Is It Obligatory to Memorize the Entire Quran? The Virtue of the People of the Quran
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The Quran is the word of Allah, and memorizing it brings immense good to a Muslim in this life and the next. The People of the Quran hold a high status, and their dealings with Allah are a trade that never fails. Allah says:
"Indeed, those who recite the Book of Allah, establish prayer, and spend from what We have provided for them, secretly and openly, hope for a trade that will never perish." (Fatir 35:29)
The Virtue of the People of the Quran
1. The memorizer will be with the noble angels
Allah grants a great reward to those who memorize His words, and on the Day of Judgment they will be with the noble, obedient angels. Even someone who finds memorization difficult has two rewards. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"The one who recites the Quran and is skilled in it will be with the noble and obedient angels. And the one who recites it with difficulty, struggling through it, will have two rewards." (Bukhari and Muslim)
2. They will be given the crown of honor
On the Day of Judgment, the Quran will intercede for its companion. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
"Recite the Quran, for it is an excellent intercessor on the Day of Resurrection. It will say: 'O Lord, adorn him,' so he will be adorned with the garment of honor. Then it will say: 'O Lord, clothe him,' so he will be clothed with the robe of honor. Then: 'O Lord, crown him,' and 'O Lord, be pleased with him, for nothing is greater than Your pleasure.'" (Ad-Darimi)
3. Rising in ranks in Paradise
The one who memorized the Quran and acted upon it will keep rising in Paradise. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"It will be said to the companion of the Quran: Recite and ascend, and recite slowly as you used to recite in the world, for your rank will be at the last verse you recite." (Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa'i and Ahmad; authenticated by Al-Albani)
Is a Muslim Required to Memorize the Whole Quran?
No, it is not obligatory for every Muslim to memorize the entire Quran. But whoever skips it should know that he is missing out on a great deal of good.
What Must a Muslim Memorize?
Whoever does memorize the Quran must keep up what they have learned. They will be held accountable if they neglect it or let a verse slip from memory through carelessness.
What every Muslim does need to memorize is what makes their obligatory acts valid, which means the prayer. The prayer is not valid without reciting Surat Al-Fatihah, so memorizing it is a must. Reciting Al-Fatihah is a pillar of the prayer. Beyond it, a Muslim should memorize at least one short surah or more, since some scholars consider reciting a surah after Al-Fatihah to be among the obligatory acts of the prayer.
We ask Allah to grant us and you the memorization of His Book. Ameen.