22 May Ready for Ramadhan? Part 6
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيم
Assalaamu ‘alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakaatuhu,
Welcome to the 6th segment in our quarterly series ‘Ready for Ramadhan’, as we seek to gain hifdh momentum in the weeks leading up to Ramdhan.
Weekly focus: reviewing hifdh during haidh
Q: I am blessed to be surrounded by a handful of huffaadh in my home: my husband, father-in-law and sons. Honestly, I can’t thank Allah enough!
There is always someone reciting, learning or listening Qur’an at any given time. However, as a beginner hifdh student still taking her ‘baby steps’, I need your advise on a specific topic as, understandably, none of them can relate to this concern: I am an adherent to the Hanafi madh-hab and would like to know how best to review my hifdh during haidh (when I do not recite), especially during Ramadhan? Love and salams, Maryam [Canada]
A: Masha Allah, indeed a very blessed household! May Allah ‘Azza wa Jall honour you with increased love and devotion to alQur’aan, and congratulations on having embarked on your hifdh journey, too!
It is vital that your haidh time is seen not as an impediment but rather a catalyst to your hifdh journey. The more time, effort and energy you invest into your hifdh during this time, the better your ‘returns’ for a successful and memorable hifdh future, insha Allah!
I invite you to try implementing some of these learning exercises during haidh. I am certain that post-haidh you will note a vast improvement in your ability to recollect the majority of your pre-haidh lessons, both during Ramadhan & in other months:
- Maintain discipline and routine: sustain the hifdh momentum which you have worked so diligently to uphold. This means allocating time during each haidh day for review of a portion of ol(der) hifdh as well as newer lessons.
- Once your timetable has been set, ensure that you listen to your hifdh. Choose a recite with high standards of tajweed (in this way, you can work on reviewing tajweed principles, too!) and listen carefully. Initially, you may find it challenging to listen without wanting to read along or memorise further but, in time to come, this crucial listening exercise will become easier. Listen carefully and you will note any common or established errors which you have been making in your recitation. Keep your notebook at hand and jot down these points: it will come in handy to review and refer to, especially during the first week post-haidh.
- A significant number of students have found the Qur’aan website: www.tanzil.net to be highly effective in review during haidh: it allows for thorough audio and visual review.
- Allocate time to catch up on further Qur’aan / hifdh –related reading literature: tafseer, Qur’aanic grammar, vocabulary, etc., all of which enhance the spiritual experience of tahfeedh and nurture the growth of knowledge.
- You mentioned your household of huffaadh: masha Allah! Just volunteering to listen to their hifdh review (crucial as we draw closer to Ramadhan & Tarawih duties) will assist you in strengthening visual and audio memory of your hifdh. Even if they happen to recite from ajzaa’ which you are unfamiliar with, it provides a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with your best friend, alQur’aan!
- Put aside 10 minutes each day to develop memory skills: in particular, focus on ways in which to improve retention and recollection skills.
- It’s highly recommended to review and amend (if necessary) your hifdh goals once a month: why not utilise this time to do just that?
- Increase in making du’a for the ease, progress, success and Divine acceptance of your hifdh; invoke Allah ‘Azza wa Jall by His Majestic Names and after praising Him, thank Him. For as you mentioned in your correspondence, we can’t thank Allah enough! Alhamdulillah!
It is only natural for us to feel sad or even lonely during this time: after all, the closest companion of the aspiring haafidha / haafidha is alQur’aan. The above-mentioned points should give us insight and encouragement into realising that there are options for effectively reviewing our hifdh even during this time of the month. Khayr, in shaa Allah.
Stay inspired!
Rayhaanah
Fee Qalbee’s 2012 ‘Ready for Ramadhan?’ series: Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3 , Part 4 , Part 5
*’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 / concerns is posted. Fee Qalbee welcomes your questions for future posts in this feature! Please direct your correspondence to Hafidha Rayhaanah
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