Shaykh ‘Arafāt ibn Ḥasan:
And this is the ninth question, and perhaps we will conclude these questions with this one. He says: "Our shaykh, I call Allāh to witness that I love you.." May Allāh, the One for whom you have loved me, love you. He then says: "I have a great desire to memorize the Qur-ān, and I want advice through which Allāh will benefit me in memorizing it."
The first piece of advice we offer is to be truthful and sincere to Allāh alone, with no partners. Do not seek from this memorization anything other than what is with Allāh, for this is one of the greatest reasons by which Allāh will benefit you. Do not seek any worldly gain, leadership, money, or reward.
Additionally, be truthful in your determination, in your efforts, and in your diligence. Do not waste time; avoid excessive sleep, abandon play, and stay away from gatherings that bring no benefit. If you preserve your time and are serious and truthful in your determination, Allāh will bring benefit through you.
Thirdly, take a shaykh or teacher. Because you must correct your pronunciation, your reading, and your recitation. So, choose a shaykh from among our brothers, the students of knowledge, through whom Allāh will benefit you. Based on your memorization ability.. And the teacher may assess that for you. Memorize every day; he will assign you a portion or an amount to memorize daily. And what you have memorized, make sure not to abandon (neglect) it! You must review it! You will continue like this until Allāh takes your soul, if you are among the people of the Qur-ān.
And do not go beyond what has been assigned to you; follow it consistently. Over time, with memorization and review, your memorization will strengthen, and your understanding will also become strong. And this is from the barakah of the Qur-ān.
Some scholars also recommend that you have a specific Muṣḥaf that you use for memorization, so you stick to this Muṣḥaf and keep it with you.
As I pointed to earlier, one of the necessities and important points in memorization: do not move on from something until you have reviewed what you have memorized. This is where many fall short, and as a result, they weaken. Why do they weaken? Because they feel that what they have memorized has faded and been lost. When this happens, laziness and failure creep in, and one starts to think there is no benefit. They say, "Everything I memorized is gone, what's the point?" The reason is that they are not reviewing what they have memorized, so it gets lost, and this brings about a sense of frustration. They say, "What's the point then? I haven't really memorized anything." The truth is, you haven't memorized anything because you are not reviewing.
Do not move on to anything new until you have thoroughly reviewed what you’ve memorized, even if it takes you a week, a month, or two months, until you finish the Qur-ān.
And who told you that you must finish memorizing the Qur-ān in one or two years? Don’t rush! People differ in their memorization abilities. Allāh may not grant you quick memorization or understanding, and this is all part of one's sustenance (rizq). The successful one is the one whom Allāh grants success.
Translation: Yasin ibn Jamal
Source: https://t.me/Arafatbinhassan/12242