Bismillah
As a belated part-two to our Seeking Knowledge series, sister Mariam
E. and I conducted an interview with Ustadhah Kareema Czerepinski on
memorizing the Book of Allāh as a follow-up to our advice on the proper
methods of pursuing sacred knowledge. It is the perfect time for
students to start or renew their memorization now that the summer break
is upon us and Ramadan is right around the corner
inshā’Allāh.
We hope that these answers are beneficial to you and us. May Allāh make
us from the Companions of His Book and unite us with His righteous
slaves in the highest gardens of Paradise. Āmīn.
Ustadhah Kareema Czerepinski, author of the three part book series:
Tajweed Rules of the Qur’an, memorized the Qurʾān and went on
to receive an ijaazah in the way of Hafs ‘an ‘Asim, by the way of
Shatibiyyah, and another ijaazah by the way of Tayyibat Al-Nashr. She
then continued and received an ijaazah in the ten qira’aat min tareeq
Ash-Shaaitibiyyah and Ad-Durrah. She is in charge of the non-Arab
division at Dar Al-Huda Qur’an school for ladies.
What is your advice for the one who has embarked on the journey to memorize the Qurʾān?
“Exalted are You; we have no knowledge except what You have taught us. Indeed, it is You who is the Knowing, the Wise.”
Assalaam alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. First of
all, I thank you for the good supposition you have about me, pray that
this is for the benefit of the Muslims, and ask Allāh to guide me in my
answers to that which is best and helpful to the Muslims who wish to
learn and memorize the Words of Allāh.
This question alone is one that books could be written on. I will try
not to, but it is hard. The main three points of advice surround
intention, schedule, and being tested.
Intention
Of course the first step is to make one’s intention solely for the
pleasure of Allāh and not for any earthly gain. I say “of courseâ€
thinking that it is hardly possible for one to embark on this journey
without pure intentions, as it is one that requires great amounts of
time, patience, and perseverance, continual supplication to Allāh for
success, and deep from the gut determination. Then again, lately there
has been a rise in Muslims forging documents, claiming to have a
certificate they don\’t, or a chain of transmission that they don\’t,
all to charge others great amounts of money for the chance to recite to
them. The stories get more and more amazing as the years go by and
some Muslims lose track of the fact that Allāh is always monitoring,
watching our every move and knows what is in our hearts. For that
reason, I feel like it is still the number one thing to say, even though
it is obvious. The Muslim brothers or sisters who have embarked on or
are going to embark on this journey need to be honest with themselves
and clear up any kind of
wiswas (whispers) that may occur in their intentions.
The student may want to research the sound
ahaadeeth on the
benefits of memorizing the Qur\’an and the honor those who have
memorized receive on the Day of Resurrection. One may put posters up in
different part of the house with some of the
ahaadeeth, then change them every week or so, to help refresh the intentions and feel motivated.
Schedule
The next is to set up a reasonable schedule, one including daily
memorization and review. It is of the upmost importance that this
schedule is neither too ambitious, so the student of memorization
doesn\’t get frustrated and give up, nor too easy so the student feels
unchallenged and loses interest. It is always best that the
memorization and review are sequential and not random. This helps give
the memorizer a clear picture of where he/she is and where he/she is
going.
The best way for most is to be in an organized group with a set
curriculum, time and days of class. This helps keep motivation up, as
no one likes to be behind the class, and also formulates bonds of
brotherhood/sisterhood between the students for mutual cooperation and
assistance. There are some who do better on an individualized program,
but with a group where each person recites what he/she has memorized to
the teacher or individually has a set date for reciting his/her
memorization to a teacher. Still others have the patience,
perseverance, and self motivation and control to do the memorization by
their selves. On the whole, this form takes the most struggle as it is
easy to get distracted and fall out of the daily routine when there is
no appointed time to recite to a teacher and no group for extra
motivation.
It is important to set apart a specific time of day to memorize and
review, the time of day when there is the least amount of noise, and
least amount of chance of being bothered or distracted. This time is set
by the individual circumstances, but if possible right after
fajr is what I would recommend.
Review/Testing
Don\’t be in a hurry to finish memorizing and whiz through it without
the memorization being firm. The student should be able to close the
mushaf
(copy of the Qurʾān) and recite what he/she memorized completely
without a mistake, then that same section should be repeated during the
day. It is very important, no, imperative, that someone who is
proficient in the Qur\’an listens to what has been memorized and checks
it. It is also crucial to be tested on a whole
juz\’ when finished, and then on groups of
ajzaa, such as 3, 5, or 10 at a time as the memorizer progresses through the stages of putting the Qur\’an in their memory.
The review part of the daily section is just as important as the new memorization. One cannot call himself or herself aÂ
haafidh when in fact he/she memorized piece by piece and never put it together or reviewed intensely.
How does one face a period of laziness that might attack in the middle of this journey?
The student of the Qur\’an needs to realize before they start that
shaytaan is going to come to them and try to dissuade them from their noble goal. The
wiswas
can be in the form of making one feel like it is never going to end, or
seeing others having “fun†while the student is struggling forth,
or any other sort of tool. Knowing this should keep the student on
guard and help recognize the cause of the laziness or feeling of wanting
to stop.
The worst thing to do at this time is take a break from memorizing.Â
This will make returning to the memorization more difficult and usually
one will feel like the task has become harder. The best thing to do is
make
du‘ā’\’, renew one’s intentions, change the
hadeeth on the wall to a new one and read all the previously hung
hadeeth. Reading other\’s stories of struggle can also help.
What is the best way to schedule memorization around
work, school, and/or other responsibilities? Or is it recommended to
take time off and devote oneself completely for it, Â for better
results?
As previously mentioned, the student of memorization needs to find a
quiet, consistent time where he/she can memorize and review.Â
Memorization should have first priority in the day, and
insha\’Allāh there will beÂ
barakah in the remaining activities.
It is hard to say whether it is better to take time off from studies
and work to memorize or not. Oftentimes with a tight schedule and well
planned time control one can do more than freeing oneself completely to
devote all one’s time to memorization. For many, taking time off is
not an option. Others do better in a classroom situation with a set
curriculum and complete devotion to memorization.
Any tips on the best way to memorize the Mutashabihaat verses? (i.e. those verses that are repeated, similar, etc.)
Memorizing them isn\’t nearly as difficult
as keeping them straight when reviewing. Since memorizing is a slow
build up, the first few
mutashaabihaat are not too difficult to
keep straight. It is later when firming up memorization and reviewing
that it can become difficult. One tool is writing down the
different stories of the same content or groups of aayaat and
comparing them. As the same story comes up in different surahs, the
memorizer can add the new aayaat to his/her comparative list and study
them and review them all at the same time, finding the similarities and
differences. The stories of the Prophets is one area in which this is
especially needed.
There are numerous books in Arabic which help with the
mutashaabihaat
and there are poems. One specific poem which helped me personally was
As-Sakhkhaawiyyah. I didn\’t memorize the whole poem, but learned
some parts and read through it and that helped keep many things
straight. For example the lines outlining the places in the Qur\’an
which have Â
abadan after
khaalideen feeha really helped.
Some Muslims just can keep them straight by themselves, though,
masha\’ Allāh and don\’t need mnemonic devices to keep them straight.
Many Muslims feel that learning tajweed is not necessary;
can you shed some light on why it is a critical part of learning the
Qur’an?
The Qur\’an was revealed in the Arabic
language and was recited by the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh
upon him, and the Sahabah with
tajweed. Why would one want to recite it another way? The Arabs at the time of revelation spoke with
idhgaam,
ikhfa\’, etc, all the rules we now study to be able to read the Qur\’an with
tajweed. There are parts of
tajweed
which were not in the normal Arab speech such as the lengthening of the
sounds in the mudood, and this was then passed down in authentic chains
of transmission to us and documented in the old books on
tajweed.
There are parts of
tajweed which are vital to know, since
without applying them the actual letters can change in sound and a major
mistake is made. This is the basic
tajweed knowledge that
all Muslims should apply in their reading, whether they are memorizing
the whole Qur\’an, or just memorizing a few for their prayers.
What level of tajweed does one need to possess before embarking on the journey to memorize Qurʾān?
This would depend on one’s ultimate goal.
If one is memorizing with the intention of never teaching anyone else
and just to get the honor and reward, then it would be enough to know
the basic rules such as the
laam saakinah,
mudood,
noon saakinah,
makhraj, and
meem saakinah.Â
I would caution however, that many times Muslims memorize, then later
decide they want to teach or find themselves in a situation in which
they are the only ones around who knows any amount of Qur\’an, or change
their mind and want an
ijaazah, and then have to go back and learn everything in detail. This can be quite difficult.
For most Muslims I would say that they should learn the above, plus all the rest of detailed
tajweed
because those who have memorized are usually called upon to teach and
have a duty to help other Muslims. One cannot teach properly without
having a strong basis of knowledge themselves. One can start
memorizing at a slow level while learning the
tajweed rules and being corrected on its application in recitation, and later after learning the required
tajweed step up the memorization quantity.
Is it possible for one to perfect their tajweed and
pronunciation without a teacher, perhaps through listening to recorded
recitations only?
It is possible, but not very likely. The way the Qur\’an has been
taught from the early days of this nation and will continue to be taught
is by oral transmission, being taught and listened to and corrected by a
trained, mastered Qur\’an teacher. There are a few who are very good
at imitating sounds and have the ear to pick up the small minute changes
in sound heard from recordings and produce them with their own mouth,
but this is not the average person, not even some, instead it is a rare
case. Again, it can happen, but the general rule for the vast majority
is that it is extremely important that one is corrected by a trained
teacher.
Is it required to memorize the last harakah of each āyah if one does not have a solid background in Arabic grammar?
One doesn\’t need to have a solid background in Arabic grammar to memorize the last
harakah of the
aayah. One needs to have a solid Arabic grammar background to explain the reason for the
harakah. When we memorize the Qur\’an we should pay attention to the last
harakah and try to memorize it with the rest of the
aayah. Many
Shuyūkh giving
ijazaah request the student of the
ijaazah to join
aayaat together particularly in the shorter surahs to make sure the student knows the vowel on the last letter of an
aayah. Knowing the vowel on the last letter of the
aayah becomes particularly important in learning and applying the different
qira\’aat.
Many people associate memorization with being young. Is
it possible for someone to begin memorizing after the ‘golden years\’
of memorization? And what is your advice for such a person?
Youth on the whole can memorize easier, but age should not stop
anyone from memorizing. Sometimes Muslims have a mental picture of
those over 40 or 50 not being able to memorize, but there are many
stories of Muslims memorizing the Qur\’an later in life, some even
starting in their 60\’s and succeeding in completion.
With purity of intention, lots of
du‘ā’\’ asking Allāh to make it simple, and determination, nothing is impossible with Allāh\’s help.
I know of a sister in her 30s with 5 children who memorized the whole Qur\’an in 3 years and went on to get an
ijaazah.Â
She had to sacrifice sleep and many other things we generally hold
important, but she did it for Allāh, and by His will, she accomplished
her goal. My advice is to never give up.
What advice do you have for new Muslims and older Muslims who face difficulty with memorizing and pronunciation?
The same advice as above, do not give up. Turn to Allāh, don\’t be
afraid of the struggle and devote yourself to the Qur\’an. You do have
to sacrifice, but the reward of Allāh is great for all your efforts.Â
Some give up too easily, but be stubborn in your pursuit of reading the
words of Allāh correctly and keep trying. Don\’t make excuses for
yourself and don\’t let your ego get in your way. The students who do
the best on the whole are those who are eager to be corrected, do not
complain, and are not afraid to make a mistake.
What are some habits that a student of the Qur’an should implement?
You probably mean study habits, but more important is improving themselves as Muslims and making that a habit. Pray
tahajjud, fast extra fasts, make sure you implement the
aayaat of Qur\’an in your life and are a shining example of those of the Qur\’an.
Stay away from sin, repent for all your sins and stop anything that is not suitable for “
ahl al-Qur\’an.†(the people of the Qur’an)
Do not waste time, it is a precious commodity for the student of the
Qur\’an, so use it wisely and use it for the sake of Allāh. This is
something I can\’t say enough. Many Muslims have lofty goals, but lose
their precious time searching the Internet for different recordings of
recitation from multiple
Shuyūkh, looking up details of the
qira\’aat
and other advanced details of tajweed when they themselves are
relatively beginners or have not progressed far in their
memorization.  Focus on the task at hand, and listen to one of the
masters of tajweed such as Sheikh Al-Husary or Sheikh Abdullah Basfar.
What should be the goal(s) of a student who has completed their memorization and what should they do after this?
This is really up to the student for most
aspects, but the goal that should be shared by all after memorizing the
Qur\’an is to firm up the memorization and have a very strong review
program to keep themself a
hafidh. Once the memorization is complete it is not the end, it is just the beginning.
If the student of the Qur\’an would like to achieve an
ijaazah of the Qur\’an after memorizing and firming up the memorization, they should approach a sheikh or sheikhah with an
ijaazah and be evaluated by them. If the student has not memorized the Jazariyyah poem, and wished to get an
ijaazah
in the Qur\’an, he/she should memorize the Jazariyyah and study its
meaning.  After the evaluation, the sheikh or sheikhah might give
them points to work on, or start anÂ
ijaazah with them.
After an
ijaazah in one riwaayah or
qiraa\’ah, the student can then pursue knowledge of the 10
qiraa\’aat. There is much to learn and each step is more beautiful than the previous one.
In your opinion, what is the best method of reviewing the Book of Allāh, so as not to lose it by Allāh\’s will?
The scholars say, “[Review] five, you won\’t forget†(خمس لا تنسى), meaning if you review five
ajzaa\’
per day, you will not forget. This is a very true statement. If one
cannot keep up reviewing 5 per day all the time, they should try to do
this strong program of review for at least six months after completing
memorization. After that the student who cannot keep up with five
ajzaa\’ per day can decrease the amount to 2 or 3 a day, or the very minum, one
juz\’ per day; any less than this will not keep the memorization strong.
How much repetition is required for one to completely solidify the hifdh? What has worked for you/your students?
It is hard to quantify and varies from individual to individual.Â
Suffice it to be said that it requires a lot of repetition, and for six
months the review should be quite intense with five ‘
ajzaa per day reviewed, if at all possible.
The school I studied at has special classes for
tathbeet
(firming up memorization). As a class we went through the Qur\’an six
times, the number of students in the class, and each day recited three
ajzaa\’
to the teacher as a class, but we didn\’t know which section we were
going to be asked to recite as individuals. We were required to recite
at a quick pace, trying to keep our
tajweed up as much as
possible, so the memorization needed to be quite firm. The teacher would
keep track of which sections we had recited to her and at the end of
the year, each of us had recited the whole Qur\’an to her, but in
pieces. This was and is a very good program and I thank Allāh for
giving me the opportunity to be in this class.
Please recommend a Tafseer suitable for beginners. Which tafseer did you benefit from the most?
The translations into English of the meaning of the Qur\’an give only
a general idea of the aayaat, and it is quite important that a deeper
understanding of the Qur\’an and the background for a
surah or
aayah
be known, as well as any explanation given by the Prophet, peace and
blessings of Allāh upon him, and the Sahaabah. Ibn Kathir is a great
tafseer
and al-hamdu lillah it has been translated into English. May Allāh
reward those who did this with a great reward and make it of the deeds
which continue accumulating for them after their deaths.
How important do you think it is to study tafseer along with memorization? Does it aid in memorizing?
It is extremely important and yes it aids greatly in memorization,
especially if word by word meaning is given to the students as they
memorize. There needs to be study of vocabulary words along with the
memorization and tests given on the vocabulary words.
How can we instill love for the Qur’an in our children and youth?
By showing them how much we love it and by employing the Qu\’ran in
our life in every aspect. Teaching them that Qur\’an is first is
something they will carry with them to adulthood. I heard a lecture
once recommending that parents always start their children with Qur\’an
homework, then any other
deen related subjects, then the other
science, math and literature subjects. This will show the children the
importance of Qur\’an.
There is no doubt that one who carries the Book of Allāh
must also carry beautiful conduct and character. Can you please shed
light on some of the most important characteristics of Ahl-al-Qurʾān?
There are so many, as “
ahl Al-Qur\’an†should be
examples of the best in character and conduct. We should aim to have
our manners as [what is in] the Qur\’an as Aisha may Allāh be pleased
with her, described the Prophet peace and blessings of Allāh upon him.Â
Even though we are far from his example, we should try our utmost.
I think the one encompassing characteristic is that of
Taqwaa. If one has
taqwaa, everything else will be correct,
insha\’ Allāh.
The following are what came to my mind, and are under the category of
taqwaa:
First and foremost, those who are “carriers†of the Qur\’an should have truthfulness and honesty. It cannot be that
ahl al-Qur\’an tell lies or are dishonest.
Another very important characteristic is standing up for the truth and not wronging anyone or allowing someone to be wronged.
The inside of
Ahl Al-Qur\’an should be like their outward appearance, meaning there should be no hypocrisy.
Patience is also a very important characteristic which those who are carriers of the Qur\’an should have.
May Allāh grant us the best of manners and characteristics, may
He purify our intentions in all that we do, may Allāh make us of “ahl
al-Qur\’an,†and give us the honors promised those who have memorized
the Qur\’an on the Day of Resurrection. I seek Allāh’s forgiveness and repent to Him alone. 
