I've got weak memory too!
We all complain about weak memory - The Diary of A Hāfiz - Issue #147
Bismillāh al-Rahmān al-Rahīm
Assalāmu ‘Alaykum!
Alhamdullāh, hope you’re doing well.
People always get surprised when I tell them that I have weak memory, they turn around and say, how’s that even possible? You remember Qur’ān, you remember everything! The reality is that even a Hāfidh/Hāfidhah can have what they perceive to be weak memory. Remembering things just requires technique and consistent practice. You won’t find a single memory champion who claims that they have amazing memory, they don’t. What they do have is technique and consistent practice. Today I talk about why a lot of us forget our Hifz.
Requesting your prayers,
- Qāri’ Mubashir
How to Treat Weak Memory and Strengthen Your Hifz
I want to talk to you today about a very important topic that many of you have asked about, which is weak memory when it comes to Hifz. Some of you say:
"Qāri’, I have been trying for years to strengthen my Hifz, but I keep forgetting! I memorise a page today, and by tomorrow, I’ve forgotten it. I feel hopeless. What should I do?"
I’ve recently booked time with some of you for 1-on-1 coaching sessions with me upon request, and I see the same issues again and again.
Let me tell you something very important. If you understand it well, it will change the way you approach your memorisation.
Understanding the Reality of Forgetting
First and foremost, forgetting is natural. It is a part of the human mind. It is impossible for you to memorise the Qur’ān and never forget a single word unless you engage in constant revision.
I will repeat this for you: 💡 Forgetting is not the problem. The problem is neglecting revision. 💡 Forgetting is natural. What is unnatural is expecting to memorise without reviewing.
The Solution: A Change in Approach
If you keep saying:
"I can’t do it,"
"I have a weak memory,"
"No matter how much I try, I forget,"
Then you will keep forgetting because your brain believes what you tell it. Your brain listens to your self-talk. Instead, change your internal dialogue:
"Yes, I may forget, but I will review and strengthen my memorisation."
"Even if I forget, my review schedule will bring it back."
"I will keep working, and with time, my memorisation will solidify."
This shift in mindset is half the solution.
Why Do You Keep Forgetting Your Hifz?
From experience, there are several reasons why you might be struggling with retention. The reasons will vary case to case. In recent coaching calls, I helped students figure this out within an hours call, and gave them a new plan to try. These include:
1️⃣ Not Enough Repetition – You might be moving too fast. If you only repeat a verse 5-10 times and then move on, it won’t stick. The brain needs more reinforcement.
2️⃣ Lack of Daily Connection – If you memorise today but don’t review it tomorrow, it starts slipping immediately. The golden rule: review today’s new portion tomorrow, and again the next day.
3️⃣ Poor Recall Practice – Simply reading a verse multiple times isn’t enough. You need to actively recite from memory to make it stick.
4️⃣ Skipping Long-Term Review – Many focus on new memorisation but neglect revisiting older portions regularly. If you don’t schedule revision, you will lose what you memorised.
5️⃣ Not Using Memorised Portions in Salah – The best way to keep your memorisation strong is to pray with it. If you don’t recite your new portions in your Salah, it will weaken.
6️⃣ Unstructured Memorisation Sessions – If you memorise without a system, it’s like pouring water into a leaky bucket. A proper system ensures everything is reinforced at the right time.
7️⃣ Not Understanding the Ayah – If you don’t understand the meaning, your mind won’t form strong connections. Take time to understand what you are memorising.
8️⃣ Lack of Sleep & Poor Health – A tired brain won’t retain well. A strong memory requires rest, good nutrition, and hydration.
9️⃣ Negative Self-Talk – If you keep telling yourself, “I can’t do this”, you’re reinforcing failure. Instead, say: “Yes, I may forget, but I will keep reviewing until it sticks.”
1️⃣0️⃣ Distractions During Memorisation – If you’re surrounded by noise, phones, or interruptions, your brain won’t retain effectively. Memorise in a quiet space with full focus.
1️⃣1️⃣ Skipping Writing Techniques – Writing the verse after memorising can strengthen retention. Try writing difficult ayah from memory, then compare to the mus’haf.
1️⃣2️⃣ Overloading Yourself – Trying to memorise too much at once will weaken retention. Consistency is more important than speed.
These are just examples.
A Practical Method for Strengthening Memory
Now, let’s move on to practical steps.
1️⃣ Daily Quran Sessions
You must have a daily connection with your memorised Quran.
Whether through revision, recitation, or even just looking at the pages, maintain your connection.
2️⃣ Reading Before Sleeping
Before going to sleep, read verses from memory.
Your brain consolidates information best when you sleep after reading.
3️⃣ Morning Review
When you wake up, go over what you read the night before.
This reinforces retention because your mind has processed it during sleep.
4️⃣ The Power of Repetition
Repetition is the key to strong memorisation. For a basic example:
Read a verse aloud 5–7 times while looking at the page.
Then try to recite it without looking 3–5 times.
If you make a mistake, go back and repeat only the mistake before continuing.
5️⃣ Linking Verses Together
When memorising a new verse, recite the previous verse before moving on.
This strengthens the flow and connection between verses.
6️⃣ Writing Technique
Write down the verse from memory.
Then compare it to the Mus-haf.
Correct mistakes and rewrite only the incorrect words three times.
7️⃣ Use Visual Memory
Memorise with a specific Mus-haf and stick to it.
The shape and position of verses on the page help reinforce memory.
8️⃣ Utilise Listening
Listen to a slow and clear recitation while reading along.
This helps solidify correct pronunciation and reinforces the memorisation process.
9️⃣ Engage in Quran-Based Discussions
Talk to someone about the verses you memorised.
Teaching others is one of the best ways to strengthen your own memorisation.
What Not to Do
🚫 Don’t Skip Days: Skipping one day of revision weakens your memorisation.
🚫 Don’t Overload Yourself: Memorise in small, consistent amounts rather than large chunks.
🚫 Don’t Let Mistakes Go Unfixed: Always correct mistakes immediately before they become ingrained.
Dear brothers and sisters, do not let yourself fall into despair. Hifz is a journey, and like any journey, it has ups and downs. What matters is that you keep moving forward.
Even if you fall, get back up. Even if you forget, review again. Even if you feel lost, ask Allah for guidance. Because the Qur'an is the best companion, and Allah will never let you down if you sincerely strive for His sake.
May Allah grant you strength, patience, and a firm grasp of His Book.
May we all be among the people of the Qur'an, those who memorise it, understand it, and live by it. Ameen.
Read more:
🔗 How To Protect Your Memory And Achieve Mastery (4 mins)
🔗 Quran Memorisation: Surprising Ways To Improve Your Memory (9 mins)
🔗 Forgetting The Qur’ān Isn’t Sinful: Here’s Why! (42 mins)
📖 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, 36, founder
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 a few months away from having a years diary complete.
What he accomplished last week (Year 2 Week 21 complete):
“I have been trying to memorise further in the 8th Juz’ but have caught a bug again, and have managed to revise up to the 5th juz’. I was reflecting over the week too. I was reflecting over how long it has been but realised that I’m stagnant for a while despite being consistent. This I have put down to the fact that I am going this journey alone. This is something that many people struggle with. They want to memorise or re-memorise what they’ve forgotten but they hesitate in approaching someone and committing to someone. So I asked myself, am I really genuine in what I’m trying to do if I am doing this? My routine has reached consistency with it’s without intensity and energy. I am addressing some things that Qari has told me to do and has always told us to do. But it is up to us to do the action. He always instructs us and shares but it’s not enough if we don’t act on it. So the first thing I have done is to address my health as advised, I got blood works done, now I know that I have some deficiencies and Qari helped me to see the possible links between this and my patterns. Now I’ve ordered supplements and will be making changes to diet and lifestyle. This is going to be optimised for better energy, and focus, recovery, the nervous system, brain function and more. So hopefully that’ll help, in-sha’-Allah as a first step.”
🧕🏼 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 24:
“Not received an update from Aaliya yet, hopefully we can hear from her next week, hoping all is well!”
🧕🏼 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 11:
“Assalamualaikum warahmatullah,
Current Juz : 12
New : Only 2 new pages this week , quarter of the juz completed.
Connection : Couldn't revise much , but alhamdulillah improved the 11th juz .
Revision : Daily portion of 1.5 juz , sometimes recited in prayer but whenever I missed tahajjud I was unable to find time to complete it during the day.
Recited half juz to my hifz buddy for a couple of days .
Inshallah hoping to get back on track soon.”
👉 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
What’s new / recent
Reminder: I will be sending out the first challenge for Hifz Together on Friday, in shā’ Allāh. It is important that those who wish to participate in this please join the chat and also leave an introduction in the introduction post.
For those of you that want to join Hifz Camp, I will sending out an email within the next few days.
I’m also working on a few new things, so watch this space.
📢 📢 Requests
1️⃣ My request is also on-going, share your usual hifz schedule with me. Please fill in the Form. (I have had several which I will add online soon)
2️⃣ Those of you that are teaching or have an institute can get listed on the Teachers directory.
3️⃣ Finding My Half has now around 40+ profiles, it needs a push, would you mind sharing it?
4️⃣ If you have anything to add, have hifz stories, want to share your own journey, have advice, have teachers, have anything you want to add to the weekly emails, do let me know. Especially if you have any questions for me to address through the weekly newsletter.
5️⃣ If whatever advice, motivation, strategies I have shared have helped you memorise please, check out Impact and share your thoughts.
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