Asalamu Alaykum! By way of introduction, my name is Anjum and I am a mother to two wonderful little humans that Allah has blessed me with me!

Besides being a mother, I am student of the Qur’an and currently on a hifdh journey of my own – inspired by my eldest. I pray Allah grants me tawfiq to see this journey through and gain His Pleasure. My relationship with the Qur’an started properly in 2010 when I started learning tajweed and then in 2018/2019 my teacher pushed me to work towards an ijazah in tajweed and Alhamdulilah I got it in 2019 and since then, I can’t imagine reading Qur’an without the guidance of a teacher. I am a student at Rabata now, doing my hifdh.

I am also the creator of the Surah Strips – Juzz Amma. This is a hands-on resource to help your child connect with Qur’an in a fun and engaging way. You can see the whole journey on my Instagram page @teachingtwolittlekids

 At what age did your child(ren) start learning the Quran?

My eldest started casually learning the Arabic alphabet after he turned 2 as I started teaching my friends kids but then officially at 3.5, we embarked on this journey of hifdh and Qa’idah and he completed his Qaidah at 4 and hifdh of Juzz Amma at 5 Alhamdulilah. I had decided from very early on that I wanted to be the one to teach my children, especially as I held very strong opinions on certain acts of worship and I was and still am about pronunciation of Arabic alphabet. Alhamdulilah, Allah facilitated it for me as He blessed us with lockdown 2020 – the rest is history.

What is your current routine for hifdh?

Hifdh for me happens in the early hours – during Fajr. For a short while in the late Fajr days, it was happening before Fajr but now I can see it happening at Fajr. I spend 20 -40 mins on my revision and new portion. I revise it before bed and when I can, throughout the day. It usually takes me two days to get that portion solid. A portion can be anything as short as an ayah by the way. I then write it down.

For my son, we listen to the surah as many times as we can and he picks up most of it from listening. I will correct him orally and then if there’s still struggle after a little while/few days, we read the ayaat. We follow Quran Plan’s revision plans for review of any ajza memorised.

What are your main challenges and how do you overcome them?

For my son – making it engaging and inviting. There are some days where it’s not done with pleasantries but rather an act that we don’t miss and I’m ok with that. For me, it’s about normalising the Quran and even if in the short run, my son might be doing to please me.. as he gets older, I know that he will understand why he’s doing it Inshaa’Allah.

My challenge is making use of the blessed early hours as I struggle so much with my sleep and I get tired easily and I want to keep up this habit of waking up at Fajr and reading my Quran and doing my hifdh. I don’t want to rely on motivation as that is fleeting. May Allah make it possible. Ameen.

How can we make the whole hifdh experience engaging and interactive for kids?

– Reward them continuously for it – we do sweets etc and at the completion of the Juzz, we have a big party and invite our loved ones.

– Find a method that works for your child and tailor activities around that. My son is a visual and auditory learner so we tailored everything around that hence why the Surah Strips were born.

– Normalise it. Doing hifdh isn’t just for the alims and aalimahs but for regular folk. Remind them that the Quran was sent to all of mankind.

Do you have a method for revision? How do you ensure effective hifdh retention?

– Revision is done by using Quran Plan’s revision plan.

– For myself, every couple of days I try and revise what I’ve done.

If you were to start the hifdh journey all over again, what would you do differently?

I would be a lot more focused and I would start earlier. Having said that Allah’s timing is perfect and it’s better late than never.

How do you keep yourself and your kids motivated to continue this journey?

Motivation is temporary so I don’t use motivation. We just get on with it. Alhamdulilah

On days when your child doesn’t want to learn or doesn’t focus, how do you deal with it?

We reduce the amount or take a little break. Some days, we continue with the complaints.

How important is it for parents to be involved in their child’s hifdh journey?

So so so so important. They need to be at the core of the journey, at the beginning.

Did you do anything to prepare yourself for your children’s hifdh journey?

So much dua! I really wanted my son to do hifdh and Inshaa’Allah my daughter too. I didn’t know that I wanted to be hafidha too. Eeek!

I didn’t do anything in particular except notice his strengths and gift that Allah blessed him with and took a leap of faith then… bismillah.

If you were to give just one golden advice to other mums, what would it be?

Do it. Make so much dua – do not underestimate the power of dua. Listen to those who have experience but don’t let it consume you. You find your own way and own that journey and enjoy the experience. May Allah allow us all to memorise His words and allow us to raise huffadh and hafidhaat. Ameen.

Thank you to Anjum for sharing these invaluable tips and advice. Connect with Anjum and find out more about her work and her amazing Surah Strips for Juz Amma @teachingtwolittlekids