My Baqarah Challenge

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been trying to memorize the Quran. And I am yet to accomplish this good deed.

There are times when I have started from Juz Amma and made it 7-8 Juz deep, only to take time off from the Quran and completely forget. So, I would start from Juz Amma and get through to a certain Juz only to quit or move and forget. And this didn’t just happen two or three times. Regardless, at the end of the day, I am able to deduce: good came out of it for every time I learned something more than the last time. I remember the last time I embarked on a quest to memorize Juz Amma for the 101st time, I learned to read the Quran with Tajweed, and this also meant memorizing Juz Amma with Tajweed.

Having moved to a new city, I’ve prepped myself to look forward to changing. As I’ve lost faith in starting from Juz Amma despite how easy it is, by the will of Allah, I have decided to start memorizing from Surah Baqarah. My Baqarah challenge started a few weeks ago in which every week I memorize 2 pages. According to my calculations, it will take me nearly half a year to complete Surah Baqarah from my start date, and this indeed has many perks. For starters, memorizing Baqarah is a stepping stone to memorizing the Quran. Secondly, the most beloved deeds to Allaah are those which are persistent, even if they were little (in number). Thirdly, my love for the Quran will skyrocket. Fourthly, my prayers won’t be limited to Juz Amma. Fifthly, in Ramadan, during Taraweeh, Surah Baqarah will flow to me.

Subhanallah, I can’t wait for where this all takes me. Inshallah, by the will of Allah, I will live to complete Surah Baqarah and the Quran.

Lessons that can be derived from my experience are as follows:

• It’s never too late to reconnect with the Quran through memorization or reading.
• Know what you are memorizing
• If you have any say, try not to move a lot, as its best if you start and end with one teacher. This way the teacher would build on your strengths and weaknesses and on the plus side, you wouldn’t have to ‘prove’ your Quranic knowledge to a different teacher with different standards, only to start from where they see fit.
• Never go for the easy teacher. The Shaytan makes you like the less strict teachers and dislike the strict teacher. Chances are you will memorize incorrectly from a less strict teachers are light on Ahkam
• Note: forgetting or replacing an incorrect memorization with a correct one is not exactly easy.
• Correct recitation with Tajweed is better than recitation without Tajweed.
• When you’ve memorized Juz Amma 101 times, don’t give up, start from Baqarah.
• As a Muslim, there is a sense of accomplishment attached to memorization of the Quran.
• Take advantage of that Quran app you have downloaded on your phone.
• There is Shifa in the Words of Allah.
• Some verses will relate/speak to you and your situation. And some verse will WOW you.
• Beautiful recitations sure are soothing, but they aren’t going to help you with your prayers.