If you want to memorize a single ayah of any Surah really fast, you need to master the smart skill of memorization that helps complete a verse quickly. The length of the verse will also impact your speed as there are different lengths of the verses in the Quran. You can start by understanding the meaning of the whole Ayah, breaking it into small parts, and finally applying the best technique to memorize quran fluently and quickly.
It is noteworthy that no one will just stop memorizing an Ayah, he/she will proceed further. So our quick memorization tips are for an Ayah as well as the whole Quran.
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Toggle10 Helpful Ways to Memorize an Ayah Fast
There is a beautiful saying of our beloved Prophet Muhammad SAWW,
“The example of the one who memorizes the Quran is that of the owner of hobbled camels. If he takes care of them, he will keep them, but if he lets them go, he will lose them.” (Sahih Bukhari 5031)
These quick hifz tips will help you complete a verse in less than an hour ( depending on its length).
1. Understand the Meaning Quickly
Let’s suppose you have chosen the 1st verse of Surah Al-Fatiha, so to quickly memorize it, you need to decode what it means. Begin with understanding the Surah’s summary and the meaning of its name. Then, read out the translation of the verse. The 1st verse has 4 words and they mean:
“ [All] praise is [due] to Allah, Lord of the worlds.”
After understanding the meaning in a sentence, now go through the word-by-word meaning to remember the sequence.
Al-hamdu = All praise
Lil’lahi = is for
Rabbil = the Lord (Master/Rabb)
Aalamin = Of the worlds
2. Learn the Verse by Looking at it
Now begin to memorize duran fast by noting down the time you begin. Read the verse by looking at the Mushaf if you already know how to read it. If not, then consider tip number 4 first to understand how to read the verse. By looking at the written text, you can make an image of the verse in your mind and recall it when you recite it. The image of the Ayah will be in your short-term memory and will also move to the long-term memory when you will keep revising.
After reading the ayah 5-7 times, try reciting it from your memory. If it is perfect, move on to the next tip right away.
3. Apply Loud Reading Style (5-times)
While memorizing the Ayah, read it aloud almost 5 times with proper Tajweed. Loud reading helps improve pronunciation and keeps the reader away from distractions. Also, when you participate in an intensive hifz course and read the verse loudly, the way of reading will also be saved in your memory. Whenever you recite the Ayah, the way of reciting and the pitch of your voice will automatically come into your mind.
4. Play an Audio Track and Repeat it
Those who do not know how to recite properly can follow this tip first, and those who already know the Tajweed can apply this tip once they have understood the meaning and already read it several times. Now is the time to play the audio clip of Surah Al-Fatiha’s first verse by any reciter. Read the ayah with the teacher and be as loud as he. Now, stop the clip and recite on your own. If you think you have already memorized it, just recite it 3 times. Otherwise, recite 5-7 times until perfected.
5. Create Mind Maps of the Verse
Mind maps are excellent when you target a longer Ayah. Let’s suppose you are memorizing the first ayah of Surah Al-Mulk which has 9 words and it means:
“Blessed is He in whose hand is the dominion, and He is over all things competent”
Once you decode the meaning, create mind maps of the words like Mulk (dominion) and Qadeer (competent). What comes in the Mulk and how Allah is Al-Qadeer? Relate as many points to the verse as you can and list them down. This process will help you memorize the verse quickly and it will remain with you for long.
6. Break the Verse Into 3 Smaller Portions
If you intend to memorize a big Ayah that is of a line or 2, or maybe more, it is better to break it down into smaller parts to work on each part attentively. Let’s say you are memorizing the 1st verse of Surah Al-Juma’a. It is preferable to break it down into 5 small parts and target the 1st part “Yusabbihu lillahi ” 5 times. Follow the given pattern to target any long verse.
Part 1 Yusabbihu lillahi = 5 times
Part 2 Ma fis samawaati = part 1 five times and part 2 five times, totaling 10 times
Part 3 Wa ma fil ardh = part 1 five times, part 2 five times, and part 3 five times, totaling 15 times
Part 4 Al-Malikil Quddoos = part 1 five times, part 2 five times, part 3 five times, part 4 five times, totaling times
Part 5 Al-Aziz al-Hakeem = part 1 five times, part 2 five times, part 3 five times, part 4 five times, and combining part 5 five times, totaling 20 times
Combine each part with the previous one to perfect it.
7. Revise in Prayers to Get it Perfect
Memorizing anything isn’t difficult, what bothers later is the revision because without revising, the Ayah will just vanish away from your memory like it was never learned. So it is better to revise the verse in your Prayer once you are done. If it took just 20-30 minutes to memorize a verse, spend time to revise it every day, otherwise, these 20-30 minutes will be of no use at all.
Revise the Ayah after any surah you recite in your prayer. Or you can recite the verse after the prayer also. The key to success is to keep reciting the verse and try adding the next verse to it so you can memorize a surah fast and recite it in a rhythmic flow.
8. Use Colors to Write Down the Verse
Some people really enjoy tracing and writing down the verses with beautiful handwriting or calligraphy. If your visual and aesthetic sense is good, you can also utilize this tip to learn an Ayah fast. Write down the Ayah with different colors and then recite it. Let’s say there are 7 words in the Ayah, so you can use the 7 rainbow colors and link the words to them in a sequence of a rainbow. Believe me, you will never forget the Ayah.
You can either write down the verse on a piece of paper or any cloth. You can use colors, crayons, paints, or glitter pens to enjoy the process of writing.
9. Use a Mushaf with a Translation
It is recommended to use a Mushaf instead of a digital version of the Quran. Hold the Mushaf in your hand and then memorize the verse. For this purpose preferably use the Mushaf with a translation to refer to the meaning when needed. There are section-wise copies of the Quran available with translation so you don’t need to hold the whole book. Just get the booklet of the Juz that has the verse you need to hifz.
10. Read Out the Verse to Anyone
Once you are done with the hifz of the verse really quick, now try reading it out to someone to check if it was correct or not. Sometimes we have a very trivial tajweed error which is only pointed out by a professional. So, choose someone excellent at reading the Quran with Tajweed.
You can also take advice from a professional hifz teacher from Hifz Academy who will not only correct your mistake but also guide you on how to connect the ayah with other ayahs to continue this journey.
Conclusion
If you want to opt for a small verse to just check if you can memorize the Quran or not, then select a Surah from the end because they have really short and easy verses. Hifz Academy is here to help you at every step. You can join our free trial for hifz classes for kids or adults where we customize the planner for not only the entire Quran but any of its portions to make hifz easy for you!