The Quran is the most mass-memorized book in human history. Since its revelation, every practicing Muslim has committed either portions or the entire text to memory. From its inception, the Quran was preserved both orally and in written form, with the oral tradition remaining a central aspect of the practice even after its compilation into a complete text.
Across the world, in addition to family members teaching this Holy Book to the next generation, dedicated institutions and schools focus on teaching children and adults to memorize the Quran. This widespread practice is supported by the Quran’s unique linguistic structure, rhythm, and rhyme, which eases the memorization process. These features, along with a strong tradition of memorization, have made the Quran uniquely preserved and transmitted across generations and cultures, setting it apart from all other religious and secular texts.
54:17 We made the Quran easy to learn. Does any of you wish to learn?
This emphasis on internalizing and memorizing the Quran is so integral to its nature that one of the titles it uses to describe itself is The Reminder (ٱلذِّكْرَ / l-dhik’ra).
15:9 Absolutely, we have revealed the reminder, and, absolutely, we will preserve it.
This name highlights the Quran’s purpose as a constant source of guidance and recollection for believers, as a reminder of God’s commandments. The term underscores the Quran’s role in keeping divine teachings alive in the hearts and minds of those who recite and memorize it.
As a result, the Quran is known by heart by more people than any other book in human history. This extraordinary phenomenon aligns with the biblical promise in Jeremiah 31:33, which speaks of a new covenant where God’s law would be written on the hearts and minds of His people. This new covenant is fulfilled with the Quran, and the widespread memorization of the Quran tangibly demonstrates the fulfillment of this prophecy, as millions have indeed internalized God’s words of the Quran in their hearts.
31 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. 33 “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “ I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” 35 This is what the Lord says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord Almighty is his name: 36 “Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,” declares the Lord, “will Israel ever cease being a nation before me.”
The phrase that God will put His law in their minds and write it on their hearts signifies an intimate and internal relationship with His commandments, indicating that His law will be perpetually present and known by heart. This understanding can be drawn from various other Old Testament verses that reinforce the idea of internalizing and memorizing God’s word. For example, in Deuteronomy 6:4-9, after the declaration of the Shema, the passage instructs the people to keep the commandments on their hearts by continually teaching, speaking, and reflecting on them. This repetition and constant engagement emphasize memorization and familiarity, showing that to have God’s law “on the heart” means to deeply internalize and remember His words.
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
This idea is again reinforced in Deuteronomy 11:18-20, where God commands His people to “fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.” Here, the emphasis is on actively internalizing and embedding God’s commandments into their daily lives, making His words a constant and guiding presence. This is achieved by talking about them, teaching them to their children, and inscribing them on the doorposts of their homes. This repetition and visible reminders are intended to help the people not only obey but also internalize and remember God’s laws by heart, creating a deep spiritual connection between the people and their covenant with God.
18 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 19 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 20 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, 21 so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.
By calling itself The Reminder, the Quran reinforces its message and function as a living scripture that resides within the believer, echoing the idea found in Jeremiah 31:33, where God promises to put His law in their minds and write it on their hearts. This alignment between the Quran and the Biblical prophecy further emphasizes its role in fulfilling the vision of a new covenant where God’s word is deeply internalized and ever-present.
Interestingly, the prophecy of a New Covenant is also reiterated in the Quran through the coming of the Gentile Prophet (Muhammad), fulfilling a divine promise of guidance beyond the Children of Israel. This narrative, both in the Quran and Deuteronomy, traces its roots back to a pivotal moment when the Children of Israel took the calf as an idol, leading Moses to call them to account before God at the mountain.
In Deuteronomy, this event marks a turning point, where the people are regiven the commandments and are reminded of their covenant with God. Similarly, in the Quran, this historical backdrop serves as a transition towards a broader message that extends beyond a single nation, bringing forth a renewed call to monotheism and adherence to God’s guidance. This parallel reinforces the idea of a new covenant that transcends national boundaries, establishing a universal connection with God’s laws and emphasizing their internalization and adherence in the hearts of all believers.
7:155 Moses then selected seventy men from among his people, to come to our appointed audience. When the quake shook them, he said, “My Lord, You could have annihilated them in the past, together with me, if You so willed. Would You annihilate us for the deeds of those among us who are foolish? This must be the test that You have instituted for us. With it, You condemn whomever You will, and guide whomever You will. You are our Lord and Master, so forgive us, shower us with Your mercy; You are the best Forgiver.
7:156 “And decree for us righteousness in this world, and in the Hereafter. We have repented to You. He said, “My retribution befalls whomever I will. But My mercy encompasses all things. However, I will specify it for those who (1) lead a righteous life, (2) give the obligatory charity (Zakat), (3) believe in our revelations, and
7:157 (4) follow the messenger, the Gentile prophet (Muhammad), whom they find written in their Torah and Gospel. He exhorts them to be righteous, enjoins them from evil, allows for them all good food, and prohibits that which is bad, and unloads the burdens and the shackles imposed upon them. Those who believe in him, respect him, support him, and follow the light that came with him are the successful ones.
7:158 Say, “O people, I am GOD’s messenger to all of you. To Him belongs the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth. There is no god except He. He controls life and death.” Therefore, you shall believe in GOD and His messenger, the Gentile prophet, who believes in GOD and His words. Follow him, that you may be guided.