Because hifz produces no physical artefact to inspect, the tradition developed its own rigorous method for verifying that a memorisation is genuine and accurate rather than merely fluent-sounding, a chain of certification called ijazah that runs parallel to, and considerably older than, the chains of transmission used to authenticate hadith. A student who completes memorisation is examined by a qualified teacher, often across multiple long sessions covering the entire text from unpredictable starting points chosen by the examiner precisely to prevent a student from having merely rehearsed fixed sections, and successful completion earns an ijazah, a certificate naming the teacher and, through that teacher's own certification, tracing an unbroken chain of named individuals back toward the Prophet's own companions, a genealogy of memorisation treated as seriously as a scholarly credential.
International Quran memorisation competitions, held in Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Dubai and elsewhere and often carrying prize money and considerable prestige, have become a major modern venue for testing and publicly displaying this skill, with contestants examined on random recall, correct recitational pronunciation and adherence to the specific reading tradition being judged, drawing memorisers from dozens of countries and receiving considerable state sponsorship in several Gulf countries as a mark of religious prestige. These competitions have also generated debate within the tradition itself, since some scholars have expressed concern that competitive framing and prize incentives risk emphasising performance and speed of recall over the contemplative and devotional purpose memorisation is traditionally meant to serve.