Advice Regarding Memorizing and Reviewing the Qur'ān

Memorizing the Qur’ān is from the most tremendous blessings of Allāh (ﷻ) upon the slave. And the Insān (man) is named Insān because of his forgetting nature. 

So, it is upon the man to realize: 
-The tremendous blessing and to realize 
-The reality of his nature.

To realize that his memorization of the Qur’ān is from the most tremendous blessings of Allāh (ﷻ) upon him.

Verily he will ascend in Paradise depending on the level of his memorization. It will be said to him on the Day of Judgment when he reaches the abode he deserves because of his deeds, by the favor of Allāh (ﷻ) upon him. When he reaches to this level in Paradise, it will be said to him, “Recite in a slow and pleasant tone and ascend. Verily, your rank is determined by the last verse you recite.”

“Recite in a slow and pleasant tone.”

Don’t recite quickly, rather recite in a slow and deliberate manner because while you are reciting you are ascending in Paradise. And your abode in Paradise which is an abode of virtue will be where you recite your last verse, rather the last letter you recite.  

And to realize the reality of his nature and that you constantly forget, and that should make you diligent upon preserving this blessing by constantly reviewing. 

And the best time for reviewing is during the night prayer (Tahajjud).

There is no time more blessed than it, no time better than it, no time stronger in regards to making firm what has been memorized. 

O brothers, one of us might review for two whole hours and forget what he reviewed in two or three days. However, if he recited it during the night prayer, it would stay with him for a longer period.

So, the best thing, my brother, is to designate your time for reviewing the Qur’ān during the night prayer. And this will encourage you to stand up at night, and to prolong your standing, and to review the Qur’ān every night. And if you commit to the Qur’ān and review it, it will be firm.  If not, it will escape from you faster than a camel escapes from its tying rope. 

So, if you forget, then review and continue in your memorization. Don’t stop memorizing because I know some brothers completely stopped their memorization with the excuse that they want to review what they have memorized. Then they eventually became lazy in reviewing. 

However, organize your time. Designate your time for review during the night prayer. And I’ve said before, designate your best time for the Speech of Allāh. The Speech of Allāh is the best speech and the Qur’ān is the best Speech. So, designate for the best Speech your best time.

Some of us designate our spare time for the Qur’ān and we don't designate a special time. Yes, if you have an opportunity to read the Qur’ān then this is good. 

However, designate your best time for the Speech of Allāh. Right before the Fajr prayer, and soon after. Memorize, even if it’s only a verse. Don’t deprive yourself from memorizing. Even if you memorize only one verse a day, it’s not something little, by Allāh. In no way is it something little. No matter what you’ve previously memorized.   

Let’s assume that you’ve only memorized a little. Review what you’ve memorized and commit to yourself that you won’t let a day pass except that you memorized a verse. 

It’s a must that you memorize a verse every day. Perhaps Allāh will facilitate for you more than a verse. However, you commit yourself to a verse and you review. You will find that you will have memorized the entire Qur'ān and all praise is for Allāh. 

And whoever is sincere to Allāh, Allāh will grant him what he wants. 

O students of knowledge, the Qur'ān is the most tremendous of what you will memorize. Don’t neglect the recitation of the Qur'ān and don’t give up memorizing! And the nobility of the Muslim is that he recites the Speech of Allāh. 

Some advice that our teachers gave us while we were young, they used to say, be diligent upon going to the Masjid at the time of the Adhān, at the least, if not earlier. And pray whatever Allāh wills for you to pray, and read. (the Qur'ān).

And designate the time between the Adhān and the Iqāmah a routine for you to recite. Not for memorizing nor reviewing, but just for reciting.

And designate the night prayer for reviewing. 

And designate the time right before Fajr and soon after Fajr for memorization.

And this is the most beneficial way for those wishing to read and memorize the Qur'ān.