Bismillah,
I wanted to share an interesting biography located in Ibn Hajar's [d. 852 AH] Taqreeb At-Tahtheeb (1). The biography is of 'Uthmaan ibn Muhammad al-'Absee [d. 239 AH] and it reads:
'Uthmaan ibn Muhammad bin Ibraheem bin 'Uthmaan al-'Absee.... [He was a] well known, trustworthy narrator with a strong memory. He believed he was correct in some narrations but they were mistakes. It is said that he didn't memorize the Qur'aan...
Your brother in Islaam and the Sunnah,
Jameel Finch al-Makkee
__________
(1) - Taqreeb at-Tahtheeb, Pg.668, Daar al-'Aasimah, Checking by: Ashbaal al-Pakistaanee
In light of the previous post, I wanted to add a few points * with regard to combining
understanding with memorization:
1. Allah, the Most High, says: "Do they not ponder over the Quraan?!" [Muhammad: 24] Sh. al-
Islaam [d. 728 AH] mentions about this verse: "It is impossible to ponder over something you do
not understand!"
2. It is said that Ibn 'Umar [d. 73 AH] took a number of years to memorize Soorah al-Baqarah.
Imaam Malik [d. 179 AH] said it was eight years.
3. Sh. al-Islaam said: "Normally, when people read books, such as math books and medicinal
books, they seek to have a sound understanding of the material. So what about the speech of
Allah which contains their protection, success, happiness, and the basis of their worldly lives and
after lives?"
4. Addition: Anas [ibn Maalik] [d. 92 / 93 AH] said, "If a man memorized Surah al-
Baqarah and Aali 'Imraan, he became great in our eyes."
Your brother in Islaam and the Sunnah,
Jameel Finch
__________
* See Usool at-Tafseer. Sh. al-Islaam. Pp. 21-22
quote:
Addition: Anas [b. Maalik] [d. 92 / 93 AH] said, "If someone memorized Surah al-Baqarah and Aali 'Imraan, he became great in our eyes."
Dr. Muhammad b. 'Umar Bazmool, may Allah protect him, said in explanation of this passage: "...If it was just about memorizing the Quraan, [then you should understand] that the Companions were eloquent Arabs who possessed extreme intelligence and proficient memories. So mere memorization wasn't anything special to them. So why is that a man would obtain status with them if he had memorized Surah al-Baqarah?
The answer is because Surah al-Baqarah is a long surah which contains many rulings. In addition to that, when the Companions would memorize, they would memorize and act by what they memorized; therefore, if someone memorized Surah al-Baqarah, that meant that he knew its meanings, explanations and the rulings contained in it. It also meant that he acted by what he had memorized.
So, with that being said, if one of them read the Quraan and wanted to memorize, it would take a long period of time. That is because they would be sure to understand what they were memorizing. (1)
Your brother in Islaam and the Sunnah,
Jameel Finch
__________
(1) An Explanation of Usool at-Tafseer - Pg: 54