Keep Sharpening......Your Memorization

[ummammaar]

Let's think about this if we want to memorize Quran "As the saying goes, it takes 21 - 30 days of
consistent action to form a habit. Below are some questions to
assist us in developing the habit of reading/memorizing Qur'an
daily, insha'Allah (which are adapted from Anthony Robbins, Personal
Power II program):

1. Why are you putting off memorizing the Qur'an, and when you
actually do this, how will it change your life?

2. What are three simple things you can do immediately, that will
be consistent with your decision to memorize Qur'an?

3. We, as humans, will do far more to avoid pain than we will to
gain pleasure. What is the 'pain'/negativity you have associated
with memorizing the Qur'an daily? (i.e., time, it is too long, self-
defeating thoughts linked to poor self-esteem, or negative thought
patterns, etc.)

4. What is the pleasure you took from not following through in
memorizing the Qur'an in the past? (i.e., time for other things -
tv, phone, friends, net, etc.)

5. What will it cost you if you do not follow through now? Really
think about this and feel the consequences of NOT following through
on your decision to memorize the Qur'an. What will you regret the
most if you don't? Now, step five years into the future and see
what it will cost you by then? 10 years into the future? 15 years
into the future? Can you really afford to keep putting this off
another day?

6. What are the benefits you will gain by taking action now, stated
in the positive. How will your life be greater and more fulfilling
in a month if you are consistent with memorizing Qur'an daily?
Where do you see yourself in one year? Five years? 10 years? You
could have the ENTIRE Qur'an memorized by then!, insha'Allah. Can
you really afford to keep putting this off another day?

7. Write down in a list of 21 Reasons Why You Want to Memorize
Qur'an, stated in the positive, and why you know you can and will,
insha'Allah, do it. It may seem like a lot, however, once you
begin, you will end up with more than 21 reasons. Begin looking for
reasons in the 'links' section of this site, as our Moderator has
some great information at our disposal. Read this list to yourself
in the mornings when waking and before retiring at night. Review it
daily, for at least 30 days to form your new habit.

8. Now, ask yourself and figure out, what is the best way to
achieve this goal of memorizing the Qur'an daily, and to enjoy
myself in the process? Spend no more than 20% of your time defining
the challenge and 80% of your time finding the solution. I would
recommend, if you have not already done so, to order and listen to
daily, the IANA cd-rom program of the Qur'an that we log on to use -
reciter.org. For a small investment of ~$15.00, you will be
well on your way, insha'Allah. I, personally, listen to this in the
mornings as I am preparing for the day. I can hear it anywhere
(even while taking showering, dressing, eating, etc.). I, also, as
the sister earlier mentioned, listen to tapes while cleaning,
cooking, and in the car. And it REALLY does help! I even have a
digital Qur'an, called 'Al-Muqry' (without the text), so that I can
listen to it while I am grocery shopping, waiting in line, etc. It
is very small and fits in my purse and I have the Qur'an with me all
the time. Available from: http://www.penmanusa.com/mukry_vh.html.
You can even get an apple 'iPod' and download the reciters that you
like the most and have it with you.

9. Something else to consider when studying, anything, is what is
your learning style? Are you an audial, visual, or
tactile/kinesthetic learner? For more information, see:
learning-styles-online.com and perform the free, simple,
on-line test to find out more. Apply the results to your study
habits and see how much you improve."

[Ibn Abi Ukhti]

BismiLlah,

Assalamu 'Alaykum,

I found this on the internet, masha'Allah very useful:

[Asmaa Abdul Hameed]

Originally Posted by a3644us

..................

Masha Allaah.. Jazaak Allah for sharing this with us..

[Shahanara]

Assalamu Alaikum,

This thread is soooooo useful mashAllah. Jazakallah Khair for sharing all your tips!

[abu-abdullah]

Jazakum Allah to all for sharing.

[Talibah_E_Ilam]

Jazak Allah for sharing this useful tips

[Talibah_E_Ilam]

A great video for those who are or want to memorise the Quran or anything else titled "How to strengthen your Memory"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQRZo...eature=related

[colours of islam]

Nice tips ...i'll surely put them to use ... i recently came across a website opened by two A-level students...they are both Hufaaz and are teaching Tajweed online...Please visit their site and support their noble aim...the name of their sit is tuition for you [dot] com... may Allah bless them in their efforts to spread this wealth .Ameen

[mraza1]

masha allah these are some really smart ideas...you see, my problem has been trying to figure out how to set up a schedule of memorization and revision but with work, family, and almaghrib stuff I haven't been able to come up with a do-able plan...so the last time I was consistently memorizing was probably last summer when I finally finished my first juz,..which isn't much compared to you hafidhs and hifidahs out there...but I've never memorized any quran in my life until I memorized that first juz so it was s HUGE HUGE accomplishment for me alhamdu lillah...anyway....this seems like a good idea...memorizing new lines and repeating them 300x, then keeping a cycle of understanding, repetition, grammar, and meaning....just two questions?

1. can I just READ the lines I want to memorize first off? if I do that, how many times would I repeat the reading before repeating it 300x?

2. also, what is a misbah?

Jazakallah khairun for the fabulous advice....i dont think i'll be able to do the entire 300....maybe 150-200 is more reasonable with my schedule....but we'll see and i'll report back insha allah!

Originally Posted by ummammaar

How to do it


1. Write the page [or two or three or four-if it is Qur'an] on the board or tan paper in legible writing. If you are memorizing a text such as Imam Nawawi's Forty Hadith collection, or a small text on Fiqh or grammar, you should only memorize one Hadith at a time or-as with texts that are often in poetry form-only write four lines per day. [Note: For memorizing Qur'an in this method, you must read what is written to one who knows the Qur'an. It is not uncommon to mistakenly write something and start off reading it incorrectly]
2. Proceed to read the text out loud while looking at the board or paper just as you would with a book. Read and read until you can read it without looking at all.
3. After memorizing the text, proceed to repeat what you memorized 300 times-using the Misbah to count with. If you are memorizing the Qur'an, repeat it 500 times. As you are reading this, I can imagine that you are probably shaking your head thinking that maybe what I wrote was a typo. It is not a typo- in Mauritania they repeat each page of Qur'an 500 (five-hundred) times in their memorization. With the Qur'an, it is possible to lower that two 150. However, as was mentioned before, this will mean that you will have to review more to ensure that you don't lose what you memorized. With other texts, 300 times is the maximum number of repetitions. I remember once memorizing Lamiyatul Af'al in the science of Sarf [morphology] and I thought that I was supposed to repeat each line of that poem 500 times! After spending days and days with that misunderstanding, I could hear myself reading the lines in my dreams, not to mention having that strange feeling you get when you say one word hundreds of times without stopping!
4. Occasionally, read the text while looking at the board or paper to insure that you have not left off anything.
5. Go easy on yourself. You don't have to read the text 300 times in one sitting! Take it easy and break the task into manageable parts. Try repeating it with the Misbah 100 times and then take a break. Continue like this until you complete 300 repetitions. Based on my own experience, I would say that it will take you about an accumulated 3 hours to repeat on part of a text 300 times and a total accumulated time of 4 ½ hours to read one page of Qur'an 500 times [with the average quick reading time of one minute for one page of Qur'an].
6. After completing 300 repetitions [or whatever high number you choose] take a break. You are done…at least for today. J
7. Now on day two you will memorize new material and that means 300 more repetitions. With that however, you still have not finished from yesterday. After memorizing and repeating the new material, proceed to repeat yesterday's material 150 times from memory.
8. On day three, you will memorize new material and that means 300 more repetitions. Don't forget though, you still have to repeat yesterdays [day 2] text 150 times and the day before that [day 1] text 50-75 times.
9. On day four, you will memorize new material and that means 300 more repetitions. Don't forget though, you still have to repeat yesterday's [day 3] material 150 times and the material from the day before [day 2] 50-75 times and the material from day one 10 times.

Sounds like a lot? Of course it is! That is all the fun!
With this program, you will need less time to review what you have memorized because it will have entered into your long-term memory. Even though you know it well, it is advisable to read everything that you have memorized [from texts] 5-10 times from beginning to end just to make sure that you can connect ever part together as one unit.

The same is said with regard to memorization of the Qur'an. You should always review from front to back on a consistent basis.

What's next?
Traditionally, a student would either memorize and repeat his lesson for that day and then proceed to sit with the Shaykh who would then go on to explain the lines that he memorized. The student would only learn the meaning of those 4 or 5 lines and depart once more to memorize. Memorize what you ask? He would then go out, write the brief explanation of the lines he memorized on the other side of the lawhah [or in our case, on another sheet of tan paper] and memorize that as well.

How?
At this point, the student understands the lines that he memorized, be it in Fiqh or grammar. Now, he will read the explanation and put it into his own words,explaining the meanings of what he memorized and what it entails of finer points. On day two, the student will repeat those first lines from day one 150 times. After each tenth reading, this student would then read, in his own words, the meaning of the lines he read-as if he was teaching some one else. This will continue every day for all material, be it from day one, two, three, or four and beyond.

After one engages in this time consuming program for more than two weeks or so, he will have the following:

Day 1: 300 reps
Day 2: 300+150+explanation 15 times
Day 3: 300+150+75+explanations for material of day one and two- totaling 23 times
Day 4: 300+150+75+10+explanations for material of day one, two, and three- totaling 33 times.
Day 5: Continues as day four along with reading everything at once a few times to ensure proper connection etc.

With this method, you will memorize with strength in sha Allah. One thing to keep in mind also is that you are not bound to the numbers mentioned above. If you don't have the time to sit for hours upon hours, at least repeat your material 50 times on day one and then 25 on day two and 10 on day three and so on and so fourth. A little is better than reading it a few times thinking that you memorized it, only to stumble the next day as if you did nothing at all.

Group review as an aid to memorization
Last but not least, I would like to mention a bit about the group reviews in Mauritania and how we can implement that in our communities.

The group reviews are nothing more than a memorization mini study group. In Mauritania, a student will link up with a handful of other students that are studying the same book and all will do their part in the group study. The way this is done is by starting with one person [perhaps the most senior]. He will read four to ten lines that everyone has already memorized and studied. After reading them from memory, he will then start from the first line, read it and explain it's meaning in his own words. He will read each line in this manner, reading and explaining until he reaches the end of the selected amount. After he is finished, the student next to him will read and explain in the exact same manner. This will continue until everyone in the circle has read and explained to the others. From the technique, there are numerous benefits. From them:

• It is like hearing the lesson 5, 6, or 7 times, or as many students are there. This helps the meaning of the lesson stick.
• One gets to hear it explained by others who might express a concept better and thus the student benefits more and more.
• One might have a faulty way of explaining a concept; in that case, the senior student or anyone else in the circle will correct him as soon as he says in.
• One reads this in a group setting and thus works at getting over the nervousness of public speaking [to a smaller extent].

These gatherings can take place every day, or every few days according to the need. One thing to keep in mind with this method is that you are not giving a full fledged, 45-minute or one-hour lesson when you read and explain. The most it would take is 15 minutes per-person according to the subject matter.

One way this program can be implemented in our communities is by us gathering a group of serious dedicated individuals who want to learn. All of them agree to memorize in this method [even if adapted somewhat] and either learn the meanings of what is memorized through a Shaykh or teacher, or through the cassette tapes of scholars who have explained that book. If everyone goes at the same pace and all are either attending the classes of the Shaykh or teacher or are listening to the tapes, they may then gather together and hold small study sessions.

This is an attempt to learn the basics with strength and mastery. The goal behind this should not be out quoting another person and bombarding them with opinions in the subject that is being learned about. The focus as we mentioned should be on the main meaning of the text that is being read and repetition repetition repetition.

This is the method of memorization that I was blessed to learn. I am sure that there are variations of this technique in Mauritania that differ slightly. And Allah knows best.

I hope and pray to Allah the Most High that this was of benefit to you and that you read it, implement it even if in a small way, and that you make Dua' for me.

Wa Sallallahu ala Nabiyyina Muhammad wa ala aalihi was Ashabihi Ajma'in

[SNQ]

SubhanAllah!
this thread is so amazing!!
n wats more amazing is how Allah(swt) helps those who wanna b on the righteous path
inshaAllah im soon going to start my hifz n i wanted somethin to begin with n this has helped me so much!
jazak Allah khair everyone who contributed towards this thread
may Allah bless ur all immensely n may the knowledge of this thread benefit me n all those who read it ameen ya rabbi!