About aalimiyyah and hifdh

Hi there I’m 14 years old in year 9 and I have currently memorised 7 and half paras 30- nearly done 7 so nearly 8 and I find it hard to remember plus know nothing about like basics concepts translation etc like is it better to be aalim with knowledge about Islam and memorised quarter of Quran or nothing and memorised Quran which probs will forget should I move to aalim or hidh what’s both like someone who had completed either if both lmk thoughts???

Reply 1

imxa6

Assalamou Alaikum,
Mashallah on all your para completions; may Allah reward you for your efforts.
Personally, I do hifz (absolutely love it), and want to do Aalimah after I finish Inshallah.
Firstly, regarding hifz, I definitely struggle too with retaining the paras I have memorised. Right now, I would suggest stopping your sabaq/ new memorisation and revising the juz you’ve done, reciting them to someone else (your baji/teacher) in quarters, then gradually halves, then inshallah whole sparas. Set a limit to the mistakes u can make, e.g. 2 per quarter.
If you feel as though you want to read Quran and understand it, I would 100% recommend a translation Quran, which I also use to memorise my sabaq. You don’t need to do this though; I wouldn’t recommend switching Qurans during memorisation, however if you want to because for example you use a difficult Arabic Quran, do it ASAP. Translation Qurans are great, PM me for recs. If you don’t feel as knowledgeable on Islam, listen to lots of lectures, read lots of Islamic books (PM me for recs?) on topics that all Muslims should know; Tafsir, basic Fiqh, Aqeedah, Seerah, etc.
if you are still struggling with Hifz, I would say ask around the local mosques to see what the Aalimah courses offer, and if that appeals to you, then switch. However, I wouldn’t force this, personally, but that’s my bias and it’s 100% your decision.
Just remember, if you do make the switch to Aalimah, you have to constantly revise the juz You have memorised already, so that might actually make it more easy on you; you’re not learning new sabaq, and revising the previous one. In the Aalimah course, you essentially learn Quranic Arabic (one of the bits) and I’ve found that if I understand words/ ayahs of the Quran, it makes it easier for me to memorise them. Remember, whatever path you take forward, they’re both very beneficial for you and your Akhirah, Allahumma Barik. It’s good you don’t want to drop mosque completely; i would never advise that, my masjid experience has been one of my favourite ones.
Another hifz tip would be to find someone who is doing hifz and around the same age as you; it makes it much more enjoyable to track your progress, talk about memorisation difficulty, previous para revising, etc.

Benefits of hifz:
https://www.quranspirit.com/benefits-of-being-a-hafiz-in-islam/

also, side benefits of hifz:
Helps you memorise information in general very quickly (e.g. for your GCSES next year, very handy)
Makes you feel more connected with your deen, especially when you think you know Allah’s words
Stimulates the brain, can essentially make you smarter

what do your parents think of this?
May Allah be pleased with our efforts in his religion. Ameen