Start with the WHY

Hassan Saeed

Read time: 3 minutes

Let’s imagine that we are flying from Jeddah to Riyadh with a layover in Madinah for two hours.

Instead of spending two hours waiting at the airport, we decided to go outside.

• WHY: Visit the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him and pray in his mosque.

• HOW: Rent a car and take the fastest route to the Prophet’s mosque.

• WHAT: Once we are there,

  • Pray Asr prayer,

  • Offer Salam to the Prophet (peace be upon him),

  • Pray at the Al-Rawdah if possible,

  • Read a few pages of the Quran,

  • Return to the airport to catch our flight.

In this example, we didn’t just leave the airport and started driving aimlessly. We had to figure out the WHY first, before addressing the HOW and the WHAT.

• WHY ➡️ Most important

• HOW ➡️ Less important

• WHAT ➡️ Least important

Your "HOW" and "WHAT" can change, but your "WHY" should stay consistent.

Now let’s apply this to memorizing the Quran:

• WHY ➡️ Purpose (find your inspiration):

  • Reflect on what Allah the Almighty said about the Quran.

  • Read what the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said about the Quran.

  • Watch or read stories of people who have memorized the Quran

  • Ask someone who has memorized the Quran about what inspired them to start.

• HOW ➡️ Plan:

  • Figure out a system for memorizing and revising the Quran.

  • Learn how to create your personalized ‘Rule of One’

• WHAT ➡️ Daily memorization/revision:

  • Where are you doing it?

  • How long should it take?

  • When exactly during the day?

  • Are you doing it by yourself or with someone else?

  • Which pages of the Quran are you memorizing/revising today?

  • Etc.

Take care of the WHY, and the HOW and WHAT will take care of themselves.

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