How can the Sunnah be preserved, in terms of both its chain of narration (sanad) and its text (matn), and what is the method?

It is possible to memorize the collections of the Prophetic Sunnah, and it is an easy matter for whomever Allah makes it easy. The optimal method for memorizing them is for the student to begin with the Two Sahihs, then the Four Sunan, then Musnad Imam Ahmad, and not to move to another book until mastering the previous one. The hadiths must be corrected by a proficient شيخ (Shaykh), and memorization should involve reducing the amount to be memorized while frequently repeating it. It is recommended for the beginner student of knowledge to memorize the matn (texts) without the asanid (chains of narration), and not to directly begin memorizing the major collections until completing the approved abridged works such as ('Umdat al-Ahkam) and (Bulugh al-Maram).