahs on a page together, do not memorize the second half without linking it to the first as this will cause your memory to stumble when reciting that page.



The difference between the first and second method is that the second method generally takes more time and is weaker if you do not link all of the ayahs you have memorized to each other.

shukr or sabr

I just wanted to say may Allah reward you for summarizing this book, especially for those who don't know arabic and can't read it online. Just what I needed, subhan Allah!


Can't wait to read the rest of the summary insha Allah.

__________________

Ammar AlShukry

Now what are the prerequisites for memorization?

1)reading correctly- and in this alone are a number of issues

a) correcting the makharij- if Ramadhaan to you is Ramazaan, if الذين
is read Allazeena then correct your pronounciation of the letters before you start. For those that understand Arabic there is a very beneficial series on tajweed by Sh. Ahmed Amir which you can access here.
Any recommendations for English?



b) Correcting the Harakat- the symbols of I’rab (the damma, fatha, kasra, sukoon) are all very important and it is imperative to learn them correctly. A change in I’rab can change the meaning and thus is worthy of a great deal of attention.

To give you an example take the ayah in surah albaqarah


The meaning of the verse is translated as:

And (remember) when his Lord tried Abraham with (His) commands, and he fulfilled them

If you were to pronounce the word Ibraheem as إِبْرَاهِيمُ


As slight a change of the harakat it may seem, it changes the meaning of the sentence to “and when Abraham tried his lord”. Subhanallah look at how the meaning changed from a statement of truth to a statement of kufr.
Also one must pay attention to the similar sounding words and ‘seemingly’ similar ending verses.

Intisar

Jazaka Allahu Khayran this is super benefical, May Allah ta'la reward you immensely. Please keep translating