Relationship between Memorization Technique, Mastery of the Arabic Language and Understanding of the Qur’an

Abstract

Although Huffaz (those who memorize the entire Qur’an) in Indonesia are certified to have memorized the whole Quran upon graduation, the majority are not able to fully interpret (Tafsir) its meaning. This could be related to the methods applied in memorizing. This study aimed to identify the most common method used by respondents in memorizing the Qur’an, to analyze the differences in the examination scores for Qur’an memorization based on gender, to examine the relationships between respondents’ score for Tafsir and Qur’an memorization. Respondents were students at Ma’had Tahfiz Al-Qur’an at Prenduan Indonesia. A questionnaire survey was employed for data collection. Besides that, the examination scores for Qur’an memorization (Tahfiz) and for Tafsir were also collected and analyzed to address the second and third research questions. Descriptive analyses, independent sample t-test and Pearson correlation were conducted to support evidences. Findings showed that four memorization techniques: Wahdah, Kitabah, Sima’i, and Jama’ were applied by respondents, the most common method being the Wahdah method. The study found a significant difference in the examination scores for Qur’an memorization between male and female respondents. It also found that the relationship between respondents’ scores for Tafsir and scores for Qur’an memorization is statistically significant. The study concludes that by studying Tafsir, Huffaz could improve the understanding of the Qur’an which should be the ultimate aim in memorizing the text. Huffaz should not only expect to gain rewards while reciting the Qur’an but to be able to apply the teachings from the revelation in daily life.
 
 Abstrak:
 
 
 Walaupun huffaz (mereka yang menghafal seluruh Al-Quran) di Indonesia disahkan telah menghafal seluruh Al-Quran selepas tamat pengajian, namun majoriti masih tidak mampu mentafsir maksudnya dengan sepenuhnya. Ini mungkin ada kaitan dengan kaedah-kaedah yang digunakan untuk hafazan teks. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti kaedah yang paling biasa digunakan oleh responden hafazan Al-Quran, untuk menganalisis perbezaan dalam markah peperiksaan untuk menghafal Al-Quran berdasarkan jantina, untuk mengkaji hubungan antara skor responden Tafsir dan Menghafal Al-Quran. Responden kajian adalah pelajar di Ma'had Tahfiz Al-Qur'an di Prenduan Indonesia. Soal selidik telah digunakan untuk pengumpulan data. Selain daripada itu, markah peperiksaan untuk menghafal Al-Quran (Tahfiz) dan Tafsir juga dikumpul dan dianalisis untuk menangani soalan-soalan penyelidikan yang kedua dan ketiga. Analisis deskriptif, ujian-t sampel bebas dan korelasi Pearson telah dijalankan untuk menyokong bukti-bukti. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahawa empat teknik menghafal: Wahdah, Kitabah, Sima'i dan Jama' telah digunakan oleh responden, dan kaedah yang paling umum adalah kaedah Wahdah. Kajian mendapati terdapat perbezaan yang signifikan dalam skor peperiksaan untuk menghafal Al-Quran antara responden lelaki dan perempuan. Ia juga mendapati bahawa hubungan antara skor responden bagi Tafsir dan menghafal Al-Quran adalah signifikan secara statistik. Kajian ini menyimpulkan bahawa dengan mempelajari Tafsir, para huffaz dapat meningkatkan lagi pemahaman tentang Al-Quran yang harus menjadi matlamat utama dalam hafazan teks. Para huffaz seharusnya tidak hanya mengharapkan untuk mendapat ganjaran ketika membaca Al-Quran tetapi mampu mengaplikasikan ajaran dari wahyu dalam kehidupan seharian.

Qur’an Memorizers and Internet: Study at Ma’had Khoir-Ul-Kayyis and Ma’had Kutubussittah Babussalam in Makassar

“…After conducting surveys to 46 santris of both ma'hads, when they asked to short their favorite memorization technique, it was found there that simultaneously, the most preferred applied technique for memorization of the Quran was Wahdah, even if the most pleasant technique was Sama'i. The found was same as what Ikhwanuddin and Hasyim had found in Madura [5]. An instructor admitted that it is already known that Sama'i is the favorite for the santri, but the Wahdah is the lightest technique for the instructor.…”

“…The Both were adopting several techniques of memorizing Qur'an i.e. Wahdah (one by one: repeating a verse or a set of verses with a certain amount of repetitions until it is memorized, before proceeding to the next verse or set), Kitabah (writing: to write the verses which are targeted to be memorized), Sama'i (listening: to listen the teacher and / or anything who recite the verses, then mimicked), and Jama' (memorizing by reciting together at the same time) [5], [44, p. 41], [45]. The ways those to be applied would depend on the convenience of students, whichever suits them.…”

“…It is why the preachment and the learning from generation to generation of both the Qur'an and the Sunna are highly encouraged in order that to be sustained. The ways of the Qur'an and the Sunna to be transmitted are by the oral and written tradition [4], [5]. The oral is done by the memorization whether by verbatim text and/or by the mean [6, p. Book 2,.…”

Tahfiz Students’ Experiences in Memorizing the Qur’an: Unveiling Their Motivating Factors and Challenges

“…Generally, memorization of the Qur'an in Malaysia, particularly Sekolah Menengah Islam Al-Amin Gombak (SMIAAG), is still focusing more on memorization of the text without realizing that understanding of the contents of the Qur'an is also important. Sternberg (2003), as cited in Muhammad Ikhwanuddin (2013), mentioned how educational institutions only promote rote learning through recitation and repetition whilst ignoring that evaluation and interpretation is also crucial. He added, by citing Westwood ( 2004), that rote learning encourages students to commit to memory information which is not understood and have no functional value, where information stored is not easily retrieved and is also easily forgotten.…”

Illuminance Level Measurement at Lower Working Plane Height in Islamic Religious School

“…Sama'i (listen) and Jama' (recite together) were commonly used as learning and teaching methods for hafazan during the Seljuq Dynsaty (Fuady, 2015). Other methods identified were Wahdah (read one by one), Kitabah or Tahriri (write), Syafawi (recite) and Tasmi' (check the memorisation) (Ikhwanuddin & Hashim, 2014;Hashim, 2015). Madrasah in Malaysia commonly used the Tasmi' method, where the teacher or tutor checked the students' recitation or writings of the Quranic verses individually (Abdullah, et al, 2003).…”