Which do you think is the best way to learn Qur'an? Is it necessary to learn in a specific order?

Assalamu-alaikum wa rahmatu-llah,

I am a London student and would like to ask which, do you think, is the best way to learn Qur'an. I do understand some Arabic which helps and can read, is it best to read, understand and write? (just that writing can take long) I have tried listening and reading English and Arabic but is there a better way? 

I would also like to ask, is it necessary to learn in a specific order (juz' 'amah, tabarak; then from  surat al-Baqarah onwards) as I did learn odd pieces here and there. 

And, once you learn something, is it not permissible to move on until acting by what you have learnt? 

Jazaku-ullahu khayran

Answer

Wa alaikum assalaam wa rahmatu Allahi wa barakatuh.

The best way to memorize the Qur’an differs from individual to individual.  Understanding the meaning is important for all.  Some rely on vision more than sound, others sound more than vision, others need a combination.  Reading is always recommended, especially for non-Arabs, so they can concentrate on the letters, the ears may not pick up every letter.  Reading the section to be memorized with a tape, many, many times so that the reading is completely smooth, then starting to memorize is a very good way to go about it.  That combines both vision and sound.  It is incorrect to try to memorize without having the reading smoothed out first as there are very likely to be mistakes in the memorization, especially in the timing of the vowels and medd letters.  Another important item is to completely memorize an aayah, then start the next aayah and go back to the first again with the second. The third aayah then is memorized and the first and second are recited again (by memory).  This may seem to take a lot of time, but it makes for firm memorization in the end. One should not try to memorize the next aayah, section, or surah when the previous aayah, section, or surah is not completely memorized and firm in the memory.  Many find writing out the aayaat to be memorized a good tool for memorization.  Some write them out first, others memorize, then write them from memory  to see if the writing and the memorization correspond.  The last recommendation we have is to record yourself after you have firmly memorized the section that you are working on.  If you have a tape player with double cassette capacity, it is good to listen to a known sheikh read the aayah, then listen to the recording of yourself reading the same aayah.  You are more likely to hear any mistakes this way. 

It is not necessary to memorize in order, but it is very useful so there will not be gaps in your memorization later. 

Applying the aayaat to our life is very important and the essence of the revelation. The Qur’an was revealed as a guidance for mankind.  As Muslims we should apply all the aayaat in the Qur’an to our lives, whether we have memorized them or not.  Certainly the companions of the Prophet, , were keen on learning and applying the words of Allah to their lives as shown in the following hadeeth: It was narrated that Abu ‘Abd al-Rahmaan said: The companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) who used to teach us Qur’aan told us that they would learn ten aayaat, then they would not move on to the next ten aayaat until they had learned the knowledge contained therein and how to act upon it. They said, So we learned the knowledge and how to put it into practice. Ahmad, 22384 

It is not a prerequisite to have applied the aayaat to our lives before moving on to the next section for memorization, but this is highly praiseworthy and the path we should strive towards. And Allah knows best.

Please also see:

http://www.abouttajweed.com/310704.htm

Wa iyyaakum wa-l-muslimeen

Wa assalaam