Hifdh Tips to Skyrocket Your Qur’an Memorization Skills

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Hifdh is the greatest commitment a Muslim can make in their journey of learning the Deen. It is the memorization of the sacred Words of Allah which not only grants honor and blessings to the believer in this world, but also raises his ranks in the next.
But, this road is not an easy one to trek. Since the honor of being among the Huffadh is so high, the obstacles to reach this title are many.
When it comes to Hifdh, it is just you, your Mushaf, and your Imaan against the world. So, make sure to have these Hifdh tips with you to make your journey easier—

6446 Method

The 6446 trick is a secret Hifdh method among many students. To do it, you will need a piece of scrap paper or a sticky note, and a pen. Then, follow these steps:

• Write ‘6446’ vertically and add the same number of zeros after each number. So, your paper should have 600000, 40000, 40000, 6000000 written in a list.
• For the first number (6000000), recite the Ayah aloud six times. Cross out or shade a circle each time you recite.
• Then, recite the Ayah out aloud without looking at your Mushaf four times for the second number (40000). Cross out/shade a zero as you go.
• For the third number (40000), recite the Ayah aloud four times but this time, while looking at your Mushaf.
• Now, recite the Ayah aloud six times without looking at your Mushaf. All your zeros should be crossed out/shaded.

3:10 Method

If the 6446 method doesn’t work for you, try the 3:10 method. It’s a highly effective method for quick memorization that is simpler to apply.
First, read the Ayah 10 times while looking at your Mushaf. Then, repeat the Ayah 3 times from memory. Now, continue this process for the rest of the page or Surah you are reading.

Tahajjud

We’re all familiar with the virtues of waking up for Tahajjud to get our sins forgiven and our du’as answered. But, people rarely know the effects of this prayer on the heart and soul.
Taking the initiative to get up in the middle of the night while others are asleep to talk to Allah outside of obligatory prayers takes a lot of self-control. In fact, the discipline it takes to pray Tahajjud causes the believer to be blessed for it the rest of their day. They find that their tasks are easier and the opportunities to do more good deeds increase.
So, Allah puts Barakah in the time of His servants who pray Tahajjud. With the heart now disciplined and in Allah’s mercy, it becomes easier for the believer to memorize the Qur’an. This is because the Qur’an is Allah’s Word and it is pure, and Allah has protected it for centuries. Allah would not allow a dirty heart to carry His sacred verses.

Making Du’a

Having the honor of memorizing Allah’s Word is a huge blessing (Rizq). As we already know, some Rizq comes to us without us having to ask while other Rizq we have to ask Allah for, even if it takes years for Him to answer.
Rizq can also be delayed or blocked from reaching us due to our sins, our insincerity, our irresponsibility, our heedlessness, etc. So, making Du’a with a present heart is what unlocks our Rizq.
Plus, a believer cannot reach total success without the permission of Allah. As the Prophet  ﷺ  said,
“Tie your camel and trust in Allah.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 2517]
This means, we have to put in our effort but also call out to Allah and have certainty that He will answer and provide.

Teaching

If you keep catching yourself forgetting verses you’ve gone over numerous times, it might be best to take another route to remembering them—by teaching them.
Have a family member, friend, or a fellow Hifdh student learn from you by teaching them what you have already memorized. This will ensure that what you have learnt is both actively and passively retained in your memory.
If you think you’ve memorized too little to be teaching, you can always talk about the Tafsir of the Surahs you’re learning to make your memorization easier.
Moreover, teaching the Qur’an doubles your reward for learning it. As the Prophet  ﷺ  has said,
“The best of you are those who learn the Qur’an and teach it.” [Sahih Bukhari, 5027]