Benefits of Memorising and Listening to the Quran

 

As Muslims, we all know the benefit of listening to and memorising the Quran. In this world, we can find a comfort and a cure: Allah says in the Quran, 'We send down the Quran as a healing and mercy for the believers...' (17:82) and guidance '...It is a guide and a healing to the believers...' (41:44), among other things. In the Hereafter, we can attain a higher status in Jannah according to what we've memorised. Abdullah ibn Amr reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “It will be said to the companion of the Quran: Recite and ascend as you recited in the world. Verily, your rank is determined by the last verse you recite." ( al-Tirmidhī)

Listening to the Quran is Calming

However, we all know that Allah is Most Merciful so there is always much more benefit for us to doing anything that is pleasing to Allah. For example, research has found that listening to the Quran is calming and relaxing in adults, and even premature babies' vital signs increased when the Quran is played. As Allah says in the Quran that 'Surely in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find comfort.' (13:28). 

Memorising the Quran Increases Memory Ability

We all know that memorising the Quran helps with our memory. We’ve heard stories and may have witnessed it with our children or someone we know.

There have been some research into this throughout the years. The latest one was done on high school students in Turkey. These students were tested before and after they enrolled in a Quran memorisation program. The results showed improvements in verbal and visual memory, attention speed, and phonemic and semantic fluency. 

An older research studied the academic achievements of college and university students before they completed memorising the whole Quran and after they've completed it and found that academic achievement was improved and enhanced after they became hafidh.

So if you want your child to have better memory for learning then start with the Quran inshaAllah.

What Affects the Ability to Memorise the Quran

There are a number of factors that influence the ability to memorise the Quran. The most important are the type of memory processing being used and the motivation. The other factors such as discipline, innate memory strength, iman, age, adab, dua, rhythm and having the same copy of the Quran, may facilitate the process.

There are two types of long term memory processing: maintenance rehearsal and elaboration rehearsal. Maintenance rehearsal is where there is passive repetition with no reference to meaning and associations being made. Elaboration rehearsal is where there is active repetition with meaning and linking to material from long term memory. 

The memory processing that is most effective to memorising the Quran is the maintenance rehearsal. This is the miracle of the Quran that anyone can memorise it, even non-Arab speakers who don't understand the meaning of what is being memorised. Allah says in the Quran, 'And We have certainly made the Quran easy to remember. So is there anyone who will be mindful?' (54:17) 

What this means to children is to motivate them to learn. Make it fun. Make it motivating. Make them want to memorise the Quran. The other part is to repeat an ayat or surah over and over again. Children will easily memorise the Quran by listening to it and reciting it repeatedly.

It is much better of course if we understood what Allah is telling us (and that is why it is best to learn Arabic) but to preserve the Quran we just need people of hafidh who have committed it to memory. 

Once the Quran is committed to memory, though, it needs to be maintained through continual daily practice and revision. Abdullah ibn Umar reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Verily, the parable of the companion of the Quran is that of a tied camel. If he is committed to it, he will keep it. If he releases it, he will lose it.” (Al Bukhari & Muslim) This is where maintenance rehearsal is most effective as well. 

Ways of Memorising the Quran

There is a study of four popular methods of teaching Quran memorisation.  It goes into details of the steps in each method. What could be taken from it is the similarities. 

1. Each starts with learning new verses by listening to the teacher's pronunciation and repeating exactly what the teacher recited. This is done over and over until the teacher is satisfied that the student has recited it correctly. 
2. The next step is the rote memorisation of the new verses. In other words, using maintenance rehearsal. This could take up to four hours a day in one sitting. 
3. The step after this is to revise the old verses that has already been committed to memory with the teacher or a peer listening and correcting any mistakes.

Benefit of Understanding the Quran

There are many Muslims who have memorised the Quran mashaAllah. This is important for the preservation of the Quran. However, the ummah needs a lot more Muslims who understands the Quran. We need to understand what Allah tells us in the Quran so that we can put it into practice. This is where the tafsir of the Quran plays an important part.

One way to understand the Quran is to reflect on the meaning of the verses. There are many ways we can do this. One way is to attend tafsir classes. We can do Quran Journaling or even Quran Art Journaling. These are creative ways to introduce children to reflect on the Quran. Download these free templates to start Quran journaling.

The other way to understand the Quran is to understand Arabic. Enroll yourself and your children into Arabic classes. Young children learn languages easily so it's never too early to start.