“I’ve memorised Qur’aan & now I’ve forgotten…”

23 Dec “I’ve memorised Qur’aan & now I’ve forgotten…”

Bismillah
Assalaamu ‘alaykum wa Rahmatullah
Beloved sisters,

On a weekly basis, I receive emails from sisters who pose this question: “i’ve memorised Qur’aan & now I’ve forgotten…Please help me!” Such a question mirrors the concern & worry held in the hearts of all those who aspire to / have already memorised Al Qur’aan. Like every teacher who dreads to hear these sad words from her student, so too, I believe, does each student dread to experience this negative feeling. Many a time, it is in experiencing this first-hand or witnessing a friend / classmate go through this, that deters sisters from comitting themselves to tahfeedhul Qur’aan.

And whilst each student’s reason / cause will differ from the next, due to individual circumstances & the amount forgotten, there are certain points that you can refer to. I call them ‘guiding anchors’, for in the modst of dread & despair, top tips such as these, can assist you in getting right back on track, bi ithnillah!

1. Strengthen your intention : Niyyah is the spirit of your actions. Bless your noble initiative by following the blessed sunnah. Always check on your intention. Let EVERYTHING you do, be for His Divine Pleasure:)
2. Reflect & Recollect: Think back & seriously take into account the reasons & causes which brought you to this point. This point is KEY to helping yourself get back into relearning what has been forgotten.
3. Teacher Talk: Sit down & discuss the situation with your teacher. Together, you can work through a more rigorous schedule (on a short-term basis), that will assist you in making up for lost / neglected time, by means of thorough corrective revision. Listen to others reciting, utilise audio / p.c. recitations. For verses that have been completely forgotten, it may sometimes come to the point, where you may need to re-learn certain verses, word for word, all over again. Practice=Practise=Practise..makes perfect!
4. Goal-Getter: Be a goal-getter, not just a goal-setter! Set out some realistic short-term & long-term goals on how you seek to re-learn your forgotten work – and don’t give up! Keep Striving!
5. Spiritual Purification: Ensure that you set out time daily to connect to Allah more frequently, to love Him more intensely & to speak to Him more truthfully. Truly, it is only Him who is All-Aware of the condition of our hearts & souls & of the many challenges which we face daily. Our hearts need to be constantly & consistently purified, so that our consciousness of Allah Ta’ala continues to blossom & flourish! Raise your hands in invocation, move your fingers across the beads, moisten your lips in Remembrance, press your forehead onto the ground & feel the teardrops of repentance unto The Lord of the Worlds!

Yes, it may seem that it’s easier said than done..but truly, those who set out to learn The Noble Qur’aan, Allah Ta’ala WILL make it easy for them. Please, never loose hope, don’t despair or give up, or even procastinate…just PERSEVERE:) Yes, memorising Al Qur’aan is a challenge, it is a gift, and it is a blessing. And with this challenge, gift and blessing comes effort, sacrifice, love & patience.

If you are from amongst those who have forgotten memorised portions of Qur’aan, then I pray that this post will uplift your spirits & set you upon a progressive pathway forward, never looking back – except to be reminded that this blessing (i.e. Al Qur’aan) should always be preserved & never neglected ; If you are a friend / parent / teacher of someone who has forgotten Qur’aan, I pray that this post will help you to gently & wisely encourage a dear sister & a potential memoriser.

I know of sisters who have memorised some of the longest chapters & of others who’ve comitted to memory more than three-thirds of the entire Qur’aan, only to forget it completely! For some, the only thing that prevented them from re-learning Qur’aan, was a state of denial : Denying that it had reached such a point, choosing to ignore the true state of their hifdh, or hoping to find a better time to re-learn:(

Well, there’s no better time than NOW, dear sisters!
If you have such a query or concern, please feel free to email me:)