Do You Want to Memorise the Qur’ân?

A Practical Step

All praise is due to Allâh. We praise Him and seek His aid and forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allâh from the
evil of our own selves and from the evil of our actions. Whomsoever Allâh guides, none can send astray
and whoever Allâh sends astray, none can guide.

I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allâh alone, who has no partner. And I bear
witness that Muhammad (‫)صلﱠى ﷲُ َعلَ ْي ِه َو َسلﱠم‬
َ is His slave and His Messenger. May Allâh send peace and
blessings upon him, his family and his Companions until the Last Day.

This small text is simply a complementary effort that encourages Muslims to make a sincere effort in memorising the
Book of Allâh () and an approach and means to accomplish this. And all Help and Tawfeeq is from Allâh alone.

- Are you an English-Speaking Muslim?

- Do you lead a busy life?
- Do you feel you have lost connection with the Book of Allâh?
- Do you want to find a way out of this spiritual bankruptcy and re-connect to it?

Then read on....

I am not going to write about the critical value, importance and merits of memorising the Qur’ân because I
will assume that you already know this by now. You are now therefore ready to go one step further and
put this belief into concrete and tangible action. You want to re-connect with the Book of Allâh and begin
your noble journey to memorise it, or at least parts of it.

Traditionally, it is seen as vital to have a teacher with whom you can practise your reading of the Qur’ân
with. Learning with a teacher remains the best and most appropriate way to learn the Qur’ân. For those
who are sincerely unable to have this type of a set-up should not give up simply because they do not have
time. With the presence of video/audio and written literature that is available on the subject of the Qur’ân
and Qur’ân memorisation, it should at least give someone a good basis to start and commence their
memorisation and learning.

The fundamental guideline directing my memorisation plan is the following hadeeth of the Prophet ( ُ‫صلﱠى ﷲ‬ َ
‫) َعلَ ْي ِه َو َسلﱠم‬: “...The best deed (act of worship) in the sight of Allâh is that which is done regularly." [Bukhari
1/36]
Once we understand that being regular in anything is key to learning; it will bring about achieving the
desired results. Thus it is not hard to how this rule will help the one who wants to memorise the Qur’ân.

The thought of memorising something always seems daunting at first, but this should never put us off
because as Muslims, we must have the ability to improvise and adapt and seek ways and means that best
cater for our needs. There is no bigger need than to keep a close relationship with the Book of Allâh; to
read it, understand it, practise it and teach it to others.

There now follows one very simple method which I found to be effective in memorising, understanding
and applying the Qur’ân. It is with great hope and with the Tawfeeq of Allâh (‫ )سبحانه و تعالى‬that this method
becomes an effective tool for the said purpose. And with Allâh (‫ )سبحانه و تعالى‬alone is the Success.

1A1D Plan
1A1D (1 Ayah 1 Day) is a very simple idea. It is an idea that keeps laziness away and Shaytan at bay! It is
straightforward and without complication. It can be used by anybody to begin their noble journey in the
memorisation of the Qur’ân however or wherever they may be.

Note: For those who have the time and can make additional efforts to learn more than an ayah, this of
course would be highly encouraged. Our concern is for those who have a busy daily schedule an find it
difficult to make time for the Qur’ân and connect to it.

How does 1A1D work?

Here’s a simple idea of how 1A1D would work in practise: Surah al Baqarah has 286 ayat while there are
365 days in a year. This would mean that a Muslim who dedicates in learning 1 ayah a day would be able to
memorise the lengthiest Surah of the Qur’ân within 9 months approx. What a huge accomplishment would
this be for the heart and soul?

The 1A1D concept has the following multiple functions:

1) To memorise at least 1 ayah a day

2) To able to read the meaning of that ayah
3) To be able to put the that ayah into practise immediately (where possible)

It is indeed hard to imagine any able-bodied Muslim from not being able to accomplish this. Now let us
take a proper working example. Let us take the first ayah of Surah al Mulk, the 67th Surah of the Qur’ân.

STEP 1: MEMORISE THE AYAH

For those who find it easier to memorise from transliteration, this can be broken down as follows:
 Tabāraka Al-Ladhī Biyadihi Al-Mulku Wa Huwa `Alá Kulli Shay'in Qadīrun

Please note that you will have to find a transliteration which you understand and are comfortable with. The above
transliteration can also be written as:

Tabaarakalla dhee Bi yadihil Mulku Wa Huwa `Alaa Kulli Shay'in Qadeer

There are further variants in transliterations therefore you are recommended to remain with the original Arabic
script unless you really are having difficulties with it.

As you can see, this ayah is short and simple and within everyone’s means to memorise in 1 day! Whether
you are at school or the work place, you can continuously practise it in your free period/s as well as times
when you are travelling to and fro etc. The ayah can always be kept under your breath or at the back of
your mind.

You can also write down or print out the ayah (Arabic and transliteration) and keep it with you in case you
need to confirm any part of it. Once your memorisation of the ayah is complete, we move onto the next
part: The Meaning.

STEP 2: KNOW THE MEANING OF THE AYAH

When reading the meaning of the Qur’ân, it is best to use a trustworthy translation; this will also aide you
in understanding the real meaning based on authentic and established Islamic sources. It will also help you
to identify the corroborating Arabic words and help you to learn Arabic through the Qur’ân itself. Let’s
return back to the example ayah in Step 1 and understanding the meaning:

“Blessed be He in Whose Hand is the Dominion; and He is Able to do all things.”

Note that in order to understand the proper meaning, context and implication of an ayah, we cannot
simply take it individually without supporting evidence to substantiate its meaning. We also cannot and
should not use non-Arabic translations of the Qur’ân and ahadeeth as a replacement or substitute for the
original Arabic. Gross misunderstandings usually arise from lack of language skills as well as knowledge of
history, context and implication, from amongst other things.

STEP 3: PUT THE AYAH INTO PRACTISE

Where possible, you will be able to put the ayah that you have memorised (and know the meaning of) into
practise. This practise could mean:

1. Affirming the ayah and its meaning with the heart

2. Affirming the ayah with the tongue
3. Affirming the ayah through practise with the limbs.

As we know, Emaan (Faith) is in the heart; the speech of the tongue and reflected in one one’s physical actions.

May Allâh (‫ )سبحانه و تعالى‬make it easy for every Muslim to maintain a close relationship with the Qur’ân and
enable us to read it daily, to understand its meanings and apply it in our daily lives. For there is no success
without it and no life without it.