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How to Memorize the Quran and Never Forget it
The Prophet :saw: said:
It will be said to the companion of the Qur’aan: Recite and rise in status, recite as you used to recite in the world, for your status will be at the last verse that you recite.
This tradition has been recorded in both Tirmidi Shareef and Sunan Abi Dawood and has been classified as Sahih (authentic) by the late Muhaddith (Scholar of Hadith) Sheikh Al-albani.
The word Companion in this Hadith has been understood to mean a person who has memorized the Quran. As is evident by the following words of the Hadith "Recite and rise in status" that with each memorized Verse which a person recites, he will rise a rank in Paradise.
The Quran has more than 6000 Verses. Imagine how many ranks a person who has memorized the Quran will rise in Paradise. Not only this. Such a person will be in the company if the noble Angels as the Prophet :saw: has mentioned in the following authentic Tradition:
The likeness of the one who reads Qur’aan and memorizes it is that he is with the righteous honorable scribes. The likeness of the one who reads it and tries hard to memorize it even though it is difficult for him, he will have two rewards.
Additionally, just consider for a moment the joy of knowing that one has the Words of God, the all powerful and Supreme Ruler of all that exists, in his heart. The Words of a Being the likeness of whom does not exist. Truly, it is a feeling that cannot be described in words.
Of course, Memorizing the Quran appears to be a daunting task. This is especially true if you do not know how to go about Memorizing such a large Book.
My story
It took me 10 years to Memorize the Quran. This was because of lack of knowledge of proper memorizing technique. I used the technique used in Islamic Madrassas. Unfortunately, this technique did not suit a person like me who had horrible memory.
God has blessed me with a strong short term memory but my long term memory is the worst on the planet. After having memorized 20 Juz I fell ill due to a mental illness. After I recovered I had pretty much given up all hope of memorizing the Quran. However, God had ordained that I memorize it so I ended up doing so.
Nevertheless, after I memorized it I was faced with the problem of transferring what I had learned into my long term memory. It was then that God guided me to a technique which has been known to cognitive psychologists for a long time. A technique I used and am still using to transfer what I have memories into my long term memory and it has worked wonders.
Spaced Repetition
Spaced Repetition is a technique in which a person practices recalling what he has memorized at intervals of increasing time. Dong so transfers what one has memorized into long term memory. For those interested in reading about this phenomenon in detail I would recommend the following website.
Spaced Repetition Details
For those who do not have the time to understand this phenomenon just remember this. If you want to transfer information into long term you need to recall the information just when you are about to forget it. After each time you recall it the next interval required for recall the information in order to prevent forgetfulness increases. Eventually, a time comes when you only have to recall what you have memorized once a year!
At this point you are probably wondering how does one know when one is about to forget what he or she has memorized. Well, this is based on a formula which was devised by a Polish scientist after extensive research and experimentation. The formula is implemented by free software such as Anki. You can use this software to schedule when to remind you to recall what you have memorized from the Quran.
My Experience
Prior to using spaced repetition, it would take me fifteen to twenty minutes to review a page I had memorized. However, with the help of spaced repetition I was able to review a page within 3 to 5 minutes and a complete Juz within one to one and a half hour! And this was for a guy like me who has horrible memory. And the best part is that I felt no tension while reviewing.
Memorizing the Quran had become so easy!
This technique is often used by people who learn languages and need to memorize large lists of vocabulary. Psychologists are shocked that schools do not implement spaced repetition to teach information. They say not using this system despite the research which supports its effectiveness is like a person who has weak eyesight but refuses to wear glasses despite knowing that glasses can help him see properly!
Anki
Anki is a free program which you can use to memorize the Quran. It implements spaced repetition. It is available for free for both computers and android devices. Install it on your android phone and revise the Quran whenever you have free time anywhere!
Using Anki is simple. Once you have downloaded the software you just need to create flashcards for what you have memorized. How I do this is that I put a page of the Quran I have memorized into the Back of the Card and the page before that into the Front of the card. Then I enter the phrase "Recite the page which follows" in the Front of the card. Whenever, it is time to review the page, the program shows me the Front of the card and I see the "Review Next Page" command and I try to recall what I have memorized.
An Alternative Method
If you find using software difficult then you can implement spaced repletion manually for what you have memorized. Simply follow this formula. Whenever you memorize a portion of the Quran, review it 1 day after you have memorized it. Then review it after 3 days.
After that take the last interval which in this case is 3 days, divide it by 2, round it up, and then add the result to the previous interval to get the next interval. So in this case the next interval would be 5 days since 3 divided by 2 is 1.5. Round it up and you get 2. Add that to 3 and you get 5.
When you revise on the 5th day then to get the next interval divide 5 by 2 and you get 2.5. Round it up and you get 3. Add that to 5 and you have 8 days which is the next interval.
After eight days to get the next interval divide 8 by 2 and you get 4. Add 4 to 8 and you get 12 days which is the next interval.
Using this method you will Insha Allah never forget the Quran and you will feel no pressure when reviewing.
Note: In case you cannot completely recall what you have memorized don't hesitate to look at what you have missed. With time whatever you have memorized will become a part of long term memory and you will not forget anything!
For detailed instructions on how to use Anki here is the manual for the program
. There are also other programs you can use for spaced repetition but I found this one to be the best. If you have any questions on how to use the program or spaced repetition simply ask in this thread and I will tyr to answer them!
The Prophet :saw: said:
It will be said to the companion of the Qur’aan: Recite and rise in status, recite as you used to recite in the world, for your status will be at the last verse that you recite.
This tradition has been recorded in both Tirmidi Shareef and Sunan Abi Dawood and has been classified as Sahih (authentic) by the late Muhaddith (Scholar of Hadith) Sheikh Al-albani.
The word Companion in this Hadith has been understood to mean a person who has memorized the Quran. As is evident by the following words of the Hadith "Recite and rise in status" that with each memorized Verse which a person recites, he will rise a rank in Paradise.
The Quran has more than 6000 Verses. Imagine how many ranks a person who has memorized the Quran will rise in Paradise. Not only this. Such a person will be in the company if the noble Angels as the Prophet :saw: has mentioned in the following authentic Tradition:
The likeness of the one who reads Qur’aan and memorizes it is that he is with the righteous honorable scribes. The likeness of the one who reads it and tries hard to memorize it even though it is difficult for him, he will have two rewards.
Additionally, just consider for a moment the joy of knowing that one has the Words of God, the all powerful and Supreme Ruler of all that exists, in his heart. The Words of a Being the likeness of whom does not exist. Truly, it is a feeling that cannot be described in words.
Of course, Memorizing the Quran appears to be a daunting task. This is especially true if you do not know how to go about Memorizing such a large Book.
My story
It took me 10 years to Memorize the Quran. This was because of lack of knowledge of proper memorizing technique. I used the technique used in Islamic Madrassas. Unfortunately, this technique did not suit a person like me who had horrible memory.
God has blessed me with a strong short term memory but my long term memory is the worst on the planet. After having memorized 20 Juz I fell ill due to a mental illness. After I recovered I had pretty much given up all hope of memorizing the Quran. However, God had ordained that I memorize it so I ended up doing so.
Nevertheless, after I memorized it I was faced with the problem of transferring what I had learned into my long term memory. It was then that God guided me to a technique which has been known to cognitive psychologists for a long time. A technique I used and am still using to transfer what I have memories into my long term memory and it has worked wonders.
Spaced Repetition
Spaced Repetition is a technique in which a person practices recalling what he has memorized at intervals of increasing time. Dong so transfers what one has memorized into long term memory. For those interested in reading about this phenomenon in detail I would recommend the following website.
Spaced Repetition Details
For those who do not have the time to understand this phenomenon just remember this. If you want to transfer information into long term you need to recall the information just when you are about to forget it. After each time you recall it the next interval required for recall the information in order to prevent forgetfulness increases. Eventually, a time comes when you only have to recall what you have memorized once a year!
At this point you are probably wondering how does one know when one is about to forget what he or she has memorized. Well, this is based on a formula which was devised by a Polish scientist after extensive research and experimentation. The formula is implemented by free software such as Anki. You can use this software to schedule when to remind you to recall what you have memorized from the Quran.
My Experience
Prior to using spaced repetition, it would take me fifteen to twenty minutes to review a page I had memorized. However, with the help of spaced repetition I was able to review a page within 3 to 5 minutes and a complete Juz within one to one and a half hour! And this was for a guy like me who has horrible memory. And the best part is that I felt no tension while reviewing.
Memorizing the Quran had become so easy!
This technique is often used by people who learn languages and need to memorize large lists of vocabulary. Psychologists are shocked that schools do not implement spaced repetition to teach information. They say not using this system despite the research which supports its effectiveness is like a person who has weak eyesight but refuses to wear glasses despite knowing that glasses can help him see properly!
Anki
Anki is a free program which you can use to memorize the Quran. It implements spaced repetition. It is available for free for both computers and android devices. Install it on your android phone and revise the Quran whenever you have free time anywhere!
Using Anki is simple. Once you have downloaded the software you just need to create flashcards for what you have memorized. How I do this is that I put a page of the Quran I have memorized into the Back of the Card and the page before that into the Front of the card. Then I enter the phrase "Recite the page which follows" in the Front of the card. Whenever, it is time to review the page, the program shows me the Front of the card and I see the "Review Next Page" command and I try to recall what I have memorized.
An Alternative Method
If you find using software difficult then you can implement spaced repletion manually for what you have memorized. Simply follow this formula. Whenever you memorize a portion of the Quran, review it 1 day after you have memorized it. Then review it after 3 days.
After that take the last interval which in this case is 3 days, divide it by 2, round it up, and then add the result to the previous interval to get the next interval. So in this case the next interval would be 5 days since 3 divided by 2 is 1.5. Round it up and you get 2. Add that to 3 and you get 5.
When you revise on the 5th day then to get the next interval divide 5 by 2 and you get 2.5. Round it up and you get 3. Add that to 5 and you have 8 days which is the next interval.
After eight days to get the next interval divide 8 by 2 and you get 4. Add 4 to 8 and you get 12 days which is the next interval.
Using this method you will Insha Allah never forget the Quran and you will feel no pressure when reviewing.
Note: In case you cannot completely recall what you have memorized don't hesitate to look at what you have missed. With time whatever you have memorized will become a part of long term memory and you will not forget anything!
For detailed instructions on how to use Anki here is the manual for the program
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