Becoming consistent with Hifz
A story of confusion to Hifz consistency - Issue #167
Bismillāh al-Rahmān al-Rahīm,
Assalāmu ʿAlaykum!
I’m back with your weekly dose of motivation and Hifz knowledge. Today I have another story.
This story is for anyone who’s ever said:
“I keep starting hifz and never finish.”
“I’m not consistent.”
“I don’t think I’m cut out for it.”
It’s the story of a sister who spent years stuck in the same pattern: starting, stopping, forgetting. Until something changed. Not her routine. Not her teacher. Not her schedule. But her mindset.
And it changed everything.
🧠 A Childhood of Confusion
Her journey with the Qur’an began very early in life. From nursery, she was memorising. Her school had Islamic roots and supported Qur’anic education. Teachers were supportive, but structure was seasonal.
“I used to memorise during the summer. Then when school started, I’d stop.”
It was like a recurring dream: always beginning, never finishing. She’d start in summer, make progress, then lose it all when the term started. Again and again.
“Every time I’d go back to my school, I’d start from the beginning again.”
With time, this pattern drained her emotionally.
“I started believing I wasn’t capable. That I wasn’t someone meant to memorise the Qur’an.”
So she shifted focus to tajwīd, tafsīr, and understanding. It gave her some peace, but she couldn’t shake off the ache of incompletion.
“At least I recite properly,” she’d tell herself. “Memorisation isn’t fard.”
Yet every unfinished surah haunted her like an unfinished conversation with Allāh.
🌊 The Years of Silence
She paused after high school. Again after university. Life was moving on. But the Qur’an kept calling.
“My friends would keep asking: ‘Have you gone back to hifz?’”
Even when she’d stopped speaking about it, the reminders would come. Small nudges. Invitations. The seed refused to die.
But the silence wasn’t just about life being busy. It was guilt. Heavy guilt.
“Every time I started again, I’d hear this voice: You’re a failure. You always quit.”
She envied others quietly. Girls younger than her who had finished. She kept asking:
“Why not me? Why am I always behind?”
That pain built up. But it never broke her faith. Only her pride.
Then came a breakthrough: not dramatic, not loud. Just clarity.
“I stopped chasing perfection.”
She gave up the illusion of waiting for the ‘right time.’
“I wasn’t going to wait for my life to be perfect. I wasn’t going to compare myself to anyone anymore.”
She found a local Qur’an class. It wasn’t fancy. It wasn’t world-class. But she showed up. That was enough.
Before she made that change, she reached a desperate point.
“I made a du‘ā’ that night I still remember: Yā Rabb, if anything is holding me back from the Qur’an — take it away. Just don’t take the Qur’an from me.”
⌚ Hifz Like an Appointment
She began treating her Qur’an class as a non-negotiable part of her life. Not optional. Not a luxury. A priority.
Even when work got busy. Even when social life called.
“Allah will open a way.”
And He did.
“In two and a half years, I only missed class four or five times—and only because of extreme work pressure.”
She started fresh. From Al-Fātiḥah again. But this time she wasn’t racing. She was building.
“I wasn’t memorising for the sake of completion. I wanted the Qur’an to be a part of my life.”
She wasn’t chasing a certificate. She wanted companionship.
🚧 The First Real Milestone
She reached Juz 19. It was more than halfway.
“It was the first time I ever got that far. I used to stop at Juz 5, sometimes Juz 10.”
Her peers were ahead, so she pushed. She revised 14 ajzā’ in a single month.
“That month taught me that when you rely on Allah, you can do what you never imagined.”
Her pace wasn’t perfect. But it was powered by something deeper—love, purpose, and faith.
“I wanted to memorise and keep the Qur’an. Not just tick off pages.”
But getting to that point wasn’t just physical effort. It meant surrendering envy too.
“I used to compare myself all the time. They were younger. Faster. Better.”
“But Allah didn’t ask me to be better than them. He asked me to keep going.”
That realisation freed her.
📲 The Digital Advantage
She embraced tools. She didn’t limit herself to paper or perfection.
“I’d listen to ajzā’ while cooking, walking, commuting. Some days, I’d listen to 15 ajzā’ in one go.”
She used repetition apps. Audio loops. WhatsApp groups. Whatever helped her hold on.
“Before, I couldn’t imagine reading a juz a day. Now, it’s my baseline.”
Barakah replaced burnout.
She changed her life — not by force, but by rearranging what mattered.
“I started every day with Qur’an — even before breakfast.”
“I cut my social media time in half. I made Qur’an the thing I’d return to in every break.”
She even changed her space.
“I left my musḥaf out in the open. Headphones next to it. So I wouldn’t have excuses.”
😔 On the Bad Days
She’s not a machine. Her life wasn’t always smooth.
“There are days when I’m emotionally drained. I can’t focus. Life gets heavy.”
But she didn’t wait for motivation.
“I memorise even when I’m not okay. That’s the secret to keeping going.”
She didn’t let a hard day cancel a good goal.
“You just need to show up. The Qur’an will carry you.”
She didn’t just memorise Qur’an.
“It’s like my life got organised without me planning it. When Qur’an became the priority, everything else settled into place.”
Time expanded. Emotions balanced. Focus returned.
“Barakah entered everything. Even my work and friendships changed.”
💬 Her Words to You
If you’re struggling with hifz, here’s what Abir wants you to know:
“Don’t wait for your life to be perfect before you start.”
“You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to start.”
“Regret over quitting hurts more than the struggle of continuing.”
“The difficulty will come anyway. Choose the difficulty that brings reward.”
“The Qur’an doesn’t just get memorised—it memorises you.”
“You might think you’re the one carrying it. But really—it’s carrying you.”
“Don’t underestimate starting again. Even if it’s your tenth time.”
“If Allah plants the desire for Qur’an in your heart—He’ll open the way.”
You can read more here:
🔗 How To Be Consistent With Quran Memorisation (Hifz)
🔗 See The Daily Routines Of Those Memorising The Quran
🤲 Requesting your prayers,
- Qāri’ Mubashir
📖 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:
🧕🏼 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 44:
“I am still on madersa break but I'm trying to revise at least 1 juz/day, which I did most days out of the week. I re-memorised the 2nd half of 10th. Now I'm working on 9th but it was always a weak juz for me and I'm getting very distracted with other errands/family events. I asked my brother to help hold me accountable and I recite to him everyday, either half or a full juz.
Next week, I hope to complete 9th and 8th paras. And to revise 13th-16th.”
🧕🏼 Aisha
Background: I'm a 36 yr old, mother of 6. Getting married while memorising the Qur'an, my hifz got weaker and eventually led to forgetting it. Came across this wonderful website by Qari Mubashir and learnt many tips, connected with my childhood friend as a hifz buddy. Hoping to complete hifz with a strong revision!
Week 31:
“Assalamualaikum warahmatullah,
I've been unwell and extremely demotivated so very little progress this week, if it weren't for Allah's grace in the form of my hifz buddy then I couldn't even open the mushaf , may Allah raise her rank for making sure I don't quit and keep going even if it's very little.
New : 4 pages of the 15th Juz completed so far.
Connection : Only revising the 15th juz till sabaq daily, did the 14th only once.
Revision : Have only recited the first 2 juz this week .
Requesting prayers for staying consistent and putting my trust completely in Allah .”
👳🏼♂️ 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 38 and has been the most consistent of our diaries despite continued struggles.
Year 2 Week 42:
“Been a tough week on a personal note but I have continued and marched onto the 5th Juz’ as part of my review.”
👉 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!
⭐ COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS & UPDATES
Now with ‘Eid over, In shā’ Allāh, I’ll be doing the workshop on memorisation within the next few weeks.
Updates to the website continue, the Hifz communities are continuing to implement changes (WhatsApp), alhamdulillah.
📌 Your Turn: How Did You Find This Post?
🔥 Reply & let me know what helped you most today.
💬 Reply & tell me: What’s your biggest struggle in Hifz right now? Have a question? Reply to this email (or answer the question below) and let me know—I’ll try to feature your question in upcoming posts.
Alhamdulillah such a blessing to have such posts in my notifications. May Allah keep all of us to keep going and never prioritise anything above Quran