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Quran · 26 cards · Free

Memorize Surah Al-Ghashiyah (The Overwhelming): recite the Quran by heart

Surah Al-Ghashiyah (الغاشية, "The Overwhelming") is a Meccan surah of 26 verses. Each card pairs an ayah's reference with the Arabic to recite and the English as a note, so you hear the wording until it holds, then say it back from the reference alone.

What this deck teaches

Hifz — memorizing the Quran — is done in Arabic, by hearing and repeating the exact wording, ayah after ayah. At 26 verses, Surah Al-Ghashiyah is short enough to keep the whole thing in your head at once but long enough that the order matters. One card per ayah keeps you moving through it in sequence rather than collecting verses out of context.

It sits in Juz Amma, the last thirtieth of the mushaf, which is the part most people memorize first and the part heard most often in prayer. Like most of the surahs around it, Al-Ghashiyah is Meccan: the ayat are short and the rhythm is tight, which is exactly what makes them hold in the ear.

Its name, "The Overwhelming", comes from a word used in the surah — a small hook, but a useful one when you are trying to remember which surah is which among a hundred and fourteen. The reference is the prompt and the Arabic ayah is the answer, read aloud; the English translation rides along as a note you can show or ignore. Keeping the two scripts in separate fields is what stops the Arabic being mangled when it is spoken. Arabic text is provided by the Tanzil Project (CC BY 3.0); the English is Abdullah Yusuf Ali's translation (public domain).

How to memorize Surah Al-Ghashiyah with VoiceCards

  1. Hear the Arabic on a loop. Open the deck in Listen mode and let it play the reference, then the Arabic ayah, on a loop. Hearing Surah Al-Ghashiyah hands-free — commuting, cooking, walking — builds the cadence before you ever try to recite it.
  2. Recite from the reference. Switch to Speak mode. See only the reference, recite the ayah from memory, then reveal the card and check every word. The English note is there when you want the meaning, and out of the way when you do not.
  3. A few ayat a day. Five or six ayat a day gets you through 26 verses without the beginning fading while you learn the end. Short daily sets beat one long sitting.
  4. Loop the ones that slip. Star the ayat that come out shaky and give them their own short Listen loop the next morning. An ayah you can recite cleanly from the reference three days running is one you own.

Sample cards

Al-Ghashiyah 88:1
هَلۡ أَتَىٰكَ حَدِيثُ ٱلۡغَٰشِيَةِ Has the story reached thee of the overwhelming (Event)
Al-Ghashiyah 88:2
وُجُوهࣱ يَوۡمَئِذٍ خَٰشِعَةٌ Some faces, that Day, will be humiliated
Al-Ghashiyah 88:3
عَامِلَةࣱ نَّاصِبَةࣱ‏ Labouring (hard), weary
Al-Ghashiyah 88:4
تَصۡلَىٰ نَارًا حَامِيَةࣰ‏ The while they enter the Blazing Fire

Get this deck

Open VoiceCards, tap Add a deck → From a link, and paste this URL:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14UTe1fzFWAEFcbe4GCKayUeHgD-q3itwwES6WhIoHh4/edit

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Quran - Al-FajrAll 30 verses of Surah Al-Fajr, recited in Arabic with the English meaning.Quran - Al-BaladAll 20 verses of Surah Al-Balad, recited in Arabic with the English meaning.Quran - Ash-ShamsAll 15 verses of Surah Ash-Shams, recited in Arabic with the English meaning.Quran - Al-LaylAll 21 verses of Surah Al-Layl, recited in Arabic with the English meaning.Quran - Ad-DuhaaAll 11 verses of Surah Ad-Duhaa, recited in Arabic with the English meaning.Quran - Ash-SharhAll 8 verses of Surah Ash-Sharh — a short surah, recited in Arabic with the English meaning.

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