How to Memorize Ayahs from the Qur'an

Everything you need to know about putting Allah’s holy words to heart

Co-authored by Eric McClure

Last Updated: November 4, 2022 Approved

The Qur’an is Islam's holy book, and it is divided into 114 chapters, which are called surahs in the Arabic language. Each surah is made up of individual verses, named ayahs also in the Arabic language. During prayer, entire surahs are recited from memory with the aim of growing closer to Allah(SWT) and making a connection with him, making your heart pure. In order to memorize an entire surah, you'll need to start by learning the individual ayahs. Begin by obtaining a copy of the Qur’an. Get a version with a translation if you don't speak Arabic. Use audio recordings to ensure that you use the proper pronunciations when reciting the passages aloud. Remember to always wash your hands, arms, head, mouth, nostrils, and feet with clean water to perform ablutions before you handle a Qur’an.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Memorizing a Single Ayah

1
Find a quiet place that's free from distractions for a 20-minute session. You're not going to have much luck memorizing passages if you're sitting in a loud, busy environment. Find a room in your home or mosque where you'll be free from distractions. Avoid rooms with TV or computer screens, and leave your phone in a different room after turning the sound off.^{[1]
X
Research source}
- If you work on memorizing for less than 20 minutes, you're probably not going to remember the passage later on. If you memorize for more than 30 minutes, you can lose track of all the information—20 minutes is the perfect length for a memorization session.
- You can easily memorize a single ayah in one 20-minute session. Practice a new ayah every day to build up to a full surah.
- If you live with others, consider enlisting a friend or family member to memorize passages with you. This way the two of you can keep each other accountable when you're starting out.
2
Select an ayah at the start of a surah you like. Select a surah that you identify with and feel a strong emotional connection to. There is nothing wrong with memorizing a single ayah because you love the meaning of the passage. Standard Muslim practice requires knowledge of an entire surah though, so you probably want to learn the whole thing.^{[2]
X
Research source}
- If you're planning on memorizing an entire surah, start with the ayah at the very beginning of the chapter that you plan on memorizing.
- You should start memorizing surah Al-Fatihah since every muslim must know this in order to pray their salat.
Tip: Consider looking towards the end of the Qur'an if this is your first surah. The surahs at the end tend to be shorter than the surahs at the beginning. If you plan on memorizing the entire Qur’an, start at the beginning so that you don’t need to bounce around when reciting it.

Advertisement
3
Consider the meaning of an ayah by reading it carefully. Before you start trying to memorize the ayah, read through it carefully in a language you understand to ensure that you understand the meaning of the passage. This will have the added benefit of helping you memorize the surah since you'll be able to rely on the sequence of the passages as opposed to simply memorizing the sounds.^{[3]
X
Research source}
- Even if it weren't helping you memorize, you should know the meaning of the words that you're memorizing. The entire point is to help you preserve and understand the word of Allah(SWT). You can't do that if you don't know what the words mean!
4
Obtain a copy of the ayah's pronunciation if you don't speak Arabic. Ayahs are always memorized in the classical Arabic that they were originally written in. This means that you'll need to obtain a recording of the Qur’an if you aren’t a natural Arabic speaker. Find an audio recording online or purchase an audio companion to help you with the pronunciation.^{[4]
X
Research source}
- The online version of the Qur’an at https://www.quranwow.com allows you to listen to the ayahs while reading a translated version. This can be an incredible aid during the memorization process.
- There are plenty of YouTube tutorials that can walk you through the pronunciation techniques.
- The proper recitation techniques and sounds are called tajweed.
5
Recite the entire passage out loud to get a sense for the rhythm. Once you have a copy of the Qur’an, a quiet place to work, and an audio guide, start by reading the ayah out loud. Read the individual passage out loud in its entirety.^{[5]
X
Research source}
- Avoid splitting a single ayah into parts. When citing or reciting it, other Muslims will expect you to know the entire ayah as opposed to part of it.
- Focus on the meaning of the words instead of the sounds alone to make memorizing easier. It's much easier to remember a story than a pattern of noises.
- Most ayahs are pretty short and are divided in a way that makes memorization easy.
6
Repeat the ayah over and over again until you internalize it. Say a single ayah at least 5 or 6 times while reading it on the page. Then, lower your book or look away from your computer and try to say it out loud from memory. If you get stuck, refer to your Qur'an or audio recording.^{[6]
X
Research source}
- Depending on how good you are at memorizing, this could take you anywhere from 2 to 30 minutes.
- Once you think you memorize the ayah, revise from the beginning of the surah up to the ayah after your recent ayah without the Qur'an to make sure you might not forget it.
7
Check your work against the audio recording to ensure you've got it down. Say the ayah out loud one more time. Then, immediately play a recording of the ayah with the proper tajweed. Check your recitation against the audio guide to ensure that your pronunciation, cadence, and tempo are correct. If it is, you can move on to another passage. Keep practicing if you need a little more work.^{[7]
X
Research source}
- Repeat an ayah regularly to make sure that you don't forget it.
- Don't worry if you don't master it on the first attempt. The Arabic pronunciations can be pretty difficult if you grew up speaking a different language.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Committing Surahs to Memory

1
Set a schedule for yourself and stick to it by practicing every day. Memorizing an entire surah can be a big task, so it helps to set a reasonable pace and stick to a strict time schedule. Generally, 20 minutes is a reasonable amount of time to dedicate to surah memorization every day.^{[8]
X
Research source}
- If you spend 20 minutes a day working on memorizing the Qu’ran, you could memorize the entire book within a year.
- Consider working on a surah first thing in the morning. This way you can work on reciting it during every salah, which is the required daily prayer.
- Try to remember to practice your Qu'ran on your own without a reminder, which will show the love you have for Allah(SWT) and his divine words in his holy book. He might reward you and give you a better chance of admittance into jannah.
2
Understand Quran Arabic. Learning Quran Arabic helps you remember Quran.
- First learn Arabic Grammar . You can find many books, websites and online videos on Arabic Grammar. Then search online for word to word Quran meaning. Learning Quran Arabic is not a difficult task. About 80% of Quran has 500 repeated words.
3
Study English Phonology. English Phonology deals with English pronunciation. English Phonology helps in understanding pronunciation of Arabic. You can find many websites and online videos on English Phonology.
4
Learn the ayahs in chronological order and start from the beginning each time. After you memorize an individual ayah, repeat the entire surah up to the point that you've just memorized. Do this after every ayah that you memorize so that you can commit the order to memory at the same time that you're memorizing the individual passages.^{[9]
X
Research source}
- For example, if you were memorizing the first surah in the Qu’ran, you would start by saying “In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful” out loud. Repeat it 5-6 times, then add the second ayah to the first. So it would become “In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.”
5
Practice reciting a surah back to a friend to ensure that you've mastered it. Have a friend or family member open up the Qur’an to the surah you've memorized. Recite it out loud and have them stop you whenever you miss something. This will help you identify any passages you need to focus on. If you can recite it perfectly, you'll know that you've mastered the surah. Do this for 2-3 days after you've memorized it to fully internalize it.^{[10]
X
Research source}

Tip: If you find yourself struggling, take a break for a day or two. It can be easy to get mixed around if you don’t relax periodically.
6
Recite other surahs that you've memorized once every 7 days. If you've memorized other surahs, it can become difficult to keep track of all of them if you don't revisit them on occasion. Once every 7 days, go back to the other surahs that you've memorized to ensure that they stay fixed in your memory.^{[11]
X
Research source}
- You can always recite surahs while you're doing everyday tasks like cleaning, showering, or walking somewhere.
- Repeat a newly-memorized surah whenever you have down time.

Community Q&A

Question

How can I use a memory palace to memorize the entire Quran? I have already built the palace and rooms for each surah but struggle to understand how to fill the room to remember long verses.

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

For most people, memory palaces are useful for remember recipes, stories, or chronological orders. It can be tricky to use them for longer pieces of writing that each have intricate steps involved. It may be a useful tool for memorizing the surahs, but you may want to simply rely on rote memorization to establish a pattern for each individual surah. Once you have a surah memorized though, link something in the opening ayahs with an object in the corresponding memory palace. This will be the best of both worlds, and you can rely on the standard memorization to recite the surah and the memory palace to move from one surah to the next.
Question

I'm 26 year old and I want to memorize the holy Qur'an. Is it possible?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

Yes! With enough patience and determination, there are no barriers to learning the book in its entirety. Create a schedule and set aside time to practice every single day. Over time, you will learn a surah, then multiple surahs, and eventually the whole book.
Question

How can I increase the amount of ayahs I memorize?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

If you want to increase the number of ayahs that you memorize in a single sitting, the best thing you can do is practice in the earlier parts of the day where your mind is sharpest. Once you've got a handle on them, spend the rest of the day reciting them to yourself. This will give you plenty of time to practice them over and over so that you can internalize them.