how to memorise the

Last week’s question was on Soorah Ghaafir. The question was what the disbelievers were referring to when they mentioned being made to die twice and given life twice.

The answer is:

With regards to being made to die twice and given life twice then the aayah can be translated to mean the following:

قَالُوا رَبَّنَا أَمَتَّنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ وَأَحْيَيْتَنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ فَاعْتَرَفْنَا بِذُنُوبِنَا فَهَلْ إِلَى خُرُوجٍ مِّن سَبِيلٍ

They will say: “Our Lord! You have made us to die twice (i.e. we were dead in the loins of our fathers and dead after our deaths in this world), and You have given us life twice (i.e. life when we were born and life when we were Resurrected)! Now we confess our sins, then is there any way to get out (of the Fire)?” (Ghafir 40:11)

This week’s question:

Western Orientalists have tried so many times to attack Islaam in so many different ways, in particular the Noble Qur’aan, claiming that there are mistakes and contradictions in it. Of course their claims are baseless and have been refuted by our scholars, May Allaah reward them with the highest stations of Firdaws. So let’s look at some of these so-called contradictions that they say are in the Qur’aan. The first one is regarding the prophet ‘Eesaa (‘alayhis-Salaam). In the following verses, Allaah mentions that He raised ‘Eesaa (‘alayhis-Salaam) to the Heavens:

مَا قُلْتُ لَهُمْ إِلاَّ مَا أَمَرْتَنِي بِهِ أَنِ اعْبُدُواْ اللّهَ رَبِّي وَرَبَّكُمْ وَكُنتُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَهِيدًا مَّا دُمْتُ فِيهِمْ فَلَمَّا تَوَفَّيْتَنِي كُنتَ أَنتَ الرَّقِيبَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَأَنتَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ شَهِيدٌ

“Never did I say to them aught except what You (Allaah) did command me to say: ‘Worship Allaah, my Lord and your Lord.’ And I was a witness over them while I dwelt amongst them, but when You took me up, You were the Watcher over them, and You are a Witness to all things. (This is a great admonition and warning to the Christians of the whole world). (Al-Maa’idah 5:117)

إِذْ قَالَ اللّهُ يَا عِيسَى إِنِّي مُتَوَفِّيكَ وَرَافِعُكَ إِلَيَّ وَمُطَهِّرُكَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَجَاعِلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوكَ فَوْقَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ ثُمَّ إِلَيَّ مَرْجِعُكُمْ فَأَحْكُمُ بَيْنَكُمْ فِيمَا كُنتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ

And (remember) when Allaah said: “O ‘Eesa (Jesus)! I will take you and raise you to Myself and clear you [of the forged statement that 'Eesa (Jesus) is Allaah's son] of those who disbelieve, and I will make those who follow you (Monotheists, who worship none but Allaah) superior to those who disbelieve [in the Oneness of Allaah, or disbelieve in some of His Messengers, e.g. Muhammad SAW, 'Eesa (Jesus), Moosa (Moses), etc., or in His Holy Books, e.g. the Tauraat (Torah), the Injeel (Gospel), the Qur'aan] till the Day of Resurrection. Then you will return to Me and I will judge between you in the matters in which you used to dispute.” (Aali Imran 3:55)

The highlighted Arabic words used in the above aayaat come from a root word with several meanings but is most commonly used to mean death. So the Orientalists claim that Muslims are incorrectly interpreting these verses to mean that ‘Eesaa was taken up, rather they state that He died. And they use as their proof, an aayah from the Qur’aan:

وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَيَّ يَوْمَ وُلِدتُّ وَيَوْمَ أَمُوتُ وَيَوْمَ أُبْعَثُ حَيًّا

“And Salaam (peace) be upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive!” (Maryam 19:33)

The question is:

How would you respond to these claims from the Orientalists that ‘Eesaa (‘alayhis-Salaam) is dead?

All praises are due to Allah and Salaat and Salaam be upon our Prophet Muhammad and all his family and companions. This method is excellent for the strength of memorization and its solidity (deep-rootedness) and the quick speed of memorization and quick completing the Quraan. And this is the method, taking the example of Sura Jumua:

• Read the first verse 20 times
• Read the second verse 20 times
• Read the third verse 20 times
• Read the fourth verse 20 times
• Read these (above) four from the beginning to the end, to link them, 20 times.
• Read the fifth verse 20 times
• Read the sixth verse 20 times
• Read the seventh verse 20 times
• Read the eighth verse 20 times
• Read from the fifth verse to the eighth verse 20 times to consolidate between them
• Read from the first verse to the eighth verse 20 times to perfect this page.

And like this you persist with this method for every page of the Quraan and do not increase your daily portion exceeding more than one eighth (of a chapter) because the parts memorized will increase and the memorization will be ruined (i.e. it will be difficult to retain what you have memorized).

If I wish to memorize a new page tomorrow then how do I do it?

If you wish to memorize another page for the next day, then before you memorize the new page using the method I mentioned to you, read from the beginning of the page (you memorized yesterday) to the end of the page 20 times so that the previously memorized page becomes solid (in your memory). Then memorize the new page using the method I showed.

How do I combine between memorization and revision?

Do not memorize the Quraan without revision, (otherwise) if you memorize the Quraan, page by page until you complete the Quraan, and you wish to return to what you have memorized you would find that you have forgotten what you had memorized.

The correct way is to combine memorization with revision. Divide the Quraan into 3 divisions: every 10 parts (juz) is a division. Then if you memorize one page a day, then you should revise 4 pages a day until you have memorized 10 juz. Then when you have memorized 10 juz, stop for one whole month for revision, everyday revising 8 pages.

And after a month of revision, start memorizing the remainder, a page or two, according to your capabilities and revise 8 pages until you complete memorizing 20 juz. Then when you have memorized 20 juz, stop the memorization for 2 whole months for the revision of the 20 juz, everyday revising 8 pages. Then when the 2 months of revision have passed, start with the memorization, doing one or two pages everyday according to your capability, while revising 8 pages until you complete memorizing the entire Quraan.

When you have completed memorizing the entire Quraan, revise the first 10 juz alone for one month; everyday half a juz. Then you go to the second 10 juz for a month, everyday half a juz and you read 8 pages from the first 10 juz. Then you go to memorizing the last 10 juz for one month, everyday half a juz and 8 pages from the first 10 juz and 8 pages from the second 10 juz.

How do I revise the entire Quraan when I have completed this (above) revision?

Start with revising the entire Quraan: everyday 2 parts (juz), repeating them thrice everyday, thereby completing the revision of the entire Quraan every two weeks. And in this way, during one year you would memorize the entire Quraan with perfection while you use this method the whole year.

What do I do after one year of memorizing the Quraan?

After a year of perfecting the revision of the Quraan, then let your “Hizb” (portion) of the Quraan be that of the Prophets (s.a.w) until your death, for verily he divided the Quraan into seven “Hizbs” in this way  you complete the Quraan once every seven days.

Aus bin Hudhaifa (R.A) said: I asked the companions of the Messenger (S.A.W): How do you hizb (divide) the Quraan? They said: 3 Surahs, and 5 Surahs, and 7 Surahs, and 9 Surahs, and 11 Surahs, and the section of the “Mufassal” from Surah Qaaf until the end. (Narrated by Ahmad).

i.e.

• On the first day read from Sura Faatiha to the end of Sura Nisaa
• On the second day read Sura Ma’idah to the end of Sura Tawbah.
• On the third day read from Sura Yoonus to the end of Sura Nahl.
• On the fourth day read from Sura Israa to the end of Sura Furqaan.
• On the fifth day read from Sura Shu3araa to the end of Sura Yaaseen.
• On the sixth day read from Sura Saaffaat to the end of Sura Hujuraat.
• On the seventh day read from Sura Qaaf to the end of Sura Naas.

As for the Hizb of the Prophet (S.A.W), the Scholars have combined it in the saying: “فمى بشوق”

Each letter in these 2 words represents the beginning of a “hizb” of the Prophet (S.A.W) that he completed in one day. So the letter ف in the word فمى represents Sura Faatiha indicating that the Hizb on the first day starts with Surah Faatihah.

And the letter م in the word فمى indicates that the beginning of the Hizb for the second day starts with Surah Maa’idah, and the letter ى in the word فمى indicates that the beginning of the Hizb for the third day starts with Surah Yoonus.

And the letter ب in the word بشوق indicates that the beginning of the Hizb for the fourth day starts with Surah Bani Israeel (which is also called Sura Israa).

And the letter ش in the word بشوق indicates that the beginning of the Hizb for the fifth day starts with Surah Shu’araa.

The letter  وin the word بشوق indicates that the beginning of the Hizb for the sixth day starts with Surah Wassaaffaat.

And the letter ق in the word بشوق indicates that the beginning of the Hizb for the seventh day starts with Surah Qaaf until the end of Sura Naas.

As for the current division of the Quraan [into 30 juzz], this is from the actions of Hajjaaj bin Yoosuf.

How do I differentiate between the mutashaabihaat (verses that are similar) in the Quraan?

The best way is that when you come across two similar verses in the Quraan, then open the Quraan (Mushaf) to both these verses and look at the difference in the two verses and reflect over it, and set a rule for yourself, and during your memorization note the difference many times until you have perfected the similarities between the two of them.

Rules and disciplines in memorization:

1. It is necessary that you do your memorization by a Sheikh (teacher) (so that he may) correct the recitation.
2. Memorize two (sides of a) pages everyday, one after Fajr and one after Asr or Maghrib and in this way you will memorize the entire Quraan solidly during one year and your memorization will be perfect, but if you increase in memorization then that which you memorized will be weak.
3. The memorization should be from Sura Naas to Sura Faatihah because it is easier, and after your memorization of the Quraan, your revision should be from Sura Baqarah to Sura Naas.
4. The memorization should be from one printed copy so it helps the firm-rootedness of memorization and the quickness of remembering the places of the verses and the ending of pages and the beginning of them.
5. Everyone memorizing in the first two years, that which is memorized slips away (he forgets easily that which has been memorized) and this is called “the assembly stage”  so do not feel sad that the Quraan is slipping away from you or your many mistakes. And this is a difficult phase with trials, because shaytaan has a part in stopping you from memorizing the Quraan. So turn down his whisperings and continue memorizing because it is a treasure not given to just anyone.

Written by: Shaykh ‘Abdul Muhsin al-Qaasim Imaam and Khateeb of the Prophets Masjid in Madeenah al-Munawarah

Original source: http://khalduun.com/articles/knowledge/attention-students-of-the-quraan/