The Quran is the word of Allah. A guidance for mankind. There are numerous virtues for those who memorise the Quran. Know that the one who learns, memorises and teaches Quran is the best of people. They will be rewarded with the highest levels in paradise.

A friend once asked me to give him some tips to help him memorise the Quran. So these are a few tips which I mentioned, from my own experience as well as those from other huffaz. Some tips may seem to have little significance, but sometimes it is the small things which make the biggest difference.

Sincerity

Actions are judged according to their intentions. If you are not sincere in your actions, you will not find any barakah in your efforts. Your struggle will go to waste, and you will not be rewarded. The main aim of you embarking on this journey should be to please your lord and to gain success in the hereafter. It should be so that you can emulate our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions. It should be so that you can pray long into the night, when others are asleep. Those who are sincere in their actions will reap the greatest benefits.

Reverence of the Quran

It is important to revere and respect the Quran. The Quran is the word of Allah, the most high. When you respect the Quran and recognise its status, memorising becomes that much easier. It is much easier to remember those things to which we give significance. The Quran is a guidance for all of mankind. It should be respected at all times. It should be handled with love and care. It should not be placed in dirty places or underneath any other books. Furthermore, ensure that you are always clean, both spiritually and physically, for this is one of the rights of the Quran.

Stay away from sins

One of the many reasons people find it difficult to memorise the Quran is due to a lot of sins. Sins weaken the memory. It is important to do constant istighfaar and tawbah for our sins. Be wary of your actions. It is not befitting for a person who seeks to carry the Quran to act against its teachings. The tongue should not utter any lies nor backbite, for this is the same tongue that will be reciting the glorious Quran. How many reciters of Quran read the Quran, whilst it curses them. Their actions go against the very words which they recite. Let us be like the Prophet (peace be upon him), whose character was the Quran. He who was a living example of the Quran.

Importance of having a teacher

It is important to have a teacher. A teacher helps to keep you on track. They are a guide who can help you through your struggles, and advise accordingly. A teacher helps to eliminate your mistakes, usually those which are not spotted easily by the one memorising. One should make a conscious effort to regularly attend their classes without a miss, even if you have only memorised an ayah…

Continuity

The best actions are those that are small but continuous. Make sure that you are reading and revising every single day without fail. Set yourself a target, small and manageable, and stick to it ardently. Continuity is key. Once you have made reading and memorising Quran a habit, you will find it gets easier to memorise. It is said the more you memorise, the easier it becomes to memorise more. Therefore ensure that you stick to your daily target of reading and memorising, and if you do happen to miss a day, be remorseful. Know that this is a difficult journey, one which shaytaan does not want you to traverse, so make a firm resolve that the following day you will meet your target, and make it up if possible. Do not be disheartened, if you stumble at the first hurdle…

Get inspired

Talk to others who have managed to complete their hifdh. Read stories of the great luminaries and get motivated. I would recommend reading The Value of Time, by Shaykh Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah. It gives a great insight into the lives of previous scholars, and the importance they attached to time. In it are valuable lessons which can be taken and applied by both the student of knowledge and the one seeking to memorise the Quran.

Be always reading

Make sure you are always reading. Whether you are walking, travelling, having a short break, there should not be an hour of the day where you have not read at least some Quran. Make the Quran your companion, learn to love it. The constant recitation will increase you in your imaan, and create a desire and love for the word of Allah. Know that you are rewarded for every letter you recite. So always seek to increase your recitation where possible, and never be satisfied.

Importance of good Tajweed

It is very important to memorise the Quran with the correct tajweed. Many people often start memorising the Quran with the incorrect tajweed, and later find it difficult to re-memorise it correctly. When you read with correct tajweed, your recitation is more beautiful. Remember when you are reciting angels gather to listen to your recitation, so make sure you recite loud and with the correct tajweed. I would recommend listening to Mahmoud Khalil al-Hussary or Ali al-Hudhaifi. Although they may read slow, if you listen carefully to their recitation you can clearly hear how to pronounce each word and letter.

Importance of using the same Quran

It is important to use the same Quran for your hifdh. When memorising, we paint a picture in our minds, so we can visualise where each verse is. For example if I asked you where surah Yaseen is, you would be able to say which side of the page it begins on, and whether it starts at the top, middle or bottom of your Quran. Likewise, it is often the case that the hafidh visualises where a certain verse is, especially when they get stuck. Therefore it is important to familiarise yourself with one print of the Quran, and stick to it.

Writing the Quran

Some countries use this written method for Quran memorisation. The teacher dictates the Quran to the student, the students write down the Quran on a tablet. Whilst writing they are also repeating the ayah, and they also spend time thereafter memorising it. Once they have completed memorising it, they rub it out and read to the teacher. In this way, the students do not actually have a copy of the Quran, but rely on oral transmission. If they get stuck they ask others about the verse, and only resort to a copy of the Quran as a last resort. This whole process, of writing, memorising, rubbing out and reading helps strengthen the memorisation. This technique is one used in various countries and also recommended by various scholars. It can also be used to write on paper etc.

Using Miswak

The miswak is a great, oft-forgotten, sunnah. Having a clean mouth aids one’s memorisation. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

Make sure you are prepared before you start to recite Quran. Do wudhu, use miswaak, apply itr.

Start with bismillah and durood

The Prophet (peace be upon him) would often start with bismillah when doing something good. Start in the name of Allah, and you will find barakah in your memorisation.

The best times for Memorising

When is the best time for memorising? Many scholars have said that the best time for memorising something is after fajr, when the mind is fresh. Tahajjud is another great time to memorise the Quran. The mind is also fresh at this time, and there is no better way to strengthen your hifdh than to practice in your salaah. If one desires to memorise in the afternoon or evening, then try to make sure that this is revision, rather than new memorisation. Often in the evenings, our mind becomes preoccupied with the matters which occurred during the day, and it is harder to embed what is being recited into one’s memory. If possible, have a short power nap (qayloola) before starting your recitation.

Staying away from distractions

Try to memorise in a place where you will not get distracted. Some scholars have mentioned the benefits of memorising outdoors in an open space, or next to a river. However this is not necessary, and one can memorise from the comfort of their home. Ensure that the room is free from clutter, and if possible do your memorisation in a room with empty space. Clutter often engages the mind and distracts when memorising. Further ensure that you have put your mobile away, as it is often easy to get distracted. Dedicate your time solely for the sake of memorising and you will reap the greatest benefits.

Take short breaks when tired

It is important to take short breaks when tired. Forcing yourself to memorise when you are tired will not be effective. Rather it is better for you to take a short, maybe ten to fifteen-minute break and then start again. I find that a short twenty-minute nap often does the trick. Just be wary that the twenty minutes does not turn into an hour! Also, it is important to note that the break should be relaxing, and should not involve anything which will preoccupy your mind. If you start to browse the web in your break, then as soon as you start your Quran recitation your mind will be focussed on this.

Revise in tahajjud and salah

May Allah give us the tawfeeq to do this regularly. There are many virtues of the one who does tahajjud. If you can get up to pray your tahajjud at night then, inshallah, memorising the Quran just gets that much easier. When you read the Quran in your tahajjud, know that you are one of a select few who have been chosen to do ibadah at this time. It is at this time when the mind is fresh, and there is little, if any, distractions. Coupled with this, the reading of Quran in salah helps to embed the Quran in one’s mind. You are forced to rely solely on your memory, and cannot have a quick glance at the Quran if you get stuck. It is often the ayat that one gets stuck on and tries to recall several times, which are those that get etched into one’s memory.

Learn Arabic and understand the meaning

Arabic is a beautiful language. It is the language of the Quran, the language of the people of Jannah. One should strive to learn Arabic as it is the gateway to knowledge. Understanding Arabic often helps one memorise the Quran. Not only does it aid with memorisation, it makes salah that much more beautiful. When you understand what you are reciting, it helps to embed the verses in your memory.

Read tafasir

Sometimes it helps to read tafseer. The tafseer often gives the background to the surah, the circumstances in which the ayah was revealed, and often the implications of the verses. I would recommend reading basic tafseer to start off with such as that of Ibn Katheer in English, or Ma’ariful Quran which is slightly more detailed. It is important however to not get distracted by your memorisation target. Read tafseer in your spare time.

Make lots of dua

Dua is the root of all worship. It is important to make dua to Allah, that he makes it easy for you. That you are sincere in your efforts, and not doing it for show. Make dua that Allah strengthens your memory, and gives you the ability to memorise the Quran. Make dua that you are a person who acts upon the teachings of the Quran.

Listen to the Quran

Try to listen to the Quran whenever you can. This should be the case, especially if you are too tired to read. Listen to the Quran in your spare time, on your travels, whilst relaxing. Make it a habit to always recite the Quran in your free time, and if it is not possible then at least to listen to it. This will help to embed your Quran, and strengthen it. It will make you more fluent in its recital. Pay particular attention to the tajweed element. It is often a good idea to listen to the ayah at least once before memorising. This is so that you know that you are pronouncing the letters correctly.

Extra tips

These are some more uncommon tips and practical advise which I have gathered from my reading or speaking to other huffaz and ulama.

Keep Quran raised

This ties in with having reverence and respect for the Quran. I remember reading some research that it is often the case that when asked to recall something a person tends to look upwards and to the left. There may be a possible link here, that one should try to keep the Quran raised and memorise from it. Allah knows best.

Use a Quran with light coloured background

This is something from my personal experience, and something which may hold some significance. I find it is best to use a Quran where the background colour of the page is not white, but rather creamy. I find it is easier on the eyes, and therefore aids with memorisation. In some countries such as Mauritania and Morocco, they write the Quran on stone-like tablets, and memorise the Quran from this. These tablets are often a natural sandy colour, and maybe this is one of the reasons why their hifdh is strong.

Nuts, almonds and honey

It is related in a hadith:

Honey offers numerous advantages, as highlighted in the Quran, which describes it as a source of healing for humanity. Scholars would eat grinded nuts and almonds, mixed with honey and milk to aid their memorisation.

Eat less

It is the sunnah of our Prophet (peace be upon him) that he would not eat much, and never to his fill. There are ahadith which mention how a month would go by and the fire would not be lit i.e. no cooked food would be eaten. It is mentioned that one of the key advice to students of knowledge is to eat less, as eating makes one tired. Therefore eat in balance, not too much, and you will find that you have more energy to do your memorisation.