Comparative Analysis of the Implementation of Tahfidzul Qur'an Assessment in Assuring Students' Memorization Quality at Pesantren Khozinatul 'Ulum Blora, Indonesia, and Maahad Tahfiz Al-Qur'an Darul Falah Selangor, Malaysia

Abstract

This study compares how Qur'anic memorization (tahfidzul Qur'an) assessment is implemented to assure students' memorization quality at Pesantren Khozinatul 'Ulum Blora, Indonesia, and Maahad Tahfiz Al-Qur'an Darul Falah (MTADF) Selangor, Malaysia. It uses a qualitative comparative case-study design. Data were collected through interviews with the caretaker and a student in Blora and with the director (mudirah), a teacher (ustazah), and a student in Selangor, including a follow-up interview with the Blora caretaker about the khotmil Qur'an ceremony. The data were compared across ten dimensions. The findings show that both institutions emphasize fluency, verse accuracy, tartil and tajwid, and correct articulation (makharijul huruf), and both combine daily recitation and review with periodic examinations. Their quality-assurance approaches differ: Blora emphasizes retention of the complete memorization through examinations twice a year, periodic sima'an, and verification before the khotmil Qur'an ceremony, with a one-error-per-juz threshold reported by the student and recognition through syahadah and a sanad pathway. MTADF uses a tiered and documented system based on a target of one juz per month, assessment after each juz, Pra-Syahadah every five juz, graded results, and external verification. The comparison suggests that quality assurance is shaped not only by shared recitation standards but also by the way assessment is structured, documented, and verified within each institution's governance context. The findings are limited by the small number of informants and the lack of memorization achievement records.