The Qurʾān memorization track of the Quran Literacy Institute is an attempt to bridge this gap and provide a structured program for adult sisters to achieve this goal.
It was envisioned and developed by Sumara Khan after she completed her own journey of memorization and desired to extend this opportunity of a lifetime to sisters who had the same dream but were missing the structure and support they needed to make their dream a reality.
Program Structure and Requirements
In the fall of 2014, the Sisters Qurʾān memorization (Ḥifẓ) Program was officially launched with the objective of providing the structure, support and guidance needed to succeed in the ultimate goal of memorization of the book of Allah.
The requirement of the program is the ability to read the Quran and completion of our comprehensive Tajweed Seminar (or any equivalent). Once a student gains admittance into the program, the memorization ability of each is assessed and accordingly a specific number of verses are assigned on a weekly basis.
There are two components to the weekly classes: a recitation component and a memorization component.
Each class commences with a recitation session where students, assigned to small groups, recite a portion of the Quran under the supervision of a qualified instructor for general Tajweed practice. This recitation is separate from the memorization portion. The instructor recites first, followed by student recital, where the instructor corrects Tajweed mistakes and reviews recitation rules as needed.
This is followed by the ḥifẓ portion where each student recites her assigned portion to her instructor on a one-on-one basis.
Program Levels
The program is divided into 5 levels, which were developed under the guidance of Shaykh Waleed Edrees and derived from various ḥadīth of the Prophet.
ONE: Aṣḥāb Juz ʿAmma
Memorization of the 30th juz of the Qurʾān is the starting point for new students in order to acquaint them with their memorization ability and develop memorizational consistency.
TWO: Aṣḥāb al-Baqarah
The second level is named after the second and largest chapter of the Qurʾān. The term was used by the Prophet himself to distinguish and prefer— in various situations—those who had committed the longest chapter of the Qurʾān to memory. Although memorization of Sūrah al-Baqarah appears daunting, it truly sets the pace for the memorization of the remaining Qurʾān with relative ease.
THREE: Aṣḥāb al-Zahrāwayn
The third level is based on the Prophetic usage of the term, wherein he exhorted us to recite al-Zahrāwayn, “the 2 bright ones,” referring to Sūrah al-Baqarah and Āl ʿImrān (chapters two and three), both of which will come on the Day of Judgment as two clouds to shade those who used to recite them [Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim].
FOUR: Jamāʿat al-Aḥbār
The fourth level is names such based on the Prophet ḥadīth:
مَنْ أَخَذَ السَّبْعَ الْأُوَلَ ، فَهُوَ حَبْرٌ
Whoever memorizes the first seven sūrahs then she/he truly is a scholar (ḥabr).
[Musnad Aḥmad]
FIVE: Ahl al-Qurʾān
The fifth and final level is for those who have committed the entire Qurʾān to memory. It is based on a celebrated ḥadīth which is often cited in Qurʾānic Ijāzah certificates:
The Companion Anas b. Mālik relates that the Prophet stated one:
إِنَّ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ أَهْلِينَ مِنَ النَّاسِ
Verily there are certain people among human beings that belong to Allah!
قِيلَ : مَنْ هُمْ يا رَسُولَ اللهِ
It was asked, Who are they, Messenger of Allah?
قَالَ أَهْلُ القُرآنِ هُمْ أَهْلُ اللهِ وَ خَاصَّـتُهُ
He replied: It is none other than the people of the Qur’ān who are Allah’s people and His elite. [Musnad Aḥmad, Ibn Mājah]
Program Timeline
An estimated time of 6 years is projected through our program timeline for the completion of the entire Quran along with a full system of review.
Quran Literacy Institute 