A Hifz comeback that took 15 years! 😮

He sat alone. Repeated for 12 hours. Lost his voice. Forgot everything - Issue #158

Bismillāh al-Rahmān al-Rahīm
Assalāmu ‘Alaykum!

This one will hit deep.

You might want to sit down for it.

This is the story of Muhammad, a 52-year-old man who once sat for hours each day memorising the Qur’an…

and then lost it all.

But he didn’t give up!

Years later, he would do what few have ever done:

He sat before his teacher… and recited the entire Qur’an from memory —
without a single mistake.
In one sitting.

Let’s go back to the beginning.

🔌 A Spark, A Schedule, and 12 Hours a Day

Muhammad didn’t start his hifz journey in childhood. He didn’t attend a Qur’an school. He didn’t have a teacher. So he was without guidance.

He was older. A working man. A father. And he believed two things that stopped him for years:

1. “If someone was older, they couldn’t memorise the Qur’an.”

2. “I was a science student, not a literature student, I assumed I just couldn’t memorise.”

Then one day, he watching a TV series or film about a historical figure from our Ummah. He got caught. But the imam was gentle and wise. He offered him forgiveness and called him to repentance. This man was a thief—an unusual thief.
And when Allah wanted good for him, he tried to rob a mosque imam. He said to him:

“Repent. Memorise the Qur’an. Start with five verses a day.”

That sentence shattered Muhammad’s excuses.

He thought:

“He’s older than me — and he memorised. What’s stopping me?”

So he began.

Five verses a day. No teacher. No masjid. No accountability. Just him and the mushaf. He just told himself: 'I’ll start memorising at home—and Allah knows what will happen next.'

And then it became a fire.

“I used to memorise for 12 hours a day. I only stopped to pray. The rest was Qur’an.”

He revised old portions. He memorised new ones.

“My life became the Qur’an. All of it.”

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🧪 The Test: When the Voice Fails

Just as he was making progress and approaching completion, his voice began to hurt. A lot.

Doctors told him: 'You need to stop speaking entirely. No recitation. No talking. Let your throat heal.'

The pain was so intense, it would go into his ears and head. Every time he tried to return, the pain returned, he would stop, try again, over and over.

“This went on for 15 years. Every time I came back, the pain would drive me away again.”

Eventually, he forgot everything. It broke him. He was heart broken. All he could do now is just look at the Mus-haf. He says:

I couldn’t even recite al-Baqarah anymore. I’d place the mushaf beside me. Stare at it. Try to read silently with my eyes. But the Qur’an needs to be heard. You need to hear yourself recite. Reading silently works, but it’s not the same. Still, I trained myself—because I had no choice. I had to memorise the Qur’an. But even then—because of the pain—I forgot it all. Everything I had memorised—was gone.

But the dream never left him.

“Every time someone called me ‘Faqīh’… I felt ashamed. I didn’t remember anything.
But in my heart, I kept saying: ‘One day I will memorise the Qur’an. One day I will return.’”

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🧕🏽 The Dream That Stayed

What kept him going?

One thing: his mother.

“I pictured her — on the Day of Judgement — wearing the crown of honour. That dream was too beautiful to give up. She was so dear to me. I used to picture:
'I want her to wear that crown on that Day.' And my father too. That alone made me say: 'I can’t go through life, reach the Day of Judgment, and not be a Ḥāfiẓ.' That hope—that love for my parents—was enough to keep me trying.”

Subḥān Allāh. When your intention is sincere, and your goal is clear, even if you’re delayed or stopped—Allah is still teaching you.

Years later…

A friend told him about a Qur’an revision school that required full commitment:

• Wake up at 4 a.m.

• Join night prayers.

• Revise and recite from memory.

• Compete every week in review challenges.

When I heard about this myself, I thought what a brilliant idea! (Qāri).

So this school focused on reciting the entire Qur’an from memory—no mushaf.
That was his dream:

“I promised myself and the group: This time, I’m going all in.”

So he began. Every week at the school, there was a kind of ‘crown ceremony’:
They would crown a ‘King of the Week.’ The one who reviewed the most, memorised the most, put in the strongest effort was the King of the Week. That motivated him even more. The environment was full of competition and seriousness. Subḥān Allāh.

“When you memorise alone, the moment you get tired—you stop. No one is there to keep you going. But in a group—you’re committed. You have a group relying on you, encouraging you. We used to pray for one another. There was a real feeling of brotherhood and sincerity. This is what sets apart a personal journey from a group-based Qur’an journey. In a group, there’s also competition—positive competition: ‘How are they memorising and I’m not?’ You don’t want to be left behind.'"

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✏️ The Pen Trick That Saved His Voice

The pain returned.

He was about to quit.

Then, by the qadr of Allāh, he saw a video of a voice coach who used a pen between his teeth to strengthen vocal cords.

He tried it.

And… it worked.

“I was able to recite again. I reviewed 40 ajzā’ using a pen in my mouth.”

And he kept going.

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📘 From Collapse to Completion

In that school, there was one goal above all:

Recite the entire Qur’an from memory — in one sitting.

No mushaf.
No break.
No mistake.

His wife helped so much during that period and took care of many things in his place. He would wake up for 4am, then in teh daytime, he would work, take care of family and do everything else. The family would wake each other up. There was real concern and commitment.

He would wake up to spend 1.5 to 2 hours before Fajr revising his previous ajzā', with time things got easier, he could review more in less time. Then he would move onto to new memorisation.

He says:

“Sometimes we’d do night prayers (Qiyām) using 10 ajzā’ from our memorised portions. Each brother would pray alone, but we’d all be doing the same challenge—then we’d share updates in the group. We prayed with 10, 20, even 30 ajzā’ in one night. One time, I prayed a single rak‘ah with 13 ajzā’ from memory. And it wasn’t just me—many brothers in the group did the same. It was beautiful. May Allah increase us in light.”

“I spent months preparing. Especially the final 15 ajzā’ — I reviewed them daily for three months.”

And then came the day.

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📖 The One-Sitting Recitation

The night before he couldn’t sleep and full of anxiety. But he recited.

Al-Fātiḥah.
Al-Baqarah.
Āl ‘Imrān.

Page after page. Juz after juz. Hour after hour.

No mistakes.

And when he reached Surah Al-Ikhlāṣ...

“I broke down.
My skin shivered.
I cried uncontrollably.”

“It was like—all the weight and meaning of the Qur’an hit me in that moment. I wished, at that moment, that I had more chances. More lives. To do this again. To relive this moment. It was like one of the Companions saying: ‘I wish I had many souls, and I would give each one in the path of Allah.’ And I thought: ‘I wish I had many chances… to live this moment again.’ There’s no effort that feels heavy once you complete it. Once you finish… it doesn’t feel like a burden. You don’t remember the struggle.”

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🌿 What the Qur’an Changed

Subḥān Allāh. Life after the Qur’an is not like life before it.

It changed how he prayed.

It changed his relationship with his wife and children.

“They saw the Qur’an in me — and it changed how they saw me.”

He gave up TV.
He gave up WhatsApp chats.
He gave up late nights.

And he gained everything.

Today, he recites 10 ajzā’ a day, finishing the Qur’an every 6 days — from memory. He’s 52. He does this before 6 AM so the rest of the day is free for work and family..

“When you truly love the Qur’an…
you give it your best hours, your best energy, your best self.”

He doesn’t stop there.

“I also choose one ḥizb and use it for night prayer every day—reciting it slowly, with reflection. That repetition makes it stronger and allows me to feel the verses deeply. And yes—even after reviewing 10 ajzā’ daily, I still revisit portions for fine-tuning, improvement, and beauty.”

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💬 What He Wants You to Know

“Memorising the Qur’an is easy. Easy. Easy. Easy. But it needs one thing: Intend it. Have sincerity. Remove what distracts you, thangs that are not helping you. Find a group. Wake up early. push yourself a little. And go. There are hidden secrets in groups - the support of your peers, their du’ā’ for you, their motivation!”

“Give your own effort, and Allah will give you more than you imagined.
Once you’re done, you’ll look back and feel no hardship—only peace.”

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🛤 What Can You Take From His Journey?

• Start — even if you’re broken, unsure, or behind.

• Use whatever tools work — even a pen between your teeth.

• Build a structure. Stay accountable.

• Pray for and with others.

• Keep going — even if you limp.

And above all:

“When the goal is clear, and the heart is honest — Allah opens every door.”

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📩 What’s Your Excuse Now?

What’s stopping you?

Tell me: what would it take for you to memorise the Qur’an — or to return to it?

Reply to this email. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment!

May Allah keep our hearts soft, our mouths filled with Qur’an, and our efforts accepted.

🤲 Requesting your prayers,

- Qāri’ Mubashir

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📖 THE DIARY OF A HĀFIZ

This is where we try to learn by watching others memorise. A roundup reporting the progress of our brothers and sisters in their pursuit of memorising the Qur'ān:

👳🏼‍♂️ Muhammad

Background: After forgetting what he memorised (half the Qur'ān) and kept struggling to start again. So he decided to share his diary and mission with us. After 19 weeks of struggle, he finally started. It took him a few months to do a few Juz’. He’s 37 and has been the most consistent of our diaries despite continued struggles.

Year 2 Week 33:

“I have continued revising through the salah as I mentioned last week, and I have restarted revision from the start of the Qur’an (Juz’ 1) and got to Juz’ 4 so far. Now I need up the level.”

🧕🏼 Aaliya

Background: I'm 28 and I started memorizing full time about 2 years ago. I have almost 17 Juz memorized Alhamdulillah. I go to a masjid hifz class everyday and I'm trying to increase my daily revision to 2-3 juz. I'm hoping recording weekly diaries will motivate me to be more consistent and inshAllah help others who read it too. 

Week 35:

“Didn’t hear from her today, In shā’ Allāh, we pray things are well for her and we ask Allāh to open doors of facilitation for her.”

🧕🏼 Aisha

Background: I am a 36 yr old, mother of 6 kids. I memorised 20 juz in a madrasa but got married and although completed my hifz on my own , my revision was poor and I couldn't recite anything properly except for 5 or 6 juz. It's been 12 years of ups and downs trying to rememorise with little success. Alhamdulillah I found Qari Mubashir’s website that answered so many of my questions and took me out of self doubt, I discovered the tikrar program, downloaded the app and Alhamdulillah my path to rememorise has finally been made possible by the grace of Allah. I started on the 20th of June and so far have completed 8 juz , currently doing the 9th . I also gave my first test for juz 1 - 6 last month and passed it Alhamdulillah. I am looking forward to completing hifz, with a solid revision this time, bi iznillah.

Week 22:

“Assalamualaikum warahmatullah,

Another week with almost zero progress 😔.

I'm struggling with low motivation and still unable to get back to my Pre Ramadan routine.

New: Just about started Surah Ar Ra'd, although I was supposed to be finishing it now but only one page done so far .

Connection: Haven't done any of this , just listening to Juz 12 and 13 at times.

Revision: Revising on and off , haven't been regular with this either, somehow I can't seem to stand in prayer for longer and I'm unable to revise these ajzaa out of prayer.

My Tikrar account was on the verge of getting excluded due to negligence, but they have been kind and didn't exclude it although I got a 4th negligence in one month .

I'm just trying hard to not lose it now because if I get out of Tikrar I'm sure I'll fall into laziness and my dream of hifz will never be fulfilled.

On the edge but hopeful that Allah will help me pick up insha'Allah.” 

👉 If you have any questions, just drop a reply to me and I'll feature the questions and answers in relevant issues. If you want to join the diaries, get in touch also!

Allāh grant us all success and ease on this path!

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⭐ COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS & UPDATES

🚨 Website & Communities

1️⃣ WhatsApp communities
- I have a proposed new setup and direction for the groups as mentioned last week. I’m on the look out for anyone that wants to help out. If you’re par too the groups, get in touch.

2️⃣ Website & updates
- Updates are still ongoing, so watch this space.
- If anyone has any specific feedback or ideas, you are most welcome.
- If you want to get involved in the project, please get in touch. Devs, designers, community builders, content creators, etc!

3️⃣ Other matters
- Those that want to try some memorisation methods I mentioned in the chat, I haven’t forgotten, I’ll be in touch soon. In shā’ Allāh.
- I’ll be updating the Hifz Buddy Finder amongst other things.

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Your Turn!

💬 Reply & Tell Me: What’s your biggest struggle in Hifz right now? Reply to this email and let me know—I’ll feature your question in upcoming posts.

🚀 Keep going. Allah bless your journey and make every step easier than the last.

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🔥 Reply & let me know what helped you most today.
🔥 Have a Hifz question? I’ll answer in next week’s post!