Effective hifdh techniques

18 Mar Effective hifdh techniques

Bismillah
Assalaamu ‘alaykum wa Rahmatullah,

Dear friends,
On the eve of this jumu’a, I’d love to share the advice of Shaykh Abdul-Muhsin bin Muhammad al-Qaasim, on the effective memorisation of Al Qur’aan. Shaykh is the Imaam and Khateeb of Masjid An-Nabawiyy ash-Shareef & he provides further detail into the incorporation of memorisation & review techniques. Alhamdulillah, the motivating tone in these beneficial advices is something that each aspiring & completed haafidha can gain maximum benefit from, inshaa Allah!
May Allah Ta’ala bless your every moment of memorisation with ease, enlightenment & spiritual bliss, aameen!
Rayhaanah
***

All praise is due to Allah and may blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and his family and companions, all together.

This way is excellent for strengthening memorization and its firmness (in the memory), quick memorization and completing the Quraan with speed. And this way, with a demonstration with one section (wajh- which is about eight ayaat) from Surah al-Jumu`ah, is what follows:
1-Read the first ayah twenty times
( يُسَبِّحُ لِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ الْمَلِكِ الْقُدُّوسِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَكِيمِ)

2- Read the second ayah twenty times
( هُوَ الَّذِي بَعَثَ فِي الْأُمِّيِّينَ رَسُولًا مِنْهُمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آَيَاتِهِ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَإِنْ كَانُوا مِنْ قَبْلُ لَفِي ضَلَالٍ مُبِينٍ)

3- Read the third ayah twenty times
( وَآَخَرِينَ مِنْهُمْ لَمَّا يَلْحَقُوا بِهِمْ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ )

4-Read the fourth ayah twenty times
( ذَلِكَ فَضْلُ اللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ )

5- Read these four (ayaat), from the first of them to the last of them, to link between them, twenty times.

6-Read the fifth ayah twenty times
( مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ حُمِّلُوا التَّوْرَاةَ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَحْمِلُوهَا كَمَثَلِ الْحِمَارِ يَحْمِلُ أَسْفَارًا بِئْسَ مَثَلُ الْقَوْمِ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآَيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ )

7- Read the sixth ayah twenty times
( قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ هَادُوا إِنْ زَعَمْتُمْ أَنَّكُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ لِلَّهِ مِنْ دُونِ النَّاسِ فَتَمَنَّوُا الْمَوْتَ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ )

8- Read the seventh ayah twenty times
( وَلَا يَتَمَنَّوْنَهُ أَبَدًا بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِالظَّالِمِينَ )

9- Read the eighth ayah twenty times
( قُلْ إِنَّ الْمَوْتَ الَّذِي تَفِرُّونَ مِنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ مُلَاقِيكُمْ ثُمَّ تُرَدُّونَ إِلَى عَالِمِ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ فَيُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ )

10- Read from ayah the fifth ayah to the eighth ayah twenty times to connect them.

11- Read from the first ayah to the eighth ayah: twenty times to perfect this wajh

And like this, stick to this way in each wajh for the whole Quraan and do not increase in a single day more than eight (ayaat) so that you do not increase over you what you have already memorized, then the memorization changes and leaves your memory
V. If I wanted to memorize a new wajh the next day, how do I do so?
– When you want to memorize the next wajh the next day, then before you memorize the new wajh by the way I mentioned to you, read from the first wajh (from the beginning) to the end of it twenty times so that what you have already memorized becomes firm in your memory, then go over to the new wajh on the way that I pointed to.
V. How do I bring together memorization and review?
– Do not memorize Al-Quraan without review because if you memorized al-Quraan one wajh at a time until you complete the Quraan and then you want to return to what you memorized, you would find yourself haven forgotten what you memorized. And the ideal way of bringing together memorization and review, and you divide the Quraan into three parts; every ten ajza’ (plural of juz’) is a part. So when you have memorized ten ajza’ then pause (memorization) for a complete month for review and everyday review 8 awjah (pl. of wajh)
-After a month of review begin with the memorization, memorizing one or two wajh, according to your ability, and review eight awjah, until you have memorized twenty juz’. When you have memorized twenty juz’, pause the memorization for a period of two months for reviewing the twenty juz’, each day reviewing eight awjah.
When two months have passed on reviewing, begin memorization again every day one or two wajh, according to your ability and review eight awjah, until you end the memorization of al-Quraan completely.
-When you have completed the memorization of al-Quraan, review the first ten ajza’ only, over a period of one month, each day half of a juz’, then go ‘ on to the twenty juz’ over a period of one month, each day half a juz’ and read eight awjah from the first ten ajza’, then go to reviewing the last ten ajza’ of al-Quraan over a period of one month, each day half a juz’ with
eight awjah from the first ten ajza’, and eight awjah from the twenty juz’.
V. How do I review the whole Quraan when I have completed this review?
-Begin reviewing the whole Quraan, everyday two juz’, repeating it three times each day, and (like this) you will complete the whole Quraan in two weeks. And by this way, you will have, in the course of a year, perfected the Quraan completely. And follow this way for the whole year.
V. What do I do a year after memorizing al-Quraan?
-A year after perfecting al-Quraan and reviewing it, let your daily portion of al-Quraan till your death be the portion of Allah’s Messenger Sallallau `alayhi wa Sallam, for he used to portion the Quraan into seven, meaning every seven days he would complete the Quraan. Aws in Hudhaifah rahimahuLlah said: I asked the Companions of the Messenger of Allah Sallallahu `alayhi wa Sallam, “How did you divide the Quraan?” They said” Three suwar (pl. of surah) , five suwar, seven suwar, nine suwar, eleven suwar, and the Mufassil, from surah Qaaf until the end.” Ahmad reported it
-This means from the first day he reads from Surah al-Faatihah to the end of Surah an-Nisaa. On the second day he reads from Surah al-Maaidah to the end of Surah at-Tawbah. On the third day he reads from Surah Yunus to the end of Surah an-Nahl. On the fourth day he reads from Surah al-Israa to the end of Surah al-Furqaan. On the fifth day he reads from Surah ash-Shu`araa to the end of Surah Yaaseen. On the sixth day he reads from Surah as-Saaffaat to Surah al-Hujuraat. And on the seventh day, he reads from Surah Qaaf to the end of Surah an-Naas.
-And the Ulamaa’ have summarized the portions of Rasulillah Sallallau `alayhi wa Sallam into their words “Famee bi shawq” “فمي بشوق” which can be roughly translated as “My mouth is longing” or “My mouth eagerly”

-So each letter in these two words is the beginning of one of the everyday portions Rasulillah Sallallahu `alayhi wa Sallam . The letter ‘Faa’ in the word “Famee” is a symbol for Surah al-Faatihah that shows that it is his hizb (portion) for the day that he begins with Surah al-Faatihah.
The letter ‘Meem’ in their word “Famee” is for the beginning of his hizb on the second day, beginning with Surah al-Maaidah.
The letter ‘Yaa’ in their word “Famee” is for the beginning of his hizb for the third day, beginning with Surah Yunus.
The letter ‘Baa’ in their word “Bi shawq” is for the beginning of his hizb on the fourth day, beginning with Surah Banee Israa-eel, which is also called Surah al-Israa.
The letter ‘Sheen’ in their word “bi shawq” is for the beginning of his hizb on the fifth day, which will begin with Surah ash-Shu`araa.
The letter ‘Waa’ in their word “bi shawq” is for the beginning of his hizb on the sixth day, which begins with Surah was-Saaffaat (as-Saaffaat) .
The letter ‘Qaaf’ in their word “bi shawq” is for the beginning of his hizb for the seventh day, which begins with Surah Qaaf to the end of Surah an-Naas.
As for the current way that the Quraan was divided into ahzaab (pl. of hizb), then this is from al-Hajjaaj bin Yusuf.
V. How do I distinguish between similar ayaat in al-Quraan?
– It is best to, when you come across two similar ayat, to open the mushaf to these two ayaat, see the difference between then, and contemplate it, and put yourself to a test, and during your review the part that difference repeatedly until you master the similarity between them.
V. Rules and regulations in memorization
1- Your memorization must be with a shaykh for correction recitation
2-Memorize everyday two wajh, a wajh after Fajr and a wajh after `Asr or Maghrib, and with this way, you will memorize the complete Quraan perfectly (bi idhniLlah) in one year and you memorization will be perfect, unless you increase in the memorization, for if you did, what you memorized will weaken
3-Your memorization should be from Suran an-Naas to Surah Al-Baqarah because it is easier. And after you memorize al-Quraan your review will be
from Surah al-Baqarah to Surah an-Naas
4-The memorization should be from a mushaf with the one print to be certain about the strength of the memorization and quicker studying the places of the ayaat and the ends and beginnings of the pages.
5- Everyone who memorizes (the Quraan) in the first two years loses some of what he memorized. This is called the “Marhalatut- Tajmee`”, roughly translated as the “Gathering Stage”. So do not worry about the Quraan leaving you or making many mistakes. This is a difficult stage of affliction which shaytaan has a portion of to make you stop memorizing al-Quraan. So do not pay attention to his whispers and continue memorizing it, for it is a treasure that is not given to just anyone…