Strategy
Education | August 2021
I asked a young Muslim woman, attending university during term-time and working during the summer, if she had done anything differently. Her recitation was quite improved.
Task: The specific task was improving her pronunciation and recitation (i.e., tajwid).
Method: She shared the following. I asked her permission to share this on.
She examined the feedback given to her.
She created a list of 'weaknesses' (what she needs to work on), e.g. full ikhfa'.
She then researched online to find videos, explanations and articles on those aspects of recitation.
Practice.
A person may put in effort but without strategy, without targeting those areas of weakness, the same corrections may be given again and again. This can be disheartening for the student. It is time to change tactic. Listen to the feedback of the teacher and make a small list. Research those specific aspects. If you are not sure, just ask the teacher, 'What is the most important mistake for me to work on right now?' They will divide your goals into immediate attention and then more long-term goals. For example, the teacher may tell you that getting the sound of 'ayn distinct from hamza is your priority.
May Allah increase her and grant her perfection in her recitation, memorisation, understanding, and implementation.
This method is suitable not only for tajwid but any science one is studying, e.g. grammar, usul. Tajwid is more practical whereas other sciences are more conceptual. Therefore, Step 4 (practice) is very significant for improving recitation.
Once we have a strategy, we must humble ourselves before Allah. We cannot succeed without His help. We are entirely dependent upon Him. We make a plan and then beg Allah for success and help. The nafs (lower self) does not enjoy hard-work. It prefers relaxation.
Working hard is not from hawaa’ (desires). The only way is to force yourself—to insist. If you have scheduled 1 hour of grammar, and when the time comes you think, grammar is so difficult, let me do something nice* like seerah, you have made a mistake. Force yourself to study what you had planned. Shaykh Akram Nadwi
*by nice, the Shaykh is referring to subjects that are easy on the mind and soothe the heart