Among people who study the Quran seriously, one word carries special weight: ijazah. A student who holds an ijazah in Quran has recited the Quran to a qualified teacher and been formally authorised to recite and teach it — connected through an unbroken chain of teachers all the way back to the Prophet ﷺ.

But what exactly is an ijazah in Quran? Is it the same as being a hafiz? Do you need to memorise the whole Quran to earn one? And how long does it take? This guide answers those questions clearly.

What is an ijazah in Quran?

The Arabic word ijazah (إِجَازَة) means “permission” or “authorisation”. In Quran studies, it is a certification granted by a qualified teacher (a shaykh or mujiz) to a student who has recited the entire Quran to them with correct tajweed. It confirms two things:

• the student recites the Quran correctly, exactly as it was transmitted; and
• the student is permitted to recite it and to teach it to others.

An ijazah is usually given as a written certificate listing the student’s sanad — the chain of teachers who taught one another, generation after generation, back to the Prophet ﷺ, who received the Quran through the angel Jibril from Allah.

What is a sanad, and why does it matter?

The Quran has always been preserved in two ways together: in written copies, and orally, in the hearts and voices of reciters who learned it from teachers. The sanad is the record of that oral transmission.

This method goes back to the Prophet ﷺ himself. He named specific Companions to learn recitation from: “Learn the recitation of the Quran from four: Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, Salim the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah, Ubayy ibn Ka’b and Mu’adh ibn Jabal” (Sahih al-Bukhari 3758). Reciting to someone with a reliable chain is the continuation of that same practice.

Types of ijazah in Quran

Ijazahs differ in what was recited and how. The main types are:

• Ijazah in recitation (tilawah / nazirah): the student recites the whole Quran to the teacher while reading from the mushaf. It certifies correct, fluent recitation with tajweed.
• Ijazah in memorisation (hifz / ghayb): the student recites the whole Quran to the teacher from memory. This is generally considered the higher level.
• Ijazah in a specific qira’ah: the Quran has ten canonical modes of recitation (qira’at), each transmitted through narrators. Most students worldwide start with the narration of Hafs ‘an ‘Asim, the most widely recited today. Advanced students may later earn ijazahs in other narrations, such as Warsh ‘an Nafi’, or in several qira’at.
• Ijazah in a text: some students also receive ijazah in classical tajweed poems, such as the Tuhfat al-Atfal or the Jazariyyah, after memorising and studying them.

Ijazah vs hafiz: what is the difference?

A hafiz is someone who has memorised the entire Quran. An ijazah is a certification of recitation by a qualified teacher with a sanad. They overlap but are not the same:

• Many huffaz have no formal ijazah.
• A recitation (nazirah) ijazah does not require full memorisation.
• A hifz ijazah requires both: complete memorisation and recitation of all of it, with precise tajweed, to a qualified teacher.

Requirements for an ijazah in Quran

Requirements vary between teachers, but students are typically expected to:

• pronounce every letter from its correct makhraj, with its correct qualities;
• apply the tajweed rules of their narration consistently — see our guide to tajweed rules for beginners for the foundations;
• recite the entire Quran, from Al-Fatiha to An-Nas, to the teacher, who listens and corrects throughout;
• for a hifz ijazah, recite all of it from memory with very few mistakes; and
• often, understand the theory of tajweed, sometimes through a classical text.

How long does it take to get an ijazah?

It depends on your starting level and how many sessions you have each week:

• Recitation ijazah for a student who already reads well: often several months to a year of regular sessions.
• Hifz ijazah for someone who has already memorised the Quran: commonly one to two years, because the recitation must be precise and the memorisation strong.
• Starting from the beginning (learning to read, then tajweed, then memorisation): a multi-year journey.

Speed matters far less than accuracy. A good teacher will not rush an ijazah, because it is a trust — the student becomes part of the chain.

The benefits of earning an ijazah

• Precision: the process corrects small, long-standing mistakes most reciters never notice.
• Connection: you join an unbroken line of teachers stretching back over fourteen centuries.
• Teaching: it qualifies you to teach the Quran to others, and the Prophet ﷺ said: “The best of you are those who learn the Quran and teach it” (Sahih al-Bukhari 5027).
• A lasting relationship with the Quran: the discipline of reciting it all, carefully, transforms how you read it for life.

How to choose an ijazah teacher

• Ask about their own sanad and who they received their ijazah from.
• Check that they teach your chosen narration (for most students, Hafs ‘an ‘Asim).
• Choose one-to-one sessions: an ijazah requires the teacher to hear every verse you recite.
• Make sure the schedule is sustainable — consistency over months matters more than intensity.

If you are still memorising, our guide on how to memorize the Quran as an adult explains how to build the foundation first.

Start your ijazah journey with Siraj Academy

Our Ijāzah Track is taught one-to-one by certified Arab tutors with recognised chains of transmission. We assess your recitation first and build a clear plan to completion. Meet our teachers, see examples on our certificates page, and book a free trial session to find out where you stand.

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