“And We have certainly made the Quran easy for remembrance, so is there anyone who will remember?” [54:17]
With the arrival of Ramadan, homes, masjids, and classrooms across continents take on a familiar rhythm. Pages turn. Verses are recited with melodious harmony. Some recite while reading from the script. Others stand in prayer reciting entirely from memory. What began over fourteen centuries ago as revelation endures today as lived practice.
For the Dawoodi Bohra community, the Quran shapes daily life. Its teachings inform how families are raised, how business and trade is conducted, how neighbours are treated, and how responsibility to society is understood. Principles such as honest commerce, interest-free assistance, excellence in work, softness in speech, and accountability in action are not abstract ideals. They are habits cultivated over time.
This year, that relationship crossed a historic milestone.
Out of nearly a million-strong global population, 10,000 members of the worldwide community have now memorised the Holy Quran in its entirety.
The milestone was marked earlier this year at the Nairobi campus of Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah, the community’s premier academic institution, during its annual oral examinations. His Holiness Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin presented certificates to students who had completed the journey of memorisation this year. Behind each recognition stood years of discipline, structured study, and sustained support from parents and teachers.
Even as he honoured the memorisers, the total count of whom reached 10,000, His Holiness articulated a larger vision: 100,000 Dawoodi Bohras who carry the Quran within them.
More than memorisation
In Islamic tradition, one who memorises the entire Quran is known as a hafiz. The process, hifz, demands far more than completion. The Quran spans more than 6,000 verses across 114 chapters, varying in length and linguistic complexity. Memorisation requires daily revision, precise articulation, and continuous review to preserve accuracy.
L: The interior of Mahad al Zahra, Surat R: The interior of Mahad al Zahra, Nairobi
“A common misconception is that you finish and move on,” explains one teacher affiliated with Mahad al Zahra, the community’s dedicated Quran memorisation programme. “Memorisation is a lifelong companionship. It shapes your discipline and your character.”
Expanding access to memorisation has been a central aspiration of the community’s leadership. The 52nd Dai al-Mutlaq, Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, invested significantly in structured Quran education worldwide. His successor, His Holiness Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, continues to strengthen these programmes across regions and age groups.
The journey begins with a few lines
In Bengaluru, Ruqaiyah Khandwala completed memorisation at the age of six. Her father recalls the steady progression. “It started with three or four lines a day. Then half a page. Eventually, two pages daily. The key was consistency.”
Alaqmar Shehabi, 19, who studied at Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah in Nairobi, initially found the task overwhelming. “It felt beyond reach,” he says. “But routine changed everything. You move forward, and you revise what came before, every day. Thoroughly.”
Ajab Mustafa from Auckland completed memorisation at eleven. The discipline extended beyond religious study. “Planning became instinct,” she reflects. “During hifz, every hour mattered. That structure stayed with me in school.”
The achievement is not limited by age. Radiya Vaziri, a retired principal now living in Dubai, completed memorisation at seventy-five after seven years of steady effort. “I found clarity and calmness in the process.”
Studies in cognitive science support the effectiveness of spaced repetition and daily recall for strengthening long-term memory. The structured methodology used in Quran memorisation reflects these principles, combining incremental learning with systematic review.
Parents also play a decisive role. Ruqaiya Saifee of Seattle began teaching her sons the Arabic alphabet at an early age, integrating recitation into daily routines so that learning felt natural. Seeking deeper structure, she settled temporarily in Nairobi to enrol them in a dedicated programme. Both children completed memorisation before the age of ten.
Watching their progress, she began the journey herself. Over years of early mornings and late nights, while balancing family responsibilities, she completed memorisation in 2024.
Reduced screen time
A growing number of parents have also tried to protect the conditions that make that kind of focus possible — including reducing children’s dependence on screens. The logic is practical: attention is a limited resource, and memorisation requires long, uninterrupted stretches of it.
Recent large-scale research has associated excessive early screen exposure with reduced conversational engagement and weaker language development. Pediatric guidance increasingly emphasises the importance of developmentally healthy digital habits.
“When we reduced screens, we saw our child’s concentration improve,” shares one mother from Houston. “Memorisation became realistic because focus became normal.”
In an era where digital tools can retrieve any verse instantly, the community emphasises a distinction. Technology stores information. Memorisation trains presence, discipline, and moral responsibility.
“AI can surface a verse in seconds,” notes a teacher. “It cannot stand in prayer or practise what it recites. When we memorise the Quran, we commit to living its values.”
“Indeed, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find peace.” [13:28]
(In a verse in the Quran, الذكر or remembrance has been alluded to the recitation of the Quran)
Husain Cutlerywala, a hafiz from Houston, sums up his journey: “Hifz strengthened my focus in a world of constant distraction. It taught me resilience when revision felt overwhelming and humility when mistakes resurfaced. It trained my mind to work deeply, patiently, and with intention - qualities that directly translated into better performance in school and in business.”
Today, the 10,000 who have memorised the Quran within the Dawoodi Bohra community represent more than a numerical milestone. They reflect a global network of homes, teachers, institutions, and leadership committed to preserving knowledge with precision and reverence.
As the global community moves toward the goal of 100,000, it is helping the next generation become more mindful of Quranic education. For the young learners today, it is not only about memorising the Holy Quran, but also about living by its values in their daily lives thereby making a positive contribution in society.
