Abubakr Ibn Mujahid says in his book The Description of the People of the Qur'aan:
"Among the memorizers of the Qur'aan is the one who understands Arabic and it's grammar, the different recitation styles and their subtle differences and effects on the meaning, the analyzer of Arabic grammar who can analyze words correctly (I'raab), who knows the various methods of reading, who knows languages and meanings of words, the expert who has got insight and can distinguish between one word and the other when reading it, the critic; so that is the Imam towards whom the readers and learners of the Qur'aan should go from all over the countries of Islam."
He said:
"and of them is the one who analyzes (I'raab), but does not recite well and doesn't have the sciences mastered; this sort is like the Bedouin who recites in his own dialect and who cannot transform his tongue to pronounce new sounds because he is used to his own tongue/speech."
He also said:
"and among them is the one who repeats what he heard/learnt from the source, and he has no knowledge beyond performing/ repeating what he learnt, because he doesn't know Arabic grammar or how to analyze (I'raab) or anything else. This sort of memorizer will soon forget as time passes, and the analysis gets lost because it is too much and too similar to him, and because there are too many 'Dhamma & fat-ha and Kassrah' in the same verse as it depends on knowing the Arabic language. He also doesn't know the meanings but he depends upon memorizing and listening only."
The memorizer might forget and so his ability to recall based on listening gets lost, and the letters are mingled and confused, then he reads in a tone that he doesn't know, and this confusion leads him to narrate and relate it to someone else in order to free himself, and perhaps he is believed by the people and this will be learnt from him and passed on. Then he would forget and delude himself and force himself to abide by it and insist upon it.
Or, he might learn from someone that forgot and does not remember the analysis (I'raab) and therefore, fell into doubts and delusion. This type of person should not be followed nor imitated when reading, quoting from him is not approved.
Muhammad bin Al-Qassim Al-Anbari reported that Ziyad sent to Abi Al-Asswad, and told him:
"O Aba Al-Asswad, indeed this red (foreigners) became too many, and they had adulterated the tongues/speech of the Arab's. Can you put something down that people can use to fix their speech and to learn and analyze (I'raab) the Book of Allah? then Abu Al-Asswad refused and disliked to reply to Ziyad (that is; when he asked him). Then Ziyad asked a man to sit on the way where Abu Asswad passes and told him to recite some of the Quran, and intentionally do wrong, so the man did. When Abu Al-Asswad passed by the man, he (the man) recited aloud:{ that Allah is clear of the idolaters, and so is His Messenger.} [ Al--Tauba:3], he pronounced the harakah on the (ل) in the word messenger (in Arabic) wrongly, ( he used a kesrah instead of a dammah) with "Alamat E'rab mingled", which completely changed the meaning of the verse. So Abu Al- Asswad felt angry and said: Allah the Almighty never abandons his Messenger, and so he decided to write about analyzing (I'raab ) of the Noble Qur'aan.
It is important that we learn the Arabic language if we truly want to memorize the Noble Qur'aan. Without a good understanding of the Arabic language, our memorization will be very weak and easy to lose. The above explanation as examples of how understanding the Arabic language impacts our ability to successfully memorize the Noble Qur'aan and retain it.
We ask Allah to make us all from the memorizers of His Noble Book, the Qur'aan, Aameen.
The source and main material used in preparing the content of this blog is the book, Ways of teaching the noble Qur'aan and memorizing it by Abu Abdrahman, Jamal ibn Ibrahim AlQirsh (طرائق تدريس القرآن الكريم وحفظه).