Guidelines
for Hifz Students
Verses
from the Qur'an
Verily We
revealed the reminder (Qur'an) and We are its guardian. (Al Hijr, ayah
no.9)
Alif Lam
Meem. This is the book whereof there is no doubt, a guidance unto those
who ward off evil. (Al Baqarah, ayah no.1&2)
Falsehood
cannot come to it from before nor from behind it. (It is) a revelation
from the All-Wise, the owner of All-Praise. (Fussilat, ayah no. 42)
If we had
caused this Qur'an to descend upon a mountain, you would have seen it
humbled, bent asunder by the fear of Allah. Such similitudes we give
mankind so that he may ponder. (Al Hashr, ayah no. 21)
Traditions
of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam
a. Uthman
Radiallahu anhu narrates that Rasulullah Sallallahu alaihi wasallam said:
"The best amongst you is he who learns the Qur'an and teaches
it." (Bukhari)
b. Abu
Saeed Khudri Radiallahu anhu narrates that the prophet of Allah Sallallahu
alaihi wasallam said: "Allah says: "If anybody finds no time for
my remembrance and for begging favours of Me, because he remains busy with
the Holy Qur'an, I shall give him more than what I give all those who beg
favours of Me". The superiority of the word of Allah over all other
words is like the superiority of Allah over the entire creation. (Tirmizi)
c. Aisha
Radiallahu anha narrates that the prophet of Allah Sallallahu alaihi
wasallam once said: "One who is well versed in the Qur'an will be in
the company of those angels who are scribes, noble and righteous, and one
who falters in reading the Qur'an, and has to exert hard for learning,
gets double the reward." (Bukhari)
d.
Abdullah ibn Umar Radiallahu anhu reports that the prophet of Allah
Sallallahu alaihi wasallam said: "On the day of judgement, it will be
said to the man devoted to the Qur'an, 'Go on reciting the Qur'an and
continue ascending the storeys of paradise and recite in the slow manner
you had been reciting in the worldly life. Your final abode will be where
you reach at the time you recite the last ayah (verse)." (Ahmed,
Tirmizi ,Abu Dawood)
e. Umar
ibn Khattab Radiallahu anhu reported that the prophet of Allah Sallallahu
alaihi wasallam said: "Undoubtedly through this book Allah exalts
some people and abases others." (Muslim)
f. Ibn
Masood Radiallahu anhu reported that the prophet of Allah Sallallahu
alaihi wasallam said: "If anyone recites a letter from the Qur'an, he
will be credited with one virtue, and a virtue gets a ten-fold reward. I
do not say that Alif Lam Mîm is one letter, but Alif is one letter, Lam
is one letter and Meem is one letter." (Tirmizi)
g. Ibn
Abbas Radiallahu anhu reported that the prophet of Allah Sallallahu alaihi
wasallam said: "He who has nothing of the Holy Qur'an in his heart is
like a ruined house." (Tirmizi)
h. Abu
Lubabah Bashir bin Abdul Mundhar Radiallahu anhu reported that the prophet
of Allah Sallallahu alaihi wasallam said: "He who does not recite the
Qur'an in a melodious voice is not of us." (Abû Dawûd)
i. Abu
Musa Al Ashari Radiallahu anhu reported that the prophet of Allah
Sallallahu alaihi wasallam said: "Retain and safeguard the Holy
Qur'an in your memory. By the one in whose hands is my life, it (the
Qur'an) slips more quicker away from one than a camel from its
fetters." (Bukhari & Muslim)
Narrations
regarding our Pious Predeccessors
* Uthman
Radiallahu anhu used to fast during the day and spend the whole night in
salah apart from getting a little sleep during the first third of the
night. It is well known that he used to recite the entire Qur'an in one
rakat at a time.
* Qatadah
Radiallahu anhu used to recite the whole Qur'an every three nights in the
month of Ramadhan but during the last ten nights, he used to finish the
whole Qur'an every night.
* Imam
Shafi'i Rahmatullah alaihi used to recite the Qur'an about 60 times during
the days and nights of Ramadhan.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
The
Glorious Qur'an
The book
which fills every nook
To serve
as a suit
For every
era of soup
For a
group to scoop
From its
clear brook
Such a
root
Its
melody better than a flute
Keeping
everyone glued
Its
authenticity is such one cannot dispute
Its
meaning is food
For a
hungry man's mood.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Explanation
The
Qur'an and its beautiful teachings has flooded the world filling every
nook (corner).
It serves
as a suit for every era of soup (for every era when man is faced with
difficulty, his solutions lie in the Qur'an and Sunnah).
For a
group of pious Ulama to scoop (to extract) solutions to the peoples
problems from the Qur'an's teachings which is clearer than a brook
(stream).
Such a
root, the Qur'an is original and free from any errors.
Its
melody is better than a flute, keeping everyone glued, the Qur'an with its
beautiful words and meanings, its melodious tune enraptures every true
believer.
Its
authenticity one can never dispute, its food for a hungry man's mood, it
is guidance for those who seek the truth.
There are
three important factors to take into consideration when memorising the
Qur'an.
1. The
new lesson (also known as sabaq or dars)
2. The
previous day's lesson.
3.
Revision (also known as Muraja'ah, dor)
Questions
and Answers
Q -
What is the best time to memorise the new lesson?
A - The
best time to learn the new lesson is when one's mind is quite relaxed.
Generally this is at the time of Fajr (the morning prayer) and after the
Magrib salah (the prayer after sunset).
Q -
What is the best method to use in memorising one's new lesson?
A - One
of the most effective methods to use in memorising the new lesson is as
follows: Before commencing the actual procedure of memorisation, read the
new lesson at least three or four times. This will prepare the student
mentally for the lesson, as well as give him the crux of the lesson.
Secondly, memorise verse by verse (ayah after ayah). Do not precede to the
next verse if you have not memorised the previous one properly. Be very
observant when memorising the lesson.
Q -
How should one memorise a verse which is extremely long eg. Verse 282 of
Surah Al-Imran (Chapter on the family of Imran)?
A - If
the verse is very long, it is most advisable to memorise it in portions,
eg. By memorising small portions of the verse. Once the entire verse has
been memorised, one would be capable of reciting it fluently.
Q - Is
it advisable for students to memorise their lessons by listening to
cassettes?
A - It is
advisable for students to listen to their new lesson on cassette then to
begin memorising it. However, a more approved method is where the ustadh
(teacher) himself recites the new lesson to the student and thereafter the
student memorises his lesson.
Q -
Are there any special benefits in listening to cassettes by the student?
A - From
the many special benefits here are a few:
*
Listening to these cassettes creates a greater urge and fervour to learn
eg. A student loves to listen to the recital of the Qur'an by Sheikh Abdul
Rahman As-Sudais, now by him listening to the recitation, this enhances
the desire of learning.
* The
student gets more familiar with the method of recital.
* The
student tends to remember his lesson for a longer period of time.
NB.
The effort of the student is still of utmost importance.
Q -
Many students keep mentioning that certain chapters of the Qur'an are
extremely difficult to memorise eg. Surah As Saffat. Please advise us.
A - These
are merely statements of ignorance. Psychology proves when a person
retains such statements and takes them to heart, one is bound to find the
lesson difficult to memorise. The clarity of mind plays an extremely
important role when memorising a lesson.
Q -
Can you enlighten us on the importance of reciting one's lesson to the
teacher before commencing the actual process of memorisation?
A - The
importance of reciting the new lesson by the teacher cannot be over
emphasized. One is definitely saved from many errors which could arise
because of negligence. The student is made aware of any weakness regarding
the application of the laws of tajweed etc.
Q -
How much of the new lesson should a student learn?
A - This
depends mainly on the student himself. The amount varies from 1/3 of a
page to 2 pages and more.
NB.
Quality is of utmost importance, not quantity.
Thus
far most of the questions dealt with the 'new lesson' (sabaq). Hereunder
follow questions pertaining to the 'previous day's lessons', revision (dor,
Muraj'ah) as well as miscellaneous advice and noteworthy points.
Q -
Students find great difficulty in remembering their previous day's lesson.
What is the main cause for this?
A - The
main cause for students forgetting their previous day's lesson is
negligence.
Hereunder
follow some methods which will assist the students. As soon as the student
recites his new lesson to the teacher from memory, he must revise the very
same lesson instantly at least 4 to 5 times. The very same method should
be adopted before one learns one's revision (i.e. the repetition of the
new lesson).
Q -
Students tend to make a lot of mistakes when reciting their revision. What
is the cause of this?
A -
Mistakes are unavoidable. It must be remembered that memorising the Qur'an
takes different stages eg. First the student has to memorise the new
lesson, revise it etc. It is like a building. The foundation has to be
firm. Then only is it possible for the building to stand. Similarly, once
the student makes the effort to learn his new lesson (sabaq) correctly,
his revision becomes easier.
To
decrease the rate of mistakes, the teacher can set a target for the
student eg. the student is not permitted to make more than 3 or 4 mistakes
in a surah (chapter).
Q -
What is the recommended amount of revision that a student should recite
daily?
A - The
Qur'an consists of 30 parts, it would be highly recommended that every
student recites at least one part every day.
Q -
How does a student remember those texts/ places in the Qur'an which are
very often repeated? (Mutashabihat)
A - One
can only remember these places after excessive learning.
Q - Is
it necessary for a student to learn from one print of the Qur'an or can he
learn from different prints of the Qur'an?
A - It is
very important that a student learns from one print of the Qur'an, because
the student generally visualises his lessons. Now if he starts learning
from different prints, very soon he is going to be confused.
NB.
This also leads to a lot of strain on the student's mind.
Q -
Does one learn better by reciting audibly or inaudibily?
A - This
depends mainly on the student. Some students prefer to learn aloud whereas
others prefer to learn in a low voice. The advantage of reciting aloud is
that one tends to read more clearly and will detect any mistake one makes
easily.
Arshad
Cassim : Dar-al-Qur'an, South Africa
Printed
and published by: Madrasah Arabia Islamia, Azaadville, South Africa.
Courtesy:
www.everymuslim.com