Question

Is it better for young children of 5+ to wait to memorize the Holy Qur’an until they can more understand its meaning, i.e. 13+?

Answer

Subhana Allah, it is much easier for youth to memorize than adults.  Allah has given them the ability to memorize with ease; we should encourage them to memorize as much as possible, as young as possible.  They may not understand everything, but they will when they are older and can study tafseer and other Islamic sciences.  At the same time, it helps if they are given a simple explanation of the meaning of what they are memorizing.  When children memorize at an early age, it gives them many alternatives for expanding their knowledge in later years.  Imam Ash-Shafi’, may Allah be merciful to him, is reported to have memorized the Qur’an at the age of seven.  The first generations of Muslims were eager for their children to memorize the Qur’an and we should follow their example and encourage our children to memorize and learn the Islamic sciences at an early age.

May Allah make it easy for the Muslims to memorize the Qur'an and learn the different Islamic sciences.