Treasure Up These Words

As I have read literature describing Islamic culture, I have been impressed with the focus that they place upon their sacred text, the Quran. In particular, at least in the stories I have read, it is common for the young to memorize large portions of the Quran. In his memoir Amkoullel, l’enfant peul, Amadou Hampâté Bâ recounts how at a very young age he spent hours each day memorizing the text (even though he didn’t understand it). He told how his older brother had the whole text memorized at age 11. (It is about 78,000 words long, approximately the same length as the four gospels together.) When the French entered WWI, Bâ told how the French asked the people in his city in Mali to pray for the success of the French, and in response to that in one night 66 spiritual leaders independently recited the entire Quran in different locations. To me it is an incredible feat to be able to recite by memory such a long text, and one who memorizes the Quran is called hafiz in their tradition. Apparently there are indeed many in the world who have done so. While what holy scripture inspires us to do and become is of far more importance than being able to commit it perfectly to memory, surely we could learn something about valuing the word of Christ from dedicated Muslims who revere so highly their own sacred text.

               While there is no requirement in our faith to memorize certain passages, in our dispensation the Lord invited us to treasure up His word. I think this includes memorizing in addition to letting them sink into our hearts. He said to Oliver Cowdery, “Behold, thou art Oliver, and I have spoken unto thee because of thy desires; therefore treasure up these words in thy heart” (Doctrine and Covenants 6:20). Note that it is not enough to get them in the mind; they must also be in the heart. In the revelation on priesthood He similarly said, “Treasure up in your minds continually the words of life, and it shall be given you in the very hour that portion that shall be meted unto every man” (Doctrine and Covenants 84:85). This implies to me repeatedly reading, pondering, applying, and committing to memory His words found in the scriptures. This will serve as a protection to us in the last days as He revelated in the Olivet discourse: “And whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived, for the Son of Man shall come, and he shall send his angels before him with the great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together the remainder of his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (JSM 1:37). To not be deceived by the philosophies of men, we must treasure up His word in our hearts. 

            Of course, in our efforts to treasure up His word we should not let the words we study and learn and memorize become more important than the Word, even Jesus Christ. To the Jews of His day—who similarly place significant value on holy writ and often memorize large passages—the Savior said this: “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39). This was, as I understand it, both an injunction to study the scriptures as well as a warning that alone the scriptures do not grant eternal life. We study His word, whether in reading or memorizing or pondering, in order to come unto Him. And only He is the source of eternal life. The goal of the scriptures was summed up well by Moroni in the title page of the Book of Mormon as he explained the text’s purpose: “And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations.” All scripture should testify of Him, and our goal in reading should be most importantly to feel Him manifest Himself unto us. That is of far more importance than having some set number of passages committed to memory. But surely making the effort to love God with our minds through the memorization of His word will help us bring a testimony of the Word deep into our hearts.