Why Most Hifz Plans Fail (And How to Fix Them with True Perspective)
You cannot build a lasting Qur’an habit without first grounding it in life’s real purpose. - Issue #176
Bismillāh al-Rahmān al-Rahīm,
Assalāmu ʿAlaykum!
If your journey to memorise the Qur’an is slowing, or your heart feels empty despite your efforts, today’s message is for you.
I’ll be diving deeper into the very foundation of Hifz: understanding life itself. This is the first lesson as part of a new series I’ll be writing across in the next few weeks.
Why Most Hifz Journeys Fail
They fail because:
We treat it like an academic task.
We seek perfection but forget connection.
We focus on what to memorise, not why to memorise.
We expect barakah without preparing our hearts.
And we keep asking:
“What’s the best Hifz method?”
When we should be asking:
“What kind of person must I become to carry the Qur’an?”
The Heartbeat of Your Memorisation Journey
You are not permanent.
Your life is short. You are moving through a series of stages:
This world (dunyā)
The grave (barzakh)
The trumpet being blown
Resurrection
Intercession
Reckoning (Hisāb)
Receiving the records
The Scale (Mīzān)
At this point, the disbeliever enters Hellfire, may Allah protect us, and their stages end.
But the believer continues:
9. The Prophet’s Pond (Ḥawḍ)
10. The Bridge (Ṣirāṭ)
11. The Justice Bridge (Qanṭarah al-Maẓālim)
12. Paradise
So dunya is the first stage of the afterlife.
What follows all depends on your choices here, your lifestyle, your daily decisions, your relationship with Allah, your relationship with the Qur’an, whether you chose light and guidance or sins and heedlessness.
And yet… many of us act like we’ll live forever. We trade Qur’an for TV. Or TikTok. Or some petty argument we should’ve ignored.
What you memorise today… walks with you through all of it.
That’s why Hifz needs more than discipline.
It needs a heart that understands why it exists.
The Problem: Most of us don’t understand the world we’re memorising the Qur’an in.
And so, we keep falling into the same trap:
Getting distracted.
Losing energy.
Forgetting why we started.
Hifz Starts With Perspective
Before your tongue can memorise, your heart has to be clear.
Here’s how to shift that:
Reorder Your Priorities
Salah on time
Daily Qur’an relationship before phone
Dhikr before gossip
Loving your family for the sake of Allah
Let Dunya Serve Your Ākhirah
Use your time, relationships, wealth, and talents as capital to invest in the Afterlife.
Rewire Your Attachments
It’s OK to earn, but the real test is whether money enters your hand or your heart.
Not every problem deserves your full emotional energy.
Forgive people. Let go.
Treat your time as a sacred currency.
Don’t hate the world, understand it.
Your intention
On Intention: The Secret Weapon of Hifz
Want to earn more reward for the same actions?
Make niyyah.
Niyyah turns house chores into worship.
Niyyah makes feeding your child an act of da’wah.
Niyyah turns your study of Qur’an into a journey toward Jannah.
Even your revision, your tiredness, your cooking, your yawning, all of it, can be fuel for your Afterlife.
Niyyah must be tied to your identity. I made the Qur’an my life project.
Your intention isn’t a box you tick once, it’s the engine that keeps you going when life gets messy. You don’t just memorise Qur’an, you let it shape your entire life path.
Action Steps to Internalise This
Journal: “Why am I memorising the Qur’an?” Answer honestly.
Rebalance your day: Make prayer and Qur’an the foundational schedule.
Be mindful: At the start of each Hifz session, pause and renew your intention. Imagine you’re a person surrounded by Qur’an day and night is protected. You live under the care of Allah.
Before you open your Mushaf:
Say Bismillah slowly.
Make duʿā from the heart.
Imagine you're standing before Allah, and He is watching how you honour His Guidance.
Memorisation is not a performance. It’s a meeting.
Do It Even If You’re Busy: One sister said:
“I’m a busy mum. But Qur’an is my breath.”
You don’t wait for perfect conditions to memorise. You memorise because your soul needs oxygen.
Share this message with someone who needs it most.
🔗 Read more:
- What Are The Intentions For Memorizing Quran [Hifz]
- Why Are You Memorising The Quran? Whats The Right Mindset?
🤲 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 53:
“I memorized up to the 3rd quarter of 17th juz. And I have also been keeping with daily revision. Over the weekend I didn't practice as much as I should have, so my 7th and 8th paras were weak. But I will keep going and remember to practice them extra for the next cycle of revision.
This week, I plan on completing 17th juz and starting a new cycle of revision.”
🧕🏼 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 40:
“Assalamualaikum warahmatullah,
It's the 40th week since I started and the last month has been very disappointing, sometimes such circumstances humble you , you're so vulnerable to the distractions of this world and you fall , none can lift you back up except Allah .. but you must act first , because Allah doesn't change the state of those who don't change themselves .
I have returned home and just yesterday resumed sessions with my hifz buddy , although I had nothing memorised I still joined and listened to her , hoping to get the dust lifted off my heart.
May Allah make me steadfast and get me back on my hifz schedule.
Ameen.”
👳🏼♂️ 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 51:
“I’ve read up to Juz 9, nearly three quarters but I feel things are weak. but I’m fighting and i’ll keep going.”
👉 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
NEW: Qur’an Lessons with Female Teachers (Online / Limited In-Person)
Taught under the training & supervision of Qari Mubashir
1-to-1 or small group options
Ideal for sisters & children
Learn Qaida, Tajweed, or Juz 'Amma/Hifz
From £25/month (weekly classes)
There’s a limited window of opportunity here. There’s a Hafizah, currently under my training and supervision (Qari Mubashir), fluent in English, Urdu, and Pashto, and has experience teaching Qur’an to different age groups.
Limited slots. Message me now.
Still in progress: I’ve had more feedback on the Hifz Tester and will look to update the tool.
There are now a number of you waiting for Hifz Camp, I’ll be working towards opening this very soon, in shā’ Allāh.
I still feel very unwell and request you all to remember me in your prayers.
📌 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.
Jazakumullahu khairan