How to memorize the Quran on your own, without forgetting
A calculator, a revision table and a step-by-step method
To memorize the Quran on your own, move forward in small portions and repeat each one aloud until you can recite it without looking. To keep it, revise three things every day: the new, the recent and the old. The Madani Mushaf has 604 pages: the calculator below gives you a benchmark, never a promise.
How long does it take to memorize the Quran?
It depends on your pace. At one page a day, six days a week, the 604 pages take about 704 days. Change the pace and the start date: the result updates.
A benchmark, never a promise: revision comes before the new.
| Pace | Days | About |
|---|---|---|
| a quarter page a day | 2,416 | 79 months |
| half a page a day | 1,208 | 40 months |
| 1 page a day | 604 | 20 months |
| 2 pages a day | 302 | 10 months |
| 3 pages a day | 202 | 7 months |
The revision table: new, recent, old
Every day of memorization has three parts. It is the method of hifz schools (sabaq, sabqi, manzil), used by generations of students.
| Part | What | How |
|---|---|---|
| New | The day’s portion | Repeated aloud until you can recite it without looking |
| Recent | The last twenty pages learned | Recited every day, from memory |
| Old | Everything else | Spread over rounds, for example a seventh each day |
Memorizing a page, step by step
First listen to the page several times with a calm reciter, the text in front of you. Colour-coded tajweed shows you the long sounds, the nasal sounds and the letters that bounce.
Then split the page at the pause signs: two or three lines at a time. Read one part aloud five or six times, then recite it without looking. Once it holds, move to the next one, then recite both together.
Finish by reciting the whole page from memory once without a mistake. Listen to it again in the evening: sleep does the rest of the work.
Why we forget, and how to avoid it
We mostly forget what we stop repeating. Revision is not a step after memorizing: it is part of it from day one.
Keep the same Mushaf: where the words sit on the page helps your memory. Recite your new passages in prayer: it is the best revision there is.
The Prophet ﷺ urged people to keep going back to the Quran they have learned: without revision it slips from memory, the way a camel that is not tied well slips its rope.
A Book made to be remembered
Verse 17 of Surah Al-Qamar (54), with its translation:
-
وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْنَا ٱلْقُرْءَانَ لِلذِّكْرِ فَهَلْ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍ
walaqad yassarna l-qur'āna lidh-dhikri fahal mim muddakir
And We have certainly made the Qur’ān easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember?
According to the Prophet ﷺ, whoever recites the Quran with mastery is in the company of the noble angel scribes, and whoever recites it with difficulty, and keeps at it, receives a double reward.
Guides to keep going
Pick the plan that fits your life. They all start from the same 604 pages and the same revision table.
- Juz ʿAmma in 30 daysThe last 37 surahs, day by day.
- The one-year planTwo pages a day, six days a week.
- The two-year planOne page a day, six days a week.
- Revise without forgettingThe new, the recent, the old.
- Adults: where to startMemorize at any age, at your own pace.
- ChildrenThe shortest surahs, gently.
- New MuslimsAl-Fatiha first, then three short surahs.
Frequently asked questions
How many pages a day to memorize the Quran?
One page a day, six days a week, takes you through the 604 pages in about 704 days. Many start with half a page. The right pace is the one you can keep, revision included.
Can you memorize the Quran on your own, without a teacher?
Yes, for the memorizing itself. Have your recitation checked regularly: by someone who recites well, or by an app that listens and shows you the words to go back over.
What should I do when I have forgotten a surah?
Take it again as a new portion, without losing heart: it comes back much faster than the first time. Then put it back into your rotation of the old.
How can I recite from memory and get corrected?
In the Tilawa app, the verses hide and you recite from memory, out loud. The app shows you the words you forgot or swapped. You revise surah by surah, juz by juz.
Tilawa editorial team · Updated 2026-10-24 · Report an error