Allah Almighty revealed the Holy Quran upon His last messenger
Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (ﷺ) gradually in a period of twenty-three
years more or less. In that era, no recording or printing devices are available
as that now. Therefore, the only possible way to preserve this endowment of
Allah was to learn by heart. At the beginning of the revelation of the Holy
Quran, Holy Prophet (ﷺ) recite it and narrated the verses of a particular
chapter (Surah) of the Quran to His companions. Hence, in this way, the
recitation of the Holy Quran commenced. Next, the foremost task was torecite
the Holy Quran in Its proper pronunciation. Then the concept of Tajweed was
being introduced.
Tajweed
Tajweed is an Arabic word that linguistically means ‘proficiency’. It comes
from the same root letters as the word Jayyid, which means ‘good’. Therefore,
if Tajweed is to be considered with regards to Quran recitation, it means
learning the Quran in the proper way by keeping in mind the requisites of
Arabic language pronunciation. When every letter of the Quran is pronounced
with proper understanding and the way it deserves to be recited, then we can
say that the Quran is being recited with Tajweed. In other words when the
angel Jibril (Gabriel), may Allah exalt his mention, recited the words of Allah
to the Prophet Muhammad, (ﷺ), he recited them in a certain way and he
showed the Prophet (ﷺ), the ways in which it was permissible to recite the
Quran. So, it is obligatory upon us to observe those rules so that we recite it in
the way it was revealed. At the time of the Prophet (ﷺ), there was no need for
people to study Tajweed because they talked with what is now known as
Tajweed.
Tajweed Al -Quran means reading every word of the Quran with its proper
grammar and pronunciation. The Quran is the most precious Holy book for
Muslims. There is a reward for reading every word. In fact, for a better
understanding and accurate readability, it’s obligatory to read the Holy Quran
with Tajweed.
Importance of Tajweed
Besides the very fact that the Quran should recite with Tajweed is the Sunnah
of Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW), there are other purposes or importance
behind the observance of Tajweed while reciting the Quran. The observance
of Tajweed is the fact that the Quran is revealed by Allah Almighty. Hence,
being His subjects, it is important that we should read and recite the Quran in
the very same way as He has revealed it. The recitation of the Quran serves
the fact that words do not change their meanings. Quran is in the Arabic
language which is a very sensitive language and any variation in the form of
shortening or elongation of sounds results in a change in meanings.
Therefore, observing the rules of Tajweed in reciting prevents the recitation of
the Quran from making mistakes while reciting the Holy Quran.
The Holy Quran is the book of ultimate guidance. In fact, it’s not a book for
reading and reciting only. It’s a book of learning and understanding. Islam is
a practical religion and Holy Quran guides us about every aspect of life. Above
all, there is a reward for every single word of the Quran. Arabic is a beautiful
language, and especially the writing style of the Quran is matchless. In fact,
the reading of the Holy Quran is very sweet and provides pleasure and
satisfaction. Most importantly it provides an accurate sense when we read the
holy Quran with proper Tajweed. The Quran is the word of Allah, and it’s
every syllable is from Allah. Its recitation must be taken very seriously.
The purpose of the Science of Tajweed
In essence is to make the reciter proficient in reciting the Quran, observing
the correct pronunciation of every letter with the rulings and characteristics
which apply to each letter, without any exaggeration or deficiency. And so,
through this, the reciter can recite the Quran upon the way of the Prophet
(ﷺ) who received it from Jibril who received it from Allah Almighty in the
Classical Arabic dialect that it came down in. Arabic letter search have a
Makhraj – an exit or articulation point – in the mouther throat from which
they originate and they also each have Sifaat – attributes, or characteristics –
particular to them. Knowing the Makhraj and Sifaat of each letter is an
important part of Tajweed.
Sometimes two letters have very similar exits which make mixing them up
easy. So, if a person does not know the attributes of each letter there is a
danger that he will change the meaning of thewords in the Quran recitation.
Observing the rules of Tajweed in reciting protects the reciter from making
mistakes in reciting the Quran.
The Messenger of Allah! said:
“Whosoever reads a letter from the Book of Allah will receive a
Hasanah (good deed) from it (i.e. his recitation), and the Hasanah (good
deed) is multiplied by ten.
I do not say that Alif-laam-Meem is (considered as) a letter (inreward), rather
Alif is a letter, laam is a letter, and Meem is a letter.” (Reported by At-
Tirmidhi, Ad-Darami).And he! also said:”He who is skillful in reciting the
Quran is with the unveiled, honorable, and pious (i.e. Hur-al-Ain). And he
who stutters when reading the Quran, (and its recitation) is difficult upon
him,) And
he! said:”Verily he who has nothing of the Quran in his heart is like a house
(which has been) destroyed.” (Reported by At-Tirmidhi) have two rewards.”
(Reported by Bukhari). The Holy Quran is the greatest blessing of Allah
Almighty not just for Muslims but all human beings. It carries great
knowledge whether regarding the universe or about human life in general.
Besides the enriched knowledge, the recitation of the Quran carries religious
and spiritual benefits for Muslims. The Holy Quran is the literal words of
Allah Almighty that He revealed as an infallible source of legislation for
mankind. Being so important, the Holy Quran must be recited correctly, so as
not to create any sort of ambiguity or misunderstanding. Allah Almighty
addressed Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in the Quran, “…And recite the
Quran with measured recitation.” (Quran, 73:4)
The ruling of reading with Tajweed
Muhammad bin Al-Jazaree the great Quran and Hadeeth scholar of the 9th
Century (Hijri) says in his famous poem detailing the rules of Tajweed: “And
applying Tajweed is an issue of absolute necessity, whoever doesn’t apply
Tajweed to the Quran, then a sinner is he.” Sheikh Zakariya Al-Ansari [died in
926 H.] said in explanation of this verse in his book: Sharh al-Muqaddimah
al- Jazariyyaa “It is required to observe all of the Arabic rules in that which
changes it and ruins the meaning”. So, he regarded it as an obligation to keep
away from the major mistakes in reciting the Quran. The scholars have
divided the types of mistakes one might fall into when reciting the Quran into
two types:
• Clear mistakes: which usually change obvious things and change the
meaning.
• Unobvious (hidden) mistakes: for which one may need to study Tajweed
rules.
Allah says in the Quran,
The meaning of which is: ‘And recite the Quran (aloud) in a (slow and
melodious) style (tarteela)’ (Surah Muzammil, ayah 4).
‘Those who We have given the Book to, give it its right in recitation (recite it
as it should be recited)’ (Surah al-Baqarah, ayah 121). The Prophet (ﷺ) used to
recite the Quran in slow, measured, rhythmic tones as Allah had instructed
him, not hurriedly, but rather “he would recite a surah in such slow rhythmic
tones that it would be longer than it would seem possible.” He would stop at
the end of each ayah. He commanded people to recite in a beautiful voice in a
pleasant melodious tone. He said “Beautify the Quran with your voices [for
a fine voice increases the Quran in beauty]” and he said, “He who does not
recite the Quran in a pleasant tone is not of us.” Unfortunately, all too often
we find people reciting the Quran quickly and without changing their tone
and without any feeling. We should put all our efforts into reciting the Quran
with as much feeling as we can! Have you ever prayed behind an Imam who
read with feeling? Well,
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Truly the one who has
one of the finest voices among the people for reciting the Quran is
the one whom you think fears Allah when you hear him recite.”
Once when the Prophet (ﷺ) complimented Abu Moosaa al-Ashari on the
beauty of his recitation, Abu Moosaa said “Had I known you were there, I
would have made my voice more pleasant and emotional for you.”
Let us remember,
that the Quran is the word of Allah. In it, we find exhortations, warnings,
glad-tidings, parables, stories of the past, commands, and prohibitions. Ayah
to make us think, reflect, cry, fear, hope, love, fall down in prostration. How
can we recite all of this without feeling!? When we recite an Ayah of the
Quran, we should imagine that we are trying to feel and convey the full
message behind that ayah. Perhaps some of us don’t feel confident. I believe
that this lack of confidence comes partly from not knowing the rules of
Tajweed correctly and so fearing that we will make mistakes and partly from
not understanding the meaning of what we are reciting. So, let us work hard
to remove these two obstacles by learning Tajweed and working towards