Ready for Ramadhan? Part 4

08 May Ready for Ramadhan? Part 4

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيم

Assalaamu ‘alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakaatuhu,

Welcome to part 4 in our quarterly series ‘Ready for Ramadhan’, as we seek to prepare for the blessed month by addressing issues of key concern regarding tahfeedhul Qur’aan.

Weekly focus: hifdh & salah

An important review tool for both hifdh students and graduates is to incorporate ones hifdh into the five daily salah and Nafl salaah.

A key concern at this time of year arises from (mainly) hafidhaat who may completed Qur’aanic memorisation yet rarely recite in salaah: meaning, they may have certain and very specific surahs or verses which they have, for years on end, been routinely reciting in salaah but have not recited any other surahs aside from these.

How do they cross this bridge? Create this meaning, crucial and consistent change in their hifdh review routine? And, as many query, how important is this inclusion?

Suffice to say, it is an indispensable component in your connection to Faith & alQur’aan. The practise of incorporating hifdh in salaah assists in:

(a)    Improving hifdh review

(b)   Enhancing long-term retention

(c)    Strengthening ones concentration and attention span, leading to overall improvement in hifdh progress and the development of khushoo’ in salaah

(d)   The blessings of increased attachment to alQur’aan

(e)    Spiritual purification and growth that is attained from this routine

Stepping Stones…

I’m convinced of the benefits, but how do I start?

Draw up a list of all the surahs / juzz which you have memorised. With the guidance of your teacher, work at evaluating each surah / juzz on a scale of 1 up until 10, with 1 representing extremely weak memory retention and 10 signifying meticulous retention.

 Once the evaluation is complete, set out your first realistic yet flexible schedule on how best you hope to incorporate both strong and weak hifdh into your salaah: My recommendation would be to strike a consistent balance that would lend to enhanced hifdh standards: by reciting your stronger hifdh in salaah you would be encouraged to now review the weaker sections so that they too, will attain the same standards.

Some of my hifdh has never been recited in salaah. Is it too late for me start?

Not at all – the best time is NOW!  I’ve mentored numerous hafidhaat who had only ever reviewed juzz ‘Ammaa in salah, and then went on to gradually reciting the entire Qur’aan in slaah with relative ease and fluency, mashaAllah!

In most instances where a student has not regularly incorporated all hifdh in salaah, I would recommend that they follow the principle of gradualism: If for example, surah Taghaabun is weak, begin by reviewing with your mus-haf on a verse-by-verse basis. Thereafter, practise without reciting the surah (thrice) out aloud without the use of your mus-haf. Now incorporate the first five verses into one rak’aat of Nafl salaah, together with reciting a stronger surah / section in the second rak’aat. In the event that you are unable to complete the five verses (due either to: forgetfulness / concentration span / recollection of similar yet incorrect verses), simply begin again or resume with another surah. After the completion of salaah, open your mus-haf and recite thrice out aloud and once from memory. Attempt to include those verses in the forthcoming salaah. Within a matter of days, you will find the process much easier to accomplish and inshaAllah, begin cherishing the moments in which you recite hifdh in salaah.

Note: As you familiarise yourself with this process, try increasing the amount of verses recited in each salaah. Regularly review your juzz assessment sheet / ratings with your teacher & amend accordingly. The amount reviewed in salaah would differ from one individual to the other, based on the personal progress made or challenges faced.

I’ve repeatedly started the process, but always stop after a few days. I honestly find it overwhelming when I realise how many sections of my hifdh are not ‘strong enough’ in my memory. Please help!

One of the important lessons we learn from the hifdh-salaah routine is that there is always room for improvement, even for the best memorisers. It literally sets the platform for healthy competition and ambition within our own selves: How well have I memorised surah alKahf? Have I remembered the similarities within surah alBaqarah? Am I able to recollect – with relative ease – the sequential order of verses in surah arRahmaan?                                                                                                                                

 This process is an acute indicator by which we can measure and assess the progress of our hifdh. It is a vital link for a haafidha (one who has completed Qur’aanic memorisation) to bridge her association between similar yet different words / phrases (alMutashaabihaat) and by which she remembers hifdh & honours the spiritual gift of Qur’aanic preservation within her heart.                                                

Do not give up: persevere! With the advice and guidance of your teacher, the support and encouragement of friends or family, you will in due time, find this process incredibly rewarding sans any anxiety or feeling of overwhelm: Allow the outcome of your hifdh-salaah review to lend support to future hifdh revision, for as teacher of the past would counsel: “Reciting hifdh in salaah is by all means the surest way to gauge how well you know your hifdh.”                                                                                                               

May your salaah be the coolness of your eyes, as it was for Rasoolullah (sallalaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam),

Stay inspired!

Rayhaanah

Recommended Reading:

A haafidha’s advise: Tips to enrich your hifdh journey

Maintaining Hifdhul Qur’aan

Fee Qalbee’s 2012 ‘Ready for Ramadhan?’ series: Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3

*’Ready for Ramadhan’ is a series of pre-Ramadhan posts which seeks to assist hifdh students, hafidhaat, teachers and parents alike. Each Tuesday, a new post addressing different questions or concerns is uploaded. Fee Qalbee welcomes your questions for future posts in this feature. Please direct your correspondence to Hafidha Rayhaanah