10 Practical Tips for Memorizing the Quran

As you embark on the great spiritual journey of memorizing Quran, it is important to realize that it is a demanding one, both physical and mentally. So be ready to receive God's endowment with firm intention to strive to get the maximum benefit of it. Our teacher share with you 10 practical tips that will help you in your journey:

1. Sincerity. The first matter that you have to pay attention to is your intention. As the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, your actions will be accepted only if they are undertaken with a good intention. Make sure that you the efforts you are making have sincere intentions to receive God's mercy and be rewarded in the hereafter. In other words, make sure your real intentions do not include showing off in front of others with what you have memorized.

2. Repetition is the mother of perfection!: repeat, repeat, repeat, over and over again. It is just repetitive recitation and listening that will help to memorize. This is a main reason why we encourage group memorization.

3. Consistency. Memory is like muscles. The more frequently you memorize, the more you can memorize and the easier it becomes. So it is important to be consistent and stick to your memorization schedule. It does not mean that you should not take a break. In fact we recommend that you choose a weekday on which you don't memorize anything new so that your mind can rest and you can come back to memorization with energy. But this "rest" should be random and occasional, rather an integral part of your well-kept schedule. Moreover, avoid jumping around from one Surah to another before mastering the first. Stick to your order and your efforts will bear fruit.

4. Timing. The best time to memorize is right before and right after Fajr prayer. Get to the habit of waking up early. Memorize before having breakfast. It is more effective to memorize with an empty stomach.

5. Atmosphere. Choose an isolated room / area that is easily accessible to you but not to others. It should be quite and not so colorful. Cut off all distractions including your cellphone and beeper.

6. Familiarity: Stick to the same place and setting for your memorization. Also stick to the same Mushaf everyday. (We recommend the Madani Mushaf for several reasons that we will explain in a separate article)

7. Understand the meaning: learn the meanings of the verses you are reciting. Understanding the meanings is by itself a great motivation. Pay attention, however, that it should not be a condition for memorization.

8. Immerse yourself in Quran recitation: listen to Quran when you are at home, when you are out walking or driving, when you go to bed and even when you feel tired or become sick.

9. Recite what you memorize in your prayer. If you forget a verse, go after the prayer to your Mushaf right away to remember the verse. Hopefully you will remember that verse particularly well later on.

10. Find a memorization partner: get a motivated, disciplined friend or family member who will memorize with you and put some positive peer pressure on so. Pay attention, however, not slow down or be slowed down by your partner.

And God knows best ...