how to memorise the

Earlier this week we spoke about the role of du’aa (supplicating to Allaah) on your journey towards memorising the Qur’aan.  We’ll now start to look at simple changes you can make in your lifestyle to improve the strength of your memory. Today, we will focus on foods that you can add to your diet.

Many of us would have heard the saying, ‘You are what you eat.’ No one who uses their intellect will dispute this statement. What you feed your body has an effect on your physical health as well as your emotional and spiritual well-being. It has been proven by scientists that eating the right foods can boost your IQ, improve your mood and concentration, sharpen your memory skills and think faster, stabilise your emotions and keep your mind young. We all know the benefits of eating a healthy balanced diet and the harms of indulging in unhealthy foods. We also know the importance of eating halaal food and by this we don’t just mean the meat and chicken you buy from the butchers. All the food you consume should be halaal so even foods such as fruits and salads can be haraam for you if you purchase it with money that is obtained from haraam means.

Allaah, subhaanahu wa Ta’aala, orders us to eat of the good that He has provided for us on this earth;

فَكُلُواْ مِمَّا رَزَقَكُمُ اللّهُ حَلالاً طَيِّبًا وَاشْكُرُواْ نِعْمَتَ اللّهِ إِن كُنتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ

So eat of the lawful and good food which Allaah has provided for you. And be grateful for the Graces of Allaah, if it is He Whom you worship. (An-Nahl 16:114)

In Soorah al-Baqarah, we find a similar verse which connects food to the following of shaytaan and sinning;

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ كُلُواْ مِمَّا فِي الأَرْضِ حَلاَلاً طَيِّباً وَلاَ تَتَّبِعُواْ خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ

O mankind! eat of that which is lawful and good on the earth, and follow not the footsteps of Shaytaan (Satan). Verily, he is to you an open enemy. (Al-Baqarah 2:168)

And in another aayah, Allaah makes a mention of good lawful foods with doing righteous actions;

يَا أَيُّهَا الرُّسُلُ كُلُوا مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَاعْمَلُوا صَالِحًا إِنِّي بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ عَلِيمٌ

O (you) Messengers! Eat of the Tayyibaat [all kinds of Halaal (legal) foods which Allaah has made legal (meat of slaughtered eatable animals, milk products, fats, vegetables, fruits, etc.], and do righteous deeds. Verily! I am Well-Acquainted with what you do. (Al-Mu’minoon 23:51)

So we hope these Aayaat show the effect of food on our spiritual connection with Allaah.

Food and Memory

Your brain requires certain amounts of specific nutrients for optimal neural functioning. We won’t give you a science lesson here but briefly, the biochemical process of thinking depends on chemicals called neurotransmitters which are made from amino acids. The three key neurotransmitters are:

• Acetylcholine (ACh).

Acetylcholine rich foods include: egg yolks, peanuts, wheat germ, liver, meat, fish, milk, cheese and vegetables (especially broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower)

• Dopamine

Dopamine rich foods include all proteins (meat, milk products, fish, beans, nuts, soy products). 3-4ounces of protein will help you to feel energized, more alert and more assertive.

• Serotonin (or 5-HT)

Serotonin rich foods are carbohydrate based e.g., pasta, starchy vegetables, potatoes, cereals, breads.

The following is a brief list of foods that are well-known to improve memory.

Raisins

Raisins have many health benefits and Ibn al-Qayyim and some of the Salaf have advised to eat them for improving memory. In the book al-Jaami’ by al-Khateeb (2/394), he mentions that Imaam az-Zuhree, may Allaah have mercy on him, said, “Whoever wants to memorise hadeeth should eat raisins.” He also said, “You should eat honey because it is good for the memory.”

Fish

This is one of the top three foods we recommend. Fish is a great source of protein which is essential for making neurotransmitters as well as improving mental performance. Oily fish such as salmon, tuna, sardines, trout and mackerel are excellent sources of Omega-3 fatty acids which are highly recommended for IQ and memory performance. Fish is also a good source of glutamine, an amino acid found abundant in the brain and said to improve mental performance. Another key component that you need in your diet is zinc and fish is a great source of it. One study in Rush University Medical centre in Chicago followed more than 3000 men and women for six years to see how their memory was affected by their diet. Results found that people who ate fish at least once a week had a ten percent slower decline in memory than those who didn’t. This difference meant that they had the memory and thinking ability of a person three years younger.

Milk and Honey

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, has informed us about the benefits in these two foods and Allaah tells us in the Qur’aan that in honey, there is a cure for man. Try to get pure honey, preferably Manuka honey as it is high in antioxidants and has many other nutritional benefits.

Blueberries

Fruits that are rich in antioxidants and are excellent for improving memory. Blueberries are rich in antioxidant phytochemicals and are great for regulating blood sugar levels which is critical to your intelligence as it affects one’s concentration levels over prolonged periods of time. Blueberries have been proven in a clinical study to have boosted memory in elderly people suffering early memory problems. To read more about this, visit this article at HealthyMuslim.Com (http://www.healthymuslim.com/articles/wwoep-blueberries-boost-memory-study-finds.cfm)

Cruciferous vegetables

Such as brussel sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and bok choy.

Green leafy vegetables

Such as spinach, collard, kale, Swiss chard and mustard greens.

Foods high in anthocyanin (a phytochemical)

Such as berries, cherries, black-currants, grapes (red, black and purple), eggplant, plums, red apples, rhubarb, red onions and red/purple cabbage.

Foods high in quercetin (a phytochemical)

Such as kale, leeks, onions (red, yellow and white), cherry tomato, broccoli, blueberries, black-currants, elderberries, apricots, apples with skin and grapes (red, black and purple).

Other important food recommendations

1. Be mindful of your cholesterol levels as anything that impedes blood flow will starve your brain cells from the nutrients (especially oxygen) which they need to function properly.
2. If you smoke, give it up! Many scholars have unanimously agreed on it being haraam and if that isn’t enough, it is not also harmful to your lungs and other organs.
3. Eat slow-releasing carbohydrates (i.e. those with a low glycemic index such as grains, fruits and vegetables) as these will not cause your blood sugar levels to rise rapidly. Eating small, regular meals is also an effective way to regulate blood sugar levels.
4. Supplement with a B-vitamin complex. One study showed that supplementing with vitamin B3 improved memory by up to 40%.
5. Supplementing with folic acid because it helps to break down and lower homocysteine which is an amino acid that is toxic to nerve cells.
6. You can also supplement with herbs to improve your memory, such as turmeric, Ginseng and Gingko Biloba.
7. Finally, drink lots and lots of water, at least 8 glasses per day.

One of the most powerful tools to aid your memorisation is du’aa (supplicating to Allaah). You should make du’aa to Allaah and ask him to make this task easy for you, to help you to grasp the Qur’aan in your heart, to enable you to ponder upon its verses, understand and implement them and to purify your soul and adorn you with the character of the Qur’aan.

Allaah, Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa, says in the Qur’aan:

وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُواْ لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُواْ بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ

And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad) concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright. (Al-Baqarah 2:186)

He also said in Soorah Ghaafir,

وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِي سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ

And your Lord said: “Invoke Me, [i.e. believe in My Oneness] (and ask Me for anything) I will respond to your (invocation). Verily! Those who scorn My worship [i.e. do not invoke Me, and do not believe in My Oneness] they will surely enter Hell in humiliation!” (Ghaafir 40:60)

Indeed the promise of Allaah is True and unlike the creation, He will never let you down. So here is your creator, calling out to you to ask Him of His bounties and favours and condemns those who do not ask of Him. Contemplate on these verses and realise the extent of His Mercy to His Creation.

In an authentic narration, the Messenger of Allaah informs us that anyone who raises his/her hands up in supplication, Allaah is shy to return His slaves empty-handed [Aboo Daawood (2/78), at-Tirmidhee (5/557), Ibn Maajah (2/1271) and Ibn Hajar said its chain was good].

From the beauty of our religion and the perfect example set by the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is that we have at our disposal hundreds of supplications that can be used for every situation and action in our daily lives so that our hearts are always connected to Allaah and His Rememberance is always on our tongues. Memorising the Qur’aan is no different. We have compiled for you a list of supplications to use in your prayers.

It is beyond the scope of this post to discuss the etiquettes of du’aa in detail but we would like to briefly mention that there are certain blessed times when one’s supplications are more likely to be answered. Of these blessed times are:

• The last third of the night
• Whilst in sujood (prostration)
• Between the adhaan and Iqaamah
• During rainfall
• An hour on Friday (the strongest opinion being that it is the last hour of Salaatul-‘Asr)
• Whilst drinking Zamzam water
• On laylatul-Qadr (the Night of Power)
• On the Day of ‘Arafah (in ‘Arafah)
• During the month of Ramadhaan
• When one is travelling
• Whilst one is fasting

Etc…and there are many many more but these are just a few.

The supplications….

اللهم علمني ما ينفعني، وانفعني بما علمتني، وزدني علماً

Allaahumma ‘allimnee maa yanfa’unee wa yanfa’unee bi maa ‘allamtanee wa zidnee ‘ilma

O Allaah! Teach me that which will benefit me and benefit me with that which you have taught me and Increase me in knowledge!

اللهم : اني عبدك, وابن عبدك, ابن أمتك, ناصيتي بيدك, ماضى فيّ حكمك, عدل فيّ قضاؤك, أسألك بكل اسم هم لك سمّت به نفسك, أو أنزلته في كتابك أو علّمته أحدا من خلقك, أن تجعل القرآن ربيع قلبي, ونور صدري, وجلاء حزني, وذهاب همّي وغمّي اللهم امين يارب العالمين اللهم امين يارب العالمين

Allaahumma Innee ‘abduka wabnu ‘abdik ibnu amatik naasiyatee biyadik maadhin fiyya hukmuk ‘adlun fiyya qadhaa-uk, As-aluka bikulli-s-min huwa lak sammayta bihee nafsak aw anzaltahoo fee kitaabik aw ‘allamtahoo ahadan min khalqik, an taj’ala-l-qur’aana-l-‘atheema rabee’a qalbee wa noora sadree wa jalaa-a huznee wa dhahaaba hammee wa ghammee. Allaahumma Aameen yaa rabba-l-‘aalameen

O Allaah! I am Your servant, son of Your servant, son of Your maidservant, my forelock is in Your hand, Your command over me is forever executed and Your decree over me is just. I ask You by every name belonging to You which You name Yourself with, or revealed in Your Book, or You taught to any of Your creation, or You have preserved in the knowledge of the unseen with You, that You make the Qur’aan the life of my heart and the light of my breast, and a departure for my sorrow and a release for my anxiety.

اللهم ارحمني بالقرآن و اجعله لي إماما و نورا و هدى و رحمة

اللهم ذكرني منه ما نسيت و علمني منه ما جهلت و ارزقني تلاوته آناء الليل و أطراف النهار واجعله لي حجة يارب العالمين

Allaahumma-r-hamnee bil-qur’aan wa-j-‘alhu lee imaaman wa nooran wa hudaan wa rahma. Allaahumma dhakirnee minhu maa naseet wa ‘allimnee minhu maa jahilt war-zuqnee tilaawatahoo aanaa-al-laylee wa atraafa-n-nahaar waj-‘alhu lee hujjatan yaa rabbal-‘aalameen

O Allaah! Have Mercy upon me by the Qur’aan and make it for me a criterion, a light, a guidance and mercy. O Allaah! Remind me from it that which I have forgotten and become heedless of and teach me form it that which I am ignorant of. And grant me its recitation throughout the night and day and make it a proof for me O Lord of the Worlds!

اللهم إني أسألك خير المسألة و خير الدعاء و خير النجاح و خير العلم و خير العمل و خير الثواب و خير الحياة و خير الممات و ثبتني و ثقل موازيني و حقق إيماني و ارفع درجتي و تقبل صلاتي و
اغفر خطيئاتي و أسألك العلا من الجنة

Allaahumma innee asaluka khayral mas-ala wa khayra-d-du’aa wa khayra-n-najaah wa khayra-l-‘ilmi wa khayral-‘amal wa khayra-th-thawaab wa khayral-hayaa wa khayral-mamaat wa thabbitnee wa thaqqil mawaazeenee wa haqqiq eemaanee warfa’ darajatee wa taqabbal salaatee waghfir khatee-atee wa asaluka-l-‘ulaa minal-jannah

O Allaah! I ask you for the best of matters, the best supplication, the best success, the best knowledge, the best deed, the best reward, the best life and the best death. Make me firm and make my scales (of good deeds) heavy. Make my faith true, and elevate my status. Accept my prayer and forgive my sins. And I ask you for the loftiest place in Paradise.

اللهم اهدني إلى أحسن الأخلاق، لا يهدي لأحسنها إلا أنت، واصرف عني سيئها، لا يصرف عني سيئها إلا أنت

Allaahumma-h-dinee ilaa ahsanil-akhlaaq, laa yahdee li-ahsanihaa illaa anta, wasrif ‘annee sayyiahaa, laa yasrifu ‘annee sayyiahaa illaa anta

O Allaah! Guide me to the best of character, for verily, none guides to the best of character except You. And keep me away from the bad character, for verily, none can keep me away from the bad character except You.

اللهم لاتشمت أعدائى بدائى وأجعل القرأن العظيم دوائى وشفائى أنت ثقتىورجائى
وأجعل حسن ظنى بك شفائى ، اللهم ثبت علي عقلى ودينى ،وبك يارب ثبت لي يقينى وأرزقنى رزقا حلالا يكفينى وأبعد عنى شر من يؤذينى ، اللهم أسترنى على وجه الأرض ، اللهم أرحمنى فى بطن الأرض ، اللهم أغفر لى يوم العرض

Allaahumma laa tushmit a’daaee bidaaee waj’alil-qur’aanal-‘adheema dawaaee wa shifaaee anta thiqatee wa rajaaee waj’al husna dhannee bika shifaaee. Allaahumma thabbit ‘alayya ‘aqlee wa deenee wa bika yaa rabbi thabbit lee yaqeenee warzuqnee rizqan halaalan yakfeenee wa ab’id ‘annee sharra man yu-dheenee. Allaahumma-s-turnee ‘alaa wajhil-ardh. Allaahumma-r-hamnee fee batnil-ardh. Allaahumma-ghfirlee yawma-l-‘ardh

O Allaah! Do not let my enemies take malicious pleasure in my illness, and make the great Qur’aan my cure and treatment. I am the ill and you are the Curer. You are my trust and hope. Fulfil my hope of cure. O Allaah, protect my intelligence and my religion for me, and make my trust in You firm, O my Lord. Provide me with sufficient permissible provision; keep away from me the evil of the one who hurts me. O Allaah, provide me with cover on the face of the earth. O Allaah show mercy to me under the ground. O Allaah forgive me on the day of presentation.

اللهم آتني الحكمة التي من أوتيها فقد أوتي خيراً كثيراً

Allaahumma aatinee-l-hikmah al-latee man ooteehaa faqad ootiya khayran katheeran

O Allaah! Grant me wisdom, that which to whom you have granted it to, has indeed been granted abundant good.

A final word….

There is a du’aa that is found in some books about ‘Ali, may Allaah be pleased with him, seeking advice from the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam, about memorising the Qur’aan and not forgetting it. The text of the narration is as follows:

Ibn `Abbaas (May Allaah be pleased with him) related the following:

We were with the Messenger of Allaah (Peace and blessings be upon him) when `Ali (May Allaah be pleased with him) and said, “Bi abi anta wa ummi, O Messenger of Allah: this Qur’aan has slipped from my breast, and I do not find myself capable of it!”

So the Messenger of Allaah (Peace and blessings be upon him) said, “O Aba al-Hasan! Should I not teach you words that Allaah will benefit you with, and that He will benefit with them anyone whom you taught them to, and firmly fix what you learnt in your breast?”

He said, “Of course, O Messenger of Allaah! Teach me.”

He said, “When it is Friday night and you are able to get up in the last third of the night – since it is an observed time and during it supplication is answered, and my brother Ya`qoob said to his sons “I will seek forgiveness for you from my Lord” until Friday night comes, and if you are not able then rise in the middle, and if you are not able then rise in the beginning, and pray four raka’at. Recite al-Faatihah and Yaa Seen in the first raka`ah, al-Faatihah and ad-Dukhaan in the second raka`ah, al-Faatihah and as-Sajdah in the third, and al-Faatihah and Tabaarak in the fourth. When you finish the tashahud praise and completely extol Allaah, make prayers upon me and the other prophets, seek forgiveness for the male and female believers and for your brothers preceding you in belief, and then at the end of this say:

“O Allaah, have mercy on me so that I stay away from sinning for as long as I live! Have O Allaah, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the Glorious and Honorable and Almighty, I beg you, the most Merciful, calling upon Your Glory and the Light of Your Face, to oblige my heart to remember Your Book the way You taught me. Bless me to read it the way that will please You! My Lord, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, You Who are absolute in Your might, I implore You the most Merciful, calling upon Your Glory and Light of Your Face, to illuminate with you Qur’aan my sight, to move with it my tongue and make it easy on my heart. With it make my chest wide and clean my body. Truly, on the path of Truth only You can help me and only You are able to give me the Truth. There is no might no power except with Allaah, the most High, and the most Glorious!”

O, Aba al-Hasan! Do this three, five, or seven Fridays and you will be answered by Allaah’s leave. [I swear] by the One who sent me: It will never err a believer.”

To which Ibn `Abbaas (May Allaah be pleased with him) adds:

[I swear] by Allaah: `Ali (May Allaah be pleased with him) did not wait save five or seven [times] until he came to the Messenger of Allaah (Peace and blessings be upon him) in a similar assembly and said, “O, Messenger of Allaah (Peace and blessings be upon him)! In the past I would only take something like four verses and if I read them to myself they would depart me, while today I learn something like forty verses and when I recite them to myself it is as if the Book of Allah is in front of my eyes; and I used to hear Ahadeeth and when I repeated it, it would depart me, while today I hear Ahaadeeth and when I recount them I do not drop a single letter from it.”

So the Messenger of Allaah (Peace and blessings be upon him) at that point said, “A believer [I swear] by the Lord of the Ka`bah O, Aba al-Hasan!”

This was narrated by at-Tirmidhee and al-Haakim. We wanted to bring this to your attention because most scholars say it is not an authentic hadeeth and should not be implemented.

I was always brought up in a very practising family, always prayed and read Qur’aan daily but it wasn’t until I was around 16 that my heart really began to draw close to Allaah. A few months before I turned 18, three of my cousins who had also started to practice the deen more, were competing with one another to memorise Juz ‘Amma. I decided to join them and memorise some new suwar so that I could read them in my salaah in the hope that I would have more concentration and khushoo’ (humility) whilst praying. At the time, my intention was to memorise Juz ‘Amma and I didn’t really contemplate the possibility of memorising the whole Qur’aan. So I started to memorise whenever I had some time to spare with no real structure or timetable and mostly it would be only on weekends as I was doing my A’Levels at the time. When I completed my exams, I spent more time memorising and managed to complete Juz ‘Amma Alhamdulillaah. This took about 9 months because of my own laziness and lack of time organisation. When I completed memorising Juz ‘Amma, I found myself loving the Qur’aan so much more and something inside just wanted to keep on memorising. So I started doing a little reading online about memorising and I came across some Ahaadeeth about the rewards of those who memorised the Qur’aan. I didn’t feel I was worthy of being in their ranks but I so badly wanted to do it for the sake of getting my parents into Jannah (Paradise). So I made a timetable for memorising. I set myself a target of memorising one Juz every two months. In the first month, I would memorise the entire Juz and then in the second month I would consolidate what I had memorised the previous month. I followed this for the next three Juz and it didn’t take me six months as I had anticipated because I managed to memorise some chapters much quicker as I used to read them often before. I was also on a gap year so I had more time to do memorisation.

When I completed Soorah Qaaf (the fiftieth chapter), I started university and it was very difficult for me to continue with the pattern that I set due to the workload and lecture timings etc. I spent most of the first few months of university not memorising anything new but just daily reviewing of everything I had memorised so far. I became quite frustrated that I wasn’t memorising new material so I started to squeeze it into my day whenever I can. I would memorise on my way to uni, on the train, whilst eating etc. I also started to go into uni very early in the mornings around 7am and I would sit in the prayer room and memorise. Most days I had the place to myself during those hours so I tried to do this as often as I could. Despite all this, the majority of my memorisation while I was at university was done during the summer holidays. I would memorise intensively during those months and as I memorised more of the Qur’aan, I was able to memorise much faster.

By the time I graduated, I had memorised half the Qur’aan. I was getting a lot of pressure from family to go and find work but I made an oath to Allaah I would dedicate all my time to memorising the Qur’aan until I completed it. I thought having completed uni, I would have all the time in the world but, by the Will of Allaah, I had a large influx of family come from abroad to stay with us along with their kids. I was my mum’s only source of help at the time as two of my sisters got married the year before. The only other siblings I had were too young or male and so automatically, by the rules of our culture they are exempt from housework!

Around this same time, Allaah caused me to cross paths with someone very special. I came across an advert online about a tajweed teacher who studied in Egypt and had a very high chain Ijaazah. I have wanted to learn tajweed since I began memorising but my efforts to find a teacher led nowhere. So I learnt what I could from books, listening to audios and through watching a very good television programme on Iqraa TV (‘Kayfa naqraul-Qur’aan’ – How we recite the Qur’aan) by Shaykh Ayman Rushdi Swayd. I decided to call the sister and she tested me over the telephone by asking me to recite Soorah al-Infitaar, a page from soorah al-Hajj and a third soorah which I can’t recall now. After listening to me, she asked me a few questions about the rules of Tajweed with respect to what I had recited to her and to explain why I recited the verses in the way I did. Some of the advanced questions, I wasn’t able to explain the exact terms. At the end, she said she was looking for sisters who she could teach towards gaining an Ijaazah and to train to become a Qur’aan teacher but she hadn’t found anyone who could recite well enough until she heard me. I was really shocked and overwhelmed to hear her say that because by this time, I was so frustrated trying to find a teacher that I was starting to think I would never get the opportunity to study Tajweed. So I arranged to have lessons with her three times a week, for two hours each day. From the first session I had with her, I noticed my recitation improving maashaAllaah. After two weeks with her, I had learnt so much and completed reciting Soorah al-Baqarah and Aal-‘Imraan to her. She then asked me to teach several of her Beginner and Intermediate students so that the money they were paying would be paid to me and I could use it to continue funding for my lessons with her until I had recited the entire Qur’aan upon her.

After one month, I got married Alhamdulillaah and was teaching a lot of sisters. My teacher moved away quite far so I couldn’t carry on with my lessons and she eventually returned to Egypt to continue studying for an Ijaazah in the other recitations. I was really sad but Alhamdulillaah, within a few weeks my husband and I moved out of London and up north to Sunderland. This was a difficult place for us to live but Allaah brought about so much blessing for me in terms of my memorisation. I didn’t know anyone there and because I was a niqaabi in a totally white area with a husband who had a beard on him, the amount of racist comments and looks we got made me feel so uncomfortable that I spent most of my time at home. Ramadhaan was a month away and I had still one half of the Qur’aan left to memorise. I set myself a target of completing it all by the end of Ramadhaan. My husband thought I was insane and I didn’t quite know how I was going to do it myself but I promised myself I would try. So from then on I spent literally every minute of my day doing nothing but memorising or reviewing the Qur’aan. During weekdays when my husband was at work, I had absolutely no distractions and was completely secluded. By the time Ramadhaan started, I had memorised from soorah at-Tawbah up to Soorah al-An’aam. As there were approximately four weeks in Ramadhaan, I decided to dedicate a week to each of the four soorahs that were left. So I spent one week memorising soorah al-Maaidah, one week on soorah an-Nisaa, one week on Aal-‘Imraan and one week on soorah al-Baqarah. I thought it was impossible to do it but that didn’t deter me. I’ve always been the sort of person who likes to be challenged and the bigger the challenge, the more determined I become to overcome it. Alhamdulillaah, by Allaah’s Will and with His assistance, I managed to meet my target and finally complete memorising the Qur’aan. I was extremely overwhelmed with emotion and struck with an unexplainable fear when I was memorising the last aayah I had left of the Qur’aan that I actually hesitated from doing so. I’ve never experienced such joy, happiness and fear all combined in a single moment until then.

Looking back on it now, if I had not had the distractions of university and other things, I think I could have completed memorising the Qur’aan much faster. I realise that Allaah blessed me with a lot of things that made the journey to memorising the Qur’aan easy. I have always had a very good memory and could quickly memorise new things. I was also fortunate to have been able to learn to read fluently at a young age. Other than my Tajweed teacher, the only other person to have taught me the Qur’aan was my father. I learnt to read from him, at home with my other siblings and when we were able to read fluently, it was routine in our household to have an hour of recitation together every morning and after Maghrib (sunset) prayer. My brothers and sisters would all sit in a circle and recite a verse each whilst my dad would listen to and correct us. We would start from the beginning of the Qur’aan and when we reached the end we would start all over again. I believe this helped me immensely not only in terms of improving reading fluency but also making the process of memorising easier as I was familiar with all parts of the Qur’aan.

Having completed memorising, the hardest thing now is regularly maintaining and reviewing it so I’m not made to forget. In addition to reviewing the Qur’aan during my prayers, I also have a timetable where I review approximately five juz every day so that I complete reviewing of the whole Qur’aan every six days. Depending on the pace I’m reciting at, this can take 3 to 4 hours every day. With the many distractions of life, it can sometimes be difficult to stick to this but I try to make sure I do it after praying fajr so nothing else preoccupies me.

I would advise anyone who is thinking about memorising the Qur’aan to get started right away and to  not postpone it for whatever reason Shaytaan may plant in their minds. I’ve heard a lot of sisters who say they don’t want to memorise because of fear that they will fall into the sin of forgetting. This is from the tricks of the devil and anyone who thinks this is a sign of piety is mistaken. Memorising the Qur’aan will change you profoundly, believe me.

My goal in life now is to study the different recitations InshaaAllaah and to learn Tajweed in depth so I can teach the Qur’aan and serve the Ummah through it. I pray Allaah facilitates a way for me to fulfil this goal and that He accepts this deed from me and enters my parents into Jannah, that He makes my husband and our children from the People of the Qur’aan and that He makes all our hearts return back to the Qur’aan. And may Allaah’s peace and blessings be upon the Prophet Muhammad, his Companions and all those who follow them upon goodness till the Last Day.