This is a simple and direct message of the principles of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah (those who adhere to the Sunnah and who unite upon it) in giving and receiving that many students have failed at, which is memorizing and mastering the Quran. Numerous students neglect to memorize it and far worse than that, some of them can’t even recite it properly. If you’ve ever wondered “Why is it important to memorize the Quran”, you’ll find your answer in this article Insha’Allah.
Not knowing how to recite correctly is a mistake that needs to be fixed since the origin of the principles is overlooked, and then it takes a long time to find out. Furthermore, the value and importance of knowledge have not been kept a secret from anyone because it is the prophets’ remnant and heritage, and its followers are their family and inheritors. This message was written to clarify this important principle. And I pray that Allah may grant its writer and reader success.
Now without any further ado, let’s get to know the answer of our question “why is it important to memorize the Quran?”
The Rule of Learning Islamic Studies
Before giving you the answer to your question “why is it important to memorize the Quran?” let me first tell you the rule of learning Shari’a
The first is understanding of what Allah has commanded, which includes knowledge of Tawheed (monotheism), purity, offering prayers…etc. In addition to being aware of what Allah has forbidden such as polytheism and other Haram acts. One of the scholars referred to this branch of study when he said: “We must educate ourselves on four things and Islamic studies are the first, may God have mercy on us”.
Half of this obligation is to memorize Surat Al-Fatihah along with another Surah or verse. Imam Abu Mohamed bin hazm said: “What every person must memorize is the mother of the Quran, and something from the Quran is with it”. And by saying the mother of the Quran he meant Surah Al Fatiha.
The other half is the understanding of the legal obligation that must be discharged by the Muslim community as a whole. In other words, understanding that if enough members in the Muslim community discharge the obligation, the remaining Muslims are freed from the responsibility.
“Everyone would succeed if not for adversity“.
— Unknown
The ideal way to memorize the entire Quran is to do so perfectly and precisely; this includes memorizing what goes above and beyond the minimum amount. Due to the hardship and work required, most people give up and stop after some time, and that’s what sets the seeker of knowledge apart from other people.
What Are The Learning Ways?
Memorizing
Why is it important to memorize the Quran? well it has been said that every memorizer is an Imam because of how eager they are to memorize and how much more valuable they are to the souls. So that’s why the Sahaba of our prophet peace be upon him used to praise whoever memorized Surah Al-Baqara and Al-Imran, so how about the hafiz of the entire Quran?
Anas God be pleased with him said “We would consider a man to be very valuable if he recited both Al-Baqarah and Al-Imran”. For a student of the Quran, memorizing is at first challenging, but with time and consistency, it gradually gets simpler. Prophet Mohamed peace be upon him said: “knowledge only comes by learning”.
Understanding
Knowing what Allah means by his words and acting with it, not just reciting and memorizing it as if it is just like any other book! It is incorrect to claim that all of the meanings of the Quran are unclear and difficult to understand since the meanings of the Quran vary in terms of clarity and ambiguity for the seeker of knowledge.
This is due to the fact that besides the dialects that have crept upon the tongues, the Quran was revealed in a clear Arabic tongue whose meanings are comprehended by Arab people. And if someone is uncertain about one of the meanings, they should consult Tafseer books or consult experts. Allah said in Surah Al-Nahl: “If you ( ˹polytheists˺ do not know ˹this already˺, then ask those who have knowledge ˹of the Scriptures˺.)”
Acting With It
Acting with the knowledge you have learned is one method of protecting it. Al-Sha’bi and Waki’ bin Al-Jarrah may God have mercy on them said: “We used to seek the help of memorizing hadith by acting with it”
Based on several people’s experiences, the verses stick in the brain more deeply if the person memorizes them and then offers the night prayer by reading them.
Instead of just acquiring a lot of knowledge, the forefathers were learning to act with what they know. According to Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami, those who used to recite the Quran to us, such as Othman bin Affan, Abdullah bin Masoud, and others, told us that if they learned from the Prophet peace be upon him ten verses, they did not go beyond them until they learned what they contained of knowledge and rules. They said that we studied the knowledge, the Quran, and acts all at once.
Gradualism In Learning
The Salafi methodology and key principle of gradualism in learning must be followed and not violated. Yunus bin yazid narrated that Ibn shehab once told him: “O Yunus, do not be arrogant about knowledge, for knowledge is valleys, and which one you take is cut off by you before you reach it. But take it with the days and nights, and do not take Knowledge is a whole, for whoever seeks to take it as a whole, loses it as a whole.
The only thing that set the latecomers apart from the earlier ones is their focus on what they are doing, where they are concerned with the people’s adherence to their ideals, control over their regulations, tightening of their knots, and care for the lofty demands in everything.
“Allah has already set a destiny for everything“.
— Surah Al-Talaq 3
If a student learns the information that is required in kind, the next step in their educational journey should be memorizing and mastering the great Quran because it is the source and the highest form of knowledge, and all other branches of Shari’a relate to it. This process is documented and preserved in knowledge books as it was passed down from earlier generations and is not a creation of the present.
Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728H) – rahimahullah – said: “As for seeking to memorise the Qur’an, then this is to be given preference over many of the things that the people consider to be knowledge, but are – in reality – either totally useless, or having little benefit. It is also to be given precedence in learning especially by those who wish to acquire knowledge of the Din, its principles and its particulars.
So look how the Quran was prioritized over everything! According to one of the scholars, The ancestors (Salaf), may God have mercy on them, did not begin to seek any sort of knowledge before they finished memorization of the book of Allah, How could you go beyond the Holy Quran, and then, search and seek knowledge when it is where knowledge begins and where wisdom comes from!
“But this ˹Quran˺ is ˹a set of˺ clear revelations ˹preserved˺ in the hearts of those gifted with knowledge. And none denies Our revelations except the ˹stubborn˺ wrongdoers“.
— Surah Al-Ankabut
Why Is It Important to Memorize The Quran?
The imams of guidance in earlier eras never allowed a knowledge seeker, whether their children or their students, to seek hadith, jurisprudence, or exegesis unless they memorized the Quran.
Then, they emphasize this point by saying that the seeker of knowledge is expected to become a mufti, teacher, guide, advisor, or a lecturer in the future, it is the first element of the program based on the principles of Ahlu Sunnah in saving the book of Allah. So How would that be possible when they struggle to accurately recite the Quran!!
Despite being intuited, this example shows that Quran is currently ignored, suppressed, or given a secondary ruling that is not an original ruling by the majority of knowledge seekers, while this is a serious issue that needs to be fixed! even if the knowledge seeker pauses all of his education programs for it.
How Scholars Never Let Knowledge Seekers Begin with Something Before Memorizing Quran
Imam Abd al-Malik bin Juraij, may God have mercy on him, remarked as quoted by al-Dhahabi in the narrative of the Sheikh of the Haram: “I arrived to Ataa, i.e., Ibn Abi Rabah, and I requested this matter, and Abdullah bin Ubaid bin Omair was there. Did you read the Qur’an, Ibn Omair asked me? I replied: No. Go read it, then seek knowledge, he instructed. So it was pitch black for a while before I began to recite the Qur’an.
And Imam Abdul Rahman bin Abi Hatim Al-Razi, may God have mercy on him, stated: (My father stopped me from starting with hadith until I read the Qur’an on Al-Fadl bin Shathan Al-Razi. And then i did hadith
May God have mercy on Imam Ibn al-Qayyim, who said: ( some of our friends told me of some of these teachers’ students, saying that they did not memorize the Qur’an and that they saw them working in some of their books.
One of the scholars recounted how his father insisted on memorizing the Qur’an before helping him gather and organize Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah’s fatwas and messages during his early years. I spent six months learning the entire Qur’an, he continued, and then I started helping him.
How The Quran Was Mastered By Our Ancestors
Many of our ancestors used to finish the Qur’an during the night prayer every three nights, or more frequently, and they did not have the tiny copies of the Qur’an that have become widely spread now.
Mujahid noted (I prayed behind Muslimah bin Makhlad, and he recited Surat Al-Baqarah, and he did not leave a letter).
Abu Bakr bin Ayyash, may God have mercy on him, added: (Al-A’mash used to present the Qur’an, and they would hold the Qur’an over him, so he did not miss a letter in a letter.)
We must start down the paths set by our ancestors; their quest for knowledge began here, and many who followed it have already reached their goal. You can never reach your goal by being lazy, so get up and go obtain what you’re seeking.
I pray to God, to grant us wisdom, and to count us among the members of the Quran family.
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Why is it important to memorize the Quran for kids?
Your child will benefit greatly from memorizing the Quran since it will protect them in this life and the afterlife. Read more!
