Summary
Highlights
The speaker shares his journey of memorizing the Quran, which he completed at 17, coinciding with his GCSEs and college entry. He spent three years actively memorizing and then another four years revising and strengthening his memorization. He emphasizes that the first memorization is rarely perfect and that revisiting the Quran multiple times is crucial. He cautions against pausing memorization for too long to revise, as this can lead to forgetting previously memorized parts.
During years 9-12, while actively memorizing, the speaker's daily schedule involved 1.5 to 1.75 hours of memorization before school, no Quran activities during school hours, 45 minutes of review/re-memorization after school, and 30 minutes before sleep to prepare for the next morning's memorization. This amounted to about 2.5 hours of dedicated Quran time daily. He started with 2-3 lines a day, gradually increasing to half a page, then a full page per day over a year and a half. This pace meant memorizing five pages a week.
Upon finishing the Quran, the speaker entered a review phase during sixth form. He utilized free slots in his timetable to do the same amount of memorization, but now focusing on reviewing two pages in two hours, making them solid. He also started establishing a 'wird' (daily portion) of reviewing one juz (section) of the Quran daily.
The speaker argues that students (GCSE, A-level, or university) are in a better position to memorize the Quran than those with ample free time. He explains that fixed school/university hours create a structured schedule, forcing individuals to utilize their remaining free time more efficiently for memorization. In contrast, too much free time can lead to procrastination and disorganization, as he experienced during a gap year. He cites the saying, 'Free time is one of the biggest calamities' to support this idea.
The speaker firmly belongs to the camp that believes the Quran refines intelligence and aids academic performance. He shares his experience that taking breaks from Quran during exams made him more stressed and exhausted. He asserts that the Quran brings 'baraka' (blessings) to time, intelligence, and memorization, allowing individuals to accomplish more within the same 24 hours. He has not encountered any student who memorized the Quran and simultaneously failed their academic pursuits.
He recommends that everyone, regardless of their daily schedule (e.g., 9-5 worker, student), should start their day with a portion of the Quran. He suggests dedicating 30 minutes to an hour before the day's first activity and another 30 minutes before sleep. He emphasizes that this small commitment is achievable for everyone and brings immense benefit, especially during exam season. He advises against cutting out Quran recitation during exams, as the spiritual means and baraka from the Quran will aid academic success.
He encourages using modern devices like phones for Quran recitation, even from bed, recognizing the impracticality of completely abandoning technology. He highlights that recitation can be done in various postures and situations, citing examples from the Sahabah. The key is consistent engagement, as the Quran's uplifting effect helps alleviate stress and prepares one for challenges like exams.