Short answer
It can be a great blessing, but it is not required, and it must not leave the child without the education they need for life. Memorising the whole Quran is fard kifayah (a duty on the community), while learning enough to pray is fard on each person. Many children do hifz part time alongside school, and families who pause school must follow the law.
Memorising al-Fatihah and some surahs for prayer is fard on every Muslim; memorising the whole Quran is fard kifayah and among the greatest virtues. A guardian may arrange full-time hifz when it benefits the child, while still securing the worldly education the child will need.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
The Prophet ﷺ said the best of you are those who learn the Quran and teach it, and that the companion of the Quran will be told to recite and rise, his rank being at the last ayah he recites. Families who make a child a hafiz give them something precious. The four schools agree on its virtue.
The main routes:
- Part time: before and after school, or weekends. Slower, often four to six years, but no gap in schooling.
- Full time for a period: one to three years, then back to school. Common in the UK, US and Gulf. The child must be registered as home educated or attend a recognised school where the law requires it.
- Hifz schools: combine hifz with the national curriculum. Check their academic results and safeguarding.
- Boarding madrasas: can work for some children, but visit, ask about discipline and supervision, and keep close contact.
Signs it is working: the child is happy, revising steadily and keeping up with reading and maths. Signs to rethink: fear, harsh punishment, falling behind badly in basic skills, or a child who starts to dislike the Quran. A hafiz who keeps the Quran for life is the goal, not finishing fast. See teachers who hit.
Plan a realistic schedule with the hifz planner, and see when to start learning the Quran.
The evidence
Sahih al-Bukhari 5027
Sahih... خيركم من تعلم القرآن وعلمه ...
"The best of you are those who learn the Quran and teach it."
The virtue of learning and memorising the Quran.
Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2914
Grading to be checked... يقال لصاحب القرآن اقرأ وارتق ...
"It will be said to the companion of the Quran: recite and rise."
The rank of the one who carries the Quran.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Durr al-Mukhtar, Kitab al-Salah, chapter on recitation. Memorising what is needed for prayer is fard on each person, and the whole Quran is fard kifayah.
- al-Tibyan fi Adab Hamalat al-Quran (al-Nawawi), Chapter on teaching children. Guidance on teaching children the Quran with gentleness.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.