5 Methods That Give Muslim Students Strong Memory
Some of our
students complain of frequent forgetfulness and weak memory, which negatively
affects their academic achievement and scientific level, and may cause their
efforts to be wasted after a full academic year. This calls for awareness of
the issue and working to avoid it.
Weak memory or
repeated forgetfulness has causes that may be health-related or psychological,
or due to preoccupation with mobile phones, television, and the like, or as a
result of overeating, laziness, and lethargy. Therefore, we recommend the
following steps for anyone who wishes to have a strong memory:
First: Taqwa of Allah, maintaining prayer, remembrance, and recitation of the Quran, and avoiding sins, for sin
quickly takes away understanding and memorization, as well as strength of
perception and intelligence.
Imam Muhammad
ibn Idris Ash-Shafi`i, one of the most prominent scholars and jurists of Islam,
was renowned for his speed of memorization and understanding. One day he felt
that he was no longer strong in memorization, so he complained to his teacher
Waki` ibn al-Jarrah about his poor memory. He advised him to seek help in
memorization by abandoning sins. Al-Shafi`i then recited lines of poetry that
have endured to this day:
I complained to
Waki` of my poor memory
So he guided me to abandon sins
And he informed
me that knowledge is light,
And the light of Allah is not granted to a sinner.
Second: Writing and note-taking are very important in
strengthening memorization, aiding recall, and developing a person’s ability to
retrieve information. One of the best ways to memorize the Quran is to write
down the verses you intend to memorize. Likewise, writing what you have studied
becomes much more firmly established than merely repeating it verbally. So
persist in writing and recording important points while studying.
Third: It is recommended to take a midday nap (qaylulah), as
it gives the soul its share of daytime rest, renews a person’s activity,
recharges energy, helps refresh the memory, reduces mistakes, and helps avoid
accidents. The Prophet (peace be upon him) advised it,
saying: “Take a midday nap, for the devils do not take midday naps.” (Al-Albani)
Scholars say
about the benefits of the midday nap that it is like suhoor for the fasting
person. In modern times, a German experiment confirmed that sleep helps
consolidate memories. In an experiment involving volunteers who memorized a
number of words, it was found that the number of words they remembered after
taking a 90-minute nap was greater than the number they remembered after
watching a movie.
Researchers at
Saarland University in Germany and Harvard University in the United States also
confirm that taking a daily midday nap helps improve mental performance by
500%, that the brain becomes more active after the nap, and that people who
regularly take a midday nap are 37% less likely to develop heart disease.
Fourth: Relaxation and deep breathing after studying, because
exhaustion, insomnia, and tension are causes of weak memory. Experts say that
taking a short rest immediately after memorization contributes to improving the
ability to retrieve information.
According to a
British study, some memory-impaired individuals were subjected to an experiment
in which they memorized 15 words, then performed another task. When they
returned after 10 minutes, they remembered only 14% of the list. However, when
they relaxed and did nothing for 15 minutes, their ability to retrieve
information improved, and they remembered 49% of the same list of words,
according to Al Jazeera.
Fifth: Practicing physical exercise
improves memory levels and helps raise the efficiency of memorization and
information retention, due to the positive impact of exercise on the brain,
heart, and blood vessels. People who exercised after memorizing a list of
images paired with specific locations were better able to retrieve information,
according to recent studies.
Read Also:
-
5 Islamic Guidelines for Strengthening Memory
-
How To Improve Your Memory? | Andrew Huberman
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