Using your 5 senses for Hifz

The Diary of A Hāfiz - Issue #70

Bismillāh al-Rahmān al-Rahīm

Assalāmu ‘Alaykum!

I’ve been incredibly inundated with things over the week and hence why todays email is later than my usual timings. Some of you have emailed me and I’m yet to respond. But as always, I’m sending you another issue. Today, I share thoughts on different learning styles.

In This Issue:

1. How To Use The Five Senses When Doing Hifz ul-Quran: Do you know how you hold the Qur'an can impact your memorisation too?

2. Hifz Tips For Visual Learners: Some methods on how to learn using visual aids.

3. How to Memorise by Listening to the Qur’ān: Some guidance on memorising with auditory aid.

4. The Diary of A Hāfiz: A roundup reporting the progress of a brother and a sister in pursuit of memorising the Qur'ān.

5. Motivation, Tips & Tools: Any resources, tips, and tools shared in the community and more.

6. Community Highlights & Updates: Make sure you share your experiences, requests and engage with emails for this to be a success.

Let’s get to it!

- Qāri’ Mubashir

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🔗 TO READ

How To Use The Five Senses When Doing Hifz ul-Quran (12 min read)

According to the principle of integration of the five senses, our ability to remember information is influenced as follows:

• We remember 20% of what we read

• We remember 30% of what we hear

• We remember 40% of what we see

• We remember 50% of what we say

• We remember 60% of what we do

• We remember 90% of what we see, hear, say, and do simultaneously

This implies that the more senses we engage during the learning process, the better we remember.

Continue reading

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Hifz Tips For Visual Learners (4 min read)

You can use techniques to make your memorisation process visually more engaging. With things like:

• Written notes

• Using colours to highlight

• Diagrams, charts and pictures

• Mindmaps (colourful!) and summaries

Here are some ideas for you to consider using when you are memorising.

Continue reading

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How to Memorise by Listening to the Qur’ān (9 min read)

I was walking on the streets of Hayy ath-Thāmin (the eighth zone or district) in Nasr City of Cairo. I was so interested to know what happened in the mosques and schools there. In particular, the Qur’ān memorisation schools. I’d learned of a local mosque after a friend took me down to see a teacher. So I went along into the mosque between the ‘Asr prayer and Maghrib for the Qur’ān memorisation circle. As far as I remember they had a 6-month Hifdh programme there. I went to check it out.

Straight away, I saw a huge difference in the experience I got used to back home in Manchester. I was used to a class around benches on the floor rocking away reading out aloud with a loud angry teacher! Over in Cairo, I couldn’t tell who was the teacher and who was the student. People were all over the place – I mean, there was no sign of a structured class. It was a simple process, anyone could come in at any time and read to one of the teachers. The teacher was always kneeling against a pillar with a bunch of adults and children around him. Yes, adults and children! This was a session where it didn’t matter who you were, where you were from, and what age you were.

Continue reading

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📖 THE DIARY OF A HĀFIZ

This is where we try to learn by watching others memorise. Today I share a roundup reporting the progress of a brother and a sister in their pursuit of memorising the Qur'ān.

Muhammad, 36, still on Surah an-Nisā’

• 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 (days 332 to 338):
  "I’ve not been too well this week and have missed the last 3 days. It’s given me time to reflect on what I’ve been doing. Returning to doing a Juz’ from the back and doing a page from the new juz’ is going to be best. I have realised how if you’re inconsistent, doing anything like the Ottoman style, things go pretty bad. I only managed 2 pages this week and 2 juz’. In sha’ Allah, next week I’ll be better."

Iman on a mission to complete her Hifz

• Background: “When I was younger, I started memorizing some of the 30th juz, but I never finished and I didn't really think much about memorizing the Qur'ān. I officially started my Hifz journey towards the end of 2018. I experienced some struggles like excessive sleepiness, and I learned later that it was depression. Alhamdulilāh I've been trying to change my lifestyle a bit more after getting some therapy, and I am feeling better than some years ago.”

• Current Goal: “Currently, I am memorizing my 12th juz, but I have some weak ajzaa' that I'm also trying to get back, in shā Allāh. My goal is to finish memorizing by the end of the next Hijri year (1445), in shā Allāh.”

• I haven’t heard from her today (her week 7) but this was in the last issue (week 6):

  “Alhamdulilāh I started exercising with a personal trainer, and I've been drinking more water Alhamdulilāh.

  I recited 5th juz until what I know (about 3/4) to my teacher, Alhamdulilāh. 

  I did not finish reciting 28 or 27.

  In shā Allāh, I my goal is to work on my consistency.”

👉 If you have any questions, just drop a reply to me and I'll feature the questions and answers in relevant issues.

Allāh grant us all success and ease on this path!

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⚒️ MOTIVATION, TIPS & TOOLS

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⭐ COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS & UPDATES

1️⃣ Whoever wants to find a Hifz buddy, a teacher, or make a du’ā request for your journey, this is your space! Just send me an email.

2️⃣ My request is also on-going, share your usual hifz schedule with me. Please fill in the Form.

🎉 What’s new 🎉

• Over the weekend, I was requested to meet with a madrasah to help refine their syllabus and create pathways for a hifdh programme. It didn’t go as expected - what was meant to be a few hours became a 9 hour meet up. I wasn’t too pleased but somethings are worth in the long term. Short term pain, long term gain. This is how hifz is as well!

• I’m still on the lookout for some volunteers to maintain the groups and communities (Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, etc). If you’re interested, then let me know.

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Brought to you by Qāri' Mubashir.