METHODOLOGY OF MEMORIZING QUR’AN

1. Niyah for Allaah: This is making a sincere intention of memorizing the Qur’an to only gain the pleasure of Allaah ‘Azza wa Jall. If this is not your intention, then your whole plan of memorizing fails and there will be no barakah in your memorizing.

2. Start practicing Islam to the best of your ability: It is important to keep an Islamic habit and trying to abstain from sinning. Be in the company of good people who will encourage you to do good practices rather than those who take you away from the path of Allaah ‘Azza wa Jall.

Imaam Shafi’ee once complained to his teacher about poor memory, and this was obviously a great concern for the great Imaam of one of the four school of thoughts. Unlike us, we usually complain about the Toronto Raptors or Toronto Maple Leafs losing (I am a Torontonian, so I am using them as an example). The teacher of Imaam Shafi’ee advised him to abstain from sin. So this is indeed a great advice for us to follow as well, since abstaining from sin will eventually make us focus more on the ‘ibaadah (worship) rather than the dunyaa (worldly matters).

3. Learning tajweed from someone who has Ijaaza: This is to learn from a teacher who knows how to pronounce the words and vowels correctly in order to recite the Qur’an in its correct manners.

4. Make a habit to memorize every day: Do bit by bit every day, even if it is little as memorize 5 small ayahs from the Qur’an. Do your best to make this a consistent effort, so that you will not fall back on your goals. If you memorize even a small amount day by day, you will be one step closer to the end of bridge insha’allah.

5. Memorize at the early stage of the day: I know this is difficult for a lot of us, especially for me. I must admit, I love snuggling with my nice comfy pillow, however for those who are really determined in memorizing the Book of Allaah, it is best to memorize right after Fajr/ early in the morning when the mind is fresh and when the beautiful Sun is bright.

6. Recite to somebody on consistent basis: Have a friend, family member or a teacher who you can recite to consistently. This is an amazing tip when it comes to reviewing, because you will have someone catch the small mistakes you wont notice while you are reciting the surah from memory.

7. Compete!!: It is best to have a buddy that you can compete with. At times you may feel unmotivated. This is true for a lot of students and due to this reason you may see people actually quitting on their goal. Thats why a little competition wont hurt. Try finding a friend who you know wants to memorize the Qur’an and knows nearly the same amount as you. Both of you can race towards attaining good deeds and keep each other motivated by sharing how much each of you have memorized at the end of the day and how much you reviewed. And Allah says: So hasten towards all that is good. ( 2:148 )

8. Divide relationship of Qur’an into four categories:

1.       New memorization: No matter what, memorize after Fajr, bright and early since this is the best time to do it.

2.      Linking last 7 days memorization: What this means is, that everything you learned in the last seven days, revise it completely. This is essential since it is easy to forget your past lessons if you don’t consistently review, and this is believed to be a good methodology for memorizing the Qur’an and keeping up to date with your revision.

3.      GO OVER OLD STUFF: I capitalize this, because this is an important advice to myself. Sometimes you will get lazy to review stuff that you learned so long ago. It is easy to forget your old stuff, and this is really the hardest part when it comes to memorizing the Qur’an. Ask yourself, what is the point of memorizing, when you will forget what you learned in the past. Therefore, try to revise your old juz, or ayaat you memorized from before on a consistent basis during any time of the day, and if you can, do your best to keep it to a minimum of 1/4 – 1/2 Juz insha’allah.

4.      Read what you will memorizing the next day before you go to sleep: I am currently a hifdh student, and this something I added. Personally, I find it easier to memorize when you read what you are going to be memorizing the next day, the night before. I just think it helps because you will have some words and phrases stuck in your mind which helps you to learn the lesson faster.

9. Brain Food and Health: “A daily run, a diet rich in almonds and other healthful foods and a stimulating environment — all may keep aging brain cells in shape, according to research out Monday.” (Kathleen Fackelmann, USA TODAY) To increase your memorization capacity, I guess its advisable to eat some almonds and be a little more active (Shoot, I actually have to get off the couch to memorize!!). 

The Significance and Tafsir of the Last Two Ayat of Surat Al-Baqarah

The Last two Ayah of Surat ul Baqarah

The Messenger (Muhammad ) believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in Allâh, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers. They say, "We make no distinction between one another of His Messengers" - and they say, "We hear, and we obey. (We seek) Your Forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the return (of all)." (Al-Baqarah 2:285)

Allâh burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned. "Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error, our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which You did lay on those before us (Jews and Christians); our Lord! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Pardon us and grant us Forgiveness. Have mercy on us. You are our Maulâ (Patron, Suppor-ter and Protector, etc.) and give us victory over the disbelieving people." (Al-Baqarah 2:286)

The Virtue of These Ayah

From Ibn 'Abbas " who said:
"While Jibra'eel (Gibrael) " `May Peace be upon him' was sitting with the Prophet !, he heard the opening of a gate above him. So he raised his head and said: `This is a gate from the shies that has opened today, which has never opened before this day.' So an angel descended from it (the gate). So he Jibra'eel " said: "This is an angel that has descended to the earth, which has never descended except today. He gave Salam and said: 'Receive glad tidings [Oh Muhammad ! with two lights which have been given to you, that have never been given to a Prophet before you: The Opening of the Book (i.e. Surat Al- Fatihah) and the end of Surat Al-Baqarah. Never do you read a letter from either of the two (Surahs) except that you are given it.( Which means that you are given its reward (i.e. the reward of recitation)) (Reported by Muslim) (Taken from Mukhtasar Sahih Muslim with Shaykh AI-Albani's editing, p.553, Hadith no. 2094.)

Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Allah said,

(Each one believes in Allah, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers. (They say,) "We make no distinction between one another of His Messengers.'')

Therefore, each of the believers believes that Allah is the One and Only and the Sustainer, there is no deity worthy of worship except Him and there is no Lord except Him. The believers also believe in all Allah's Prophets and Messengers, in the Books that were revealed from heaven to the Messengers and Prophets, who are indeed the servants of Allah. Further, the believers do not differentiate between any of the Prophets, such as, believing in some of them and rejecting others. Rather, all of Allah's Prophets and Messengers are, to the believers, truthful, righteous, and they were each guided to the path of righteousness, even when some of them bring what abrogates the Law of some others by Allah's leave. Later on, the Law of Muhammad, the Final Prophet and Messenger from Allah, abrogated all the laws of the Prophets before him. So the Last Hour will commence while Muhammad's Law remains the only valid Law, and all the while a group of his Ummah will always be on the path of truth, apparent and dominant. Allah's statement,

(And they say, "We hear, and we obey'') means, we heard Your statement, O our Lord, comprehended and implemented it, and adhered to its implications.

((We seek) Your forgiveness, our Lord) contains a plea and supplication for Allah's forgiveness, mercy and kindness.

Allah's statement,

(Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope) means, Allah does not ask a soul what is beyond its ability. This only demonstrates Allah's kindness, compassion and generosity towards His creation. This Ayah is the Ayah that abrogated the Ayah that worried the Companions, that is, Allah's statement,

(And whether you disclose what is in yourselves or conceal it, Allah will call you to account for it.)

This indicates that although Allah will question His servants and judge them, He will only punish for what one is able to protect himself from. As for what one cannot protect himself from, such as what one says to himself - or passing thoughts - they will not be punished for that. We should state here that to dislike the evil thoughts that cross one's mind is a part of faith. Allah said next,

(He gets reward for that which he has earned) of good,

(And he is punished for that which he has earned) of evil, that is, concerning the acts that one is responsible for.

Allah then said, [mentioning what the believers said] while directing His servants to supplicate to Him, all the while promising them that He will answer their supplication:

("Our Lord! Push us not if we forget or fall into error,'') meaning, "If we forgot an obligation or fell into a prohibition, or made an error while ignorant of its ruling.'' We mentioned the Hadith by Abu Hurayrah, that Muslim collected, wherein Allah said, "I shall (accept your supplication).'' There is also the Hadith by Ibn `Abbas that Allah said, "I did (accept your supplication).''

(Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which You did lay on those before us (Jews and Christians),) means, "Even if we were able to perform them, do not require us to perform the difficult deeds as You required the previous nations before us, such as the burdens that were placed on them. You sent Your Prophet Muhammad , the Prophet of mercy, to abrogate these burdens through the Law that You revealed to him, the Hanifi (Islamic Monotheism), easy religion.'' Muslim recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said that Allah said, "I shall (accept your supplication).'' Ibn `Abbas narrated that the Messenger of Allah said that Allah said, "I did (accept your supplication).'' There is the Hadith recorded through various chains of narration that the Messenger of Allah said,

(I was sent with the easy Hanifiyyah way.)

(Our Lord! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear) of obligations, hardships and afflictions, do not make us bear what we cannot bear of this.

(Our Lord! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear.)

We mentioned that Allah said, "I shall (accept your supplication)'' in one narration, and, "I did (accept your supplication),'' in another narration.

(Pardon us) meaning, between us and You regarding what You know of our shortcomings and errors.

(And grant us forgiveness) concerning what is between us and Your servants. So do not expose our errors and evil deeds to them.

(Have mercy on us) in what will come thereafter. Therefore, do not allow us to fall into another error. They say that those who commit error need three things: Allah's forgiveness for what is between Him and them, that He conceals these errors from His other servants, and thus does not expose them before the servants, and that He grants them immunity from further error.'' We mentioned before that Allah answered these pleas, "I shall,'' in one narration and, "I did,'' in another narration.

(You are our Mawla) meaning, You are our supporter and helper, our trust is in You, You are sought for each and every type of help and our total reliance is on You. There is no power or strength except from You.

(And give us victory over the disbelieving people) those who rejected Your religion, denied Your Oneness, refused the Message of Your Prophet , worshipped other than You and associated others in Your worship. Give us victory and make us prevail above them in this and the Hereafter. Allah said, "I shall,'' in one narration, and, "I did,'' in the Hadith that Muslim collected from Ibn `Abbas.

Further, Ibn Jarir recorded that Abu Ishaq said that whenever Mu`adh would finish reciting this Surah,

(And give us victory over the disbelieving people), he would say "Amin.''

Warning against forgetting the Qur'an

1002. Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, "Read the Qur'an regularly. By the One in Whose Hand Muhammad's soul is, it escapes from memory faster than a camel does from its tying ropes.''
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Commentary:  To safeguard the Qur'an means to recite it regularly, because if one fails to do so, he tends to forget it quickly. In the absence of regular recitation, one is bound to forget it more quickly than a camel breaks loose bound with. The breaking loose by the camel to liberate itself is a simile for the quick process of forgetting.

1003. Ibn `Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said: "The parable of one who knows the Qur'an by heart is as the parable of an owner of hobbled camel. If he remains vigilant, he will retain it; and if he neglects it, it will go away.''
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Commentary:  This Hadith repeats the subject mentioned above. The person who memorizes the entire Qur'an or a portion of it, if he recites it regularly, he will retain it; otherwise, it will start slipping from his memory.

The Excellence of Reciting the Qur'an

991. Abu Umamah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) saying, "Read the Qur'an, for it will come as an intercessor for its reciters on the Day of Resurrection.''
[Muslim].

Commentary: This Hadith tells the excellence of reciting the Qur'an and acting upon its injunctions. Intercession (in this Hadath) means that the Qur'an will be endowed with the power of speech by Allah and it will request Allah to forgive the sins of its reciters who acted upon its teachings. Allah will accept the request of the Qur'an, as signified in other Ahadith.

992. An-Nawwas bin Sam`an (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) saying, "The Qur'an and its people who applied it, will be brought on the Day of Resurrection preceded with Surat Al-Baqarah and Surat Al-`Imran arguing on behalf of those who applied them.''
[Muslim].

Commentary:  This Hadith means that on the Day of Requital, the Qur'an, with Surat Al-Baqarah and Al-`Imran in the forefront, will intercede before Allah for those who used to recite and act upon them in the life of the world.

993. `Uthman bin `Affan (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, "The best amongst you is the one who learns the Qur'an and teaches it.''
[Al-Bukhari].

994. `Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, "The one who is proficient in the recitation of the Qur'an will be with the honourable and obedient scribes (angels) and he who recites the Qur'an and finds it difficult to recite, doing his best to recite it in the best way possible, will have a double reward.''
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Commentary:  Proficient here means one who reads the Qur'an in accordance with the rules of "

The Merit of Recitation of the Noble Qur'an in a Pleasant Voice

1004. AbU Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Messenger of AllAh (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) saying, "Allah does not listen so attentively to anything as He listens to the recitation of the Qur'an by a Prophet who recites well with a melodious and audible voice.''
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Commentary:  "Allah does not listen so attentively'' has two- fold meanings. First, Allah's acceptance and pleasure. Second, His attribute of Hearing. One must have to believe in it although we can neither describe it nor compare it with anything else.

The word "Ghina'' is ordinarily used for singing but here it means the recitation which is done in accordance with the principles of Tajwid and in a beautiful voice.

Thus, this Hadith induces us to recite the Qur'an properly with nice feeling and voice.

1005. Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said to him, "You have been given a Mizmar (sweet melodious voice) out of the Mazamir of Prophet Dawud (David).''
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Commentary:  Mizmar means  flute but here it stands for tune and sweet voice. In the phrase Al-Dawud (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam), translated here `the family of Dawud,' the word Al is superfluous and what is in fact meant is Prophet Dawud. In any case, sweet voice is a gift of Allah Who grants it to whom He likes. Lucky indeed are those who are granted this gift and they go about using it to invite people to the religion of Allah.

1006. Al-Bara' bin `Azib (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: I heard the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) reciting Surat Wat-Teen Waz-Zaitun (Chapter 95) during the `Isha' prayer. I have never heard anyone reciting it in a more beautiful voice than his.
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Commentary: This Hadith tells us that, like other virtues and qualities, the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) was also granted a sweet voice by Allah.

1007. Abu Lubabah Bashir bin `Abdul-Mundhir (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, "He who does not recite the Qur'an in a pleasant tone is not of us.''
[Abu Dawud].

Commentary: The words "is not of us'' mean that he is not following the way of the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) with regard to the recitation of the Qur'an. This Hadith also induces us to recite the Qur'an with a sweet and touching voice because the recitation of the Qur'an in this manner enhances its effect.

1008. Ibn Mas`ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said to me, "Recite the Qur'an to me.'' I said: "O Messenger of Allah! Shall I recite it to you when it was revealed to you?'' He (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, "I like to hear it from others.'' Then I began to recite Surat An-Nisa'. When I reached the Ayah: `How will it be when We shall bring a witness from every people and bring you as a witness against them?' (Having heard it) he said, "Enough! Enough!'' When I looked at him, I found his eyes were overflowing with tears.
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Commentary:  This Hadith has been mentioned earlier. It is repeated here for the reason that it has an aspect of honour for the people who are blessed with knowledge and grace. Moreover, it stresses the need to hear the recitation of the Qur'an from those who recite it beautifully in order to contemplate over it, as was done by the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) himself.