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Hifz Methods Explained: 6446, 20-20, 3x3, 3/10 and 30 Days
Key takeaways
- The 6446, 20-20, 3x3 and 3/10 methods are all repetition routines for a new verse: look at the Mushaf, then recite from memory, then join the verse to what you know.
- 6446 is 20 repeats in one cycle (10 looking, 10 from memory). 20-20 is 20 recitals one evening and 20 the next morning. 3/10 is 10 looking and 3 from memory per ayah.
- The write-ups we read name no inventor and cite no trial, and some disagree with each other, so treat them as teaching habits, not standards.
- 30 days of hifz is a schedule, not a repetition method: the plan we found asks full-time students to learn one juz a day.
- If you have a teacher, use their method. If not, count by stage: listen, recite until you get it right 3 times, then return on spaced days.
Hifz methods like 6446, 20-20, 3x3 and 3/10 are repetition routines for a new verse. You look at the Mushaf, then recite from memory, then join the verse to what you already know. They differ in the counts, and none of them has a named inventor or a trial behind it.
The version of each method below comes from the published write-ups we read, and they do not always agree. Use this page to see what a teacher means when they name one, then decide whether to follow it.
What do the hifz methods have in common?
All of them work on a small portion at a time, move from looking to reciting from memory, and join the new portion to earlier ones. They differ in how many repeats they ask for and how much time sits between sittings.
That shared shape is the steady part. Teachers change the numbers, and the write-ups we read give no reason for most of them. Here are the five side by side:
| Method | What you do | Looking : memory | Spacing built in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6446 | Read 6, recite 4, read 4, recite 6 (one verse) | 10 : 10 | Recite again after about 1 hour and 1 day |
| 20-20 | 20 recitals with the Mushaf in the evening, 20 more next morning, then recite without it | 20 looking first, then memory only | Evening, then next morning, then through the day |
| 3/10 | Read each ayah 10 times, recite 3 times closed | 10 : 3 | Later revision in the day |
| 3x3 | Read the portion 5 to 7 times, then each verse 3 times, join, repeat 3 times | Mostly looking, then 3-fold joins | A final pass of the whole page 3 times |
| 30 days | One juz a day in four sessions, revise 2 to 3 earlier juz | A schedule, not a repeat count | Daily revision of earlier juz |
“Looking” means reading with the Mushaf open or following the reciter. “Memory” means reciting with the Mushaf closed.
What is the 6446 method?
The 6446 method is a routine for a single verse. Read it 6 times with the Mushaf, recite it 4 times from memory, read it 4 times, then recite it 6 times from memory. That is 20 repeats, split evenly between looking and memory.
After the last round, close the Mushaf and recite the whole verse. Then recite it again after about an hour and again the next day.
The write-up we read calls it a recent method developed by Quran teachers, with no person named. It also contradicts itself on one count: its overview says 4 recalls in the second step and the step text says 6. That is a small example of how these routines drift as they get copied.
What is the 20-20 method of hifz?
The 20-20 method has you recite a new portion 20 times with the Mushaf in the evening, then 20 more times the next morning. After that you recite it from memory through the day, adding one verse at a time to the earlier ones.
The version we read follows the first 20 with a morning session after Fajr, a memory-only recital in the afternoon or evening, and a last recital at night. Its sample week splits one page into three sections and learns one a day. Days 4 to 6 recite the whole page from memory, and day 7 is rest.
The same write-up says to cut the counts or spread the sessions over more days if time is short. So 20 is a starting dose. Its two big blocks of repeats also sit a night apart, which is the kind of gap the research below favors.
What is the 3/10 method?
In the version we read, 3/10 means reading each ayah 10 times with the Mushaf open, then reciting it 3 times with the Mushaf closed. You start with one or two ayahs, then join two or three ayahs you already know and recite them together.
The write-up sets no daily quota. It suggests a fixed daily time such as after Fajr, a review later in the day, and tracking your progress in ayahs.
Notice the ratio: ten looks for every three recitals from memory. Other teachers may use the same name for a different count, so ask which one yours means.
What is the 3x3 method?
The 3x3 method builds a portion up in threes. The write-up we read has you read the portion 5 to 7 times and repeat each verse 3 times. Then join two verses and repeat them 3 times, and recite everything 3 times. A last pass recites the whole page 3 times.
That same write-up never says what the two 3s stand for, and other descriptions of 3x3 vary. Treat the name as a family of routines that repeat things in threes.
Is 30 days of hifz a method?
No, it is a schedule. The plan we read splits the whole Quran into 30 days at one juz a day. Each day has four quarter sessions, a full-juz recital before sleep, and revision of 2 to 3 earlier juz. It is written for full-time students.
If you study part-time, that pace does not apply to you. For a realistic pace, see the Quran memorization plan.
Do any of these hifz methods have evidence behind them?
Not for Quran memorization. We found no study that tests any of them, and no write-up names a scholar or a trial as its source. They are teaching habits that hifz teachers and academies pass around.
General research on memory offers three points you can use to read them. None of these studies tested Quran memorization, so this is only our reading of them.
- Recalls count, extra looks don’t. In Karpicke and Roediger’s study, studying an item again after students could already recall it did nothing for later recall, while testing it again helped a lot. Looking is how you get to the first recall. After that, a recital from memory does more work than another look.
- Spacing beats stacking. Rawson and Dunlosky tested 533 students. Practicing to 3 correct recalls and then relearning 3 times at spaced intervals gave the best balance of lasting memory and practice time.
- Extra same-day repeats fade. In an overlearning study by Rohrer and colleagues, extra repeats after the first perfect recall helped at one week and mostly stopped helping by nine weeks.
Read the methods against those three points. 6446 balances looking and memory, and adds a review after an hour and a day. 20-20 spreads its repeats over an evening and a morning, but starts with 20 looks. 3/10 leans on looking, 10 to 3.
Looking first is sensible for a beginner who cannot yet follow the text. The methods differ in how soon you start reciting without the page.
Which hifz method should you use?
Use the method your teacher gives you. A teacher can hear your recitation and correct it, and no routine on this page can do that.
Islam Q&A’s answer on how to memorize the Quran, by Sheikh Muhammad Salih al-Munajjid, gives no fixed count. It tells the learner to set a daily amount, repeat it with proper melody, and not move on until it is secure. It also says to recite to a qualified listener who can correct mistakes you cannot hear yourself, and to review every day.
If you have no teacher yet, you do not need to pick a named method. Count by stage instead: listen 5 to 10 times while following the text, recite from memory until you get it right 3 times, then return on spaced days. The reasoning for each number is in how many times to repeat a verse to memorize the Quran.
If a named method appeals to you, borrow its good parts. Take the 6446 balance of looking and memory, the 20-20 night between repeat blocks, and the 3/10 habit of joining new ayahs to old ones. Then fold the new portion into your revision rotation as described in how to revise the Quran.
Your next step
Pick one verse and run a single cycle: 6 reads, 4 recitals from memory, 4 reads, 6 recitals from memory. Test it the next morning before you learn anything new. If that works, scale the same pattern up to a page.
For the full routine around this, see how to memorize the Quran, or the Quran memorization plan if you want it laid out by week.
Frequently asked questions
What is the 6446 method?
It is a routine for one verse: read it 6 times with the Mushaf, recite 4 times from memory, read 4 times, then recite 6 times from memory. That is 20 repeats. Then recite it again after about an hour and the next day.
What is the 20-20 method of hifz?
You recite a new portion 20 times with the Mushaf in the evening, 20 more times the next morning, then recite it from memory during the day. Written versions vary, and one says to cut the counts if you are short on time.
What is the 3/10 hifz method?
In the version we read, you read each ayah 10 times with the Mushaf open, then recite it 3 times with it closed. You start with one or two ayahs and then join them to ones you already know.
What is the 3x3 method for memorizing the Quran?
It is a repeat-each-verse-three-times routine. The write-up we read has you read the portion 5 to 7 times, repeat each verse 3 times, join verses and repeat them 3 times, then recite the whole page 3 times. Descriptions of it vary.
Which hifz method is best?
None has been tested on Quran memorization. If a teacher gives you a method, follow it. If not, listen 5 to 10 times, recite from memory until you get it right 3 times, then return to the verse on spaced days.
Do these hifz methods come from scholars?
We found no named originator or scholarly source for any of them. They are described by hifz teachers and academies, and the versions differ. Check any method against what your own teacher asks of you.
Sources
- Islam Q&A 7966: How to memorize the Holy Quran (Sheikh Muhammad Salih al-Munajjid)
- Rawson & Dunlosky (2011). Optimizing schedules of retrieval practice for durable and efficient learning: How much is enough? Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.
- Karpicke & Roediger (2008). The Critical Importance of Retrieval for Learning. Science.
- Rohrer, Taylor, Pashler, Wixted & Cepeda (2005). The effect of overlearning on long-term retention. Applied Cognitive Psychology.