Monday, September 24, 2007

Seven recitaitons of the Quran

The Recitation, Memorization and Transmission of the Qur'an

There were a number of reciters engaged in learning and teaching the Qur'an in Medina. Anyone learning from one of them would transmit that individual's particular style of recitation when he transmitted it to others as a tradition. Various ways of recitation occur. One may attribute this, firstly, to the fact that the script used at the time was the kufic style and had no diacritical points; each word could be read in various ways'

Secondly, most people were illiterate and, when learning the Qur'an, had no alternative but to commit it to memory and transmit it orally. This method continued to be used for many generations.

The Different Groups of Reciters


The first group of reciters were those companions who were engaged in learning and teaching the Qur'an during the time of the Prophet. Among them was a group which mastered the whole Qur'an; one of this group was a woman by the name of Umm Waraqah bint 'Abd Allah ibn Harith.

Study was also undertaken by four of the Ansars (or helpers, that is Medinans who became Muslim and welcomed the Muslims from Mecca). They learned the whole Qur'an by heart but were not concerned with the ordering of the verses and chapters; other scholars were responsible for memorisation of the order.

Some traditions say that the position of each verse and chapter was defined at the orders of the Prophet himself but this is generally refuted by the rest of the traditions.

According to some later scholars, (namely al-Suyuti in his book al-Itqan, in the chapter dealing with the qualities of the men responsible for transmission), several of the qurra' became famous, among them 'Uthman, 'Ali, Ubayy ibn Ka'b, Zayd ibn Thabit, 'Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud and Abu Musa al-Ash'ari.

The second group of reciters were the students of the first group. They were generally tabi'un (followers of the compan- ions of the Prophet) and the more famous amongst them had centres of recitation and teaching in Mecca, Medina, Kufa, Basra and Sham. The 'Uthmanic volume was used in these five places.

In Mecca were 'Ubayd ibn 'Amir and 'Ata' ibn Abi Rabah, Ta'us, Mujahid, 'Ikrimah ibn Abi Mulaykah and others. In Medina were Ibn Musayyis, 'Urwah, Salim, 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz, Sulayman ibn Yasar, 'Ata' ibn Yasar, Mu'adh al-Qari', 'Abd Allah ibn al-A'raj, Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri, Muslim ibn Jundub and Zayd ibn Aslam.

In Kufa were 'Alqamah, al-Aswad, Masruq, 'Ubaydah, 'Amr ibn Shurahbil, Harith ibn al-Qays, 'Amr ibn Maymun, Abu 'Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami, Zarr ibn Hubaysh, 'Ubayd ibn Naflah, Sa'id ibn Jubayr, al-Nakha'i, al-Sha'bi, Abu al-'Aliyah, Abu al-Raja' Nasr ibn al-'Asim, Yahya ibn Ya'mur, Hasan al-Basri, Ibn Sirin, Qatadah, Mughirah ibn Abi Shihab, 'Uthman, Khallfah ibn Said, Abu Darda'.

The third group lived during the first half of the second century after Hijrah; it included a number of Imams famous for their Qur'anic recitation who received this knowledge from the second group. In Mecca were 'Abd Allah ibn Kathir (one of the seven qurra), Humayd ibn Qays al-A'raj and Muhammad ibn Abi Muhaysin. In Medina were, Abu Ja'far Yazid ibn al-Qa'qa', Shaybah ibn Nassah and Nafi ibn Nu'aym (one of the seven qurra).

In Kufa were Yahya ibn Waththab, 'Asim ibn Abi al-Najjud (one of the seven qurra'), Sulayman al-A'mash, Hamzah (one of the seven qurra') and al-Kisa'i (also one of the seven reciters). In Basra were 'Abd Allah ibn Abi Ishaq, 'Isa ibn 'Umar, Abu 'Amr ibn al-'Ala' (one of the seven reciters), 'Asim al-Jahdari and Ya'qub al-Hadrami. In Sham 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amir (one of the seven reciters), 'Atiyah ibn Qays al-Kalla'i, Ismail ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Muhajir, Yahya ibn Harith and Shurayh ibn Yazid al-Hadrami.

The fourth group consisted of the students of the third group, like Ibn 'Ayyash, Hafs and Khalaf and many of the most famous may be classed in the next section.

The fifth group comprised those concerned with academic research and writing including Abu 'Ubayd Qasim ibn Salam, Ahmad ibn Jubayr al-Kufi and Isma'il ibn Ishaq al-Malih from the companions of Qalun al-Rawi. Included also are Abu Ja'far ibn Jarir al-Tabari and Mujahid. The field of researeh was widened after them by men like al- Dani and al-Shatibi who wrote a great number of books on poetry.

The Seven Reciters

Seven members of the third group achieved considerable celebrity; they became a focus of learning for others. Each of the reciters appointed two narrators who each propagated a particular style of recitation. The following is a list of these seven:

First Ibn al-Kathir, whose narrators were Qanbal and al-Bazzi, with only one intermediate relator in the chain from Ibn 'Abbas from the leader of the Faithful, 'Ali. The second was Nafi' and his narrators Qalun and Warsh. The third was 'Asim and his narrators were Abu Bakr Shu'bah ibn al-'Ayyash and Hafs; the Qur'an recitation which is in common use among Muslims today is according to the reading of 'Asim by a narration of Hafs. The fourth was Hamzah and his narrators were Khalaf and Khallad. The fifth was al-Kisa'is and his narrators were al-Dawri and Abu 'Ali al-Harith. The sixth was Abu 'Amr ibn al-'Ala'; and his narrators al-Dawri and al-Susi with one intermediate narra- tor. The seventh was Ibn 'Amir' and his narrators were Hisham and Ibn Dhakwan with one intermediary narrator. Following the seven famous recitations are the three recitations of Abu Ja'far, Ya'qub and Khalaf.

The majority of Scholars recognize the seven types of recitation as mutawatir, that is, as having been related in unbroken chains of transmissions. One group of narrators have equated the tradition that the Qur'an was revealed in seven harf (literally, "word" in Arabic) with the seven different recitations; this tradition is well known amongst Muslim scholars in general but is not recognised as being trustworthy.

Al-Zarkshi says in his book al-Burhan, "It is true that these seven recitations from the seven reciters have come to us via unbroken chain of transmission but their chain of trans- mission from the Prophet are open to inspection, since the chains of transmission of the seven reciters are all of the type of single transmission, that is, related by one single man to another single man."

Al-Makki says in his book, "Anyone who imagines that the recitation of such men as Nafi and 'Asim are the same seven 'harf mentioned in the saying of the Prophet is committing a grave mistake." Moreover, the implication of this saying is that recitations, other than these seven, are not correct; this also is a grave mistake since early Islamic Scholars like Abu 'Ubayd al- Qasim ibn Salam and Abu Hatim al-Sijistani, Abu Ja'far al-Tabari and Isma'il al-Qadi have recorded several other recitations besides these seven.

At the beginning of the second century A.H. the people of Basra used the recitation of Abu 'Amr and Ya'qub and in Kufa the recitations of Hamzah and 'Asim. In Sham they used that of Ibn 'Amir and in Mecca that of Ibn Kathir. In Medina that of Nafi' was used. This situation remained unchanged until the beginning of the third century A.H. when Ibn Mujahid removed the name of Ya'qub and put the name of al-Kisa'i in his place.

The reason why scholars paid so much attention to the seven reciters, despite there being many others of equal or better standing, was that the number of recitations had multiplied so cluickly that they lost interest in learning and recording all the traditions about recitation. Thus they decided to choose several of the recitations which complied with the orthography of the Qur'an and which were easier to learn and record.

Thus for the five copies of the Qur'an which 'Uthman had sent to the towns of Mecca, Medina, Kufa, Basra and Sham, five reciters were chosen from the five areas and their recitations were then used. Ibn Jubayr writes about these five recitations from the five forms. Ibn Mujahid records a tradition which asserts that 'Uthman sent two other copies to Yemen and Bahrain, that the number of 'Uthman copies thus numbered seven and that they chose seven narrators.

Since precise information about this tradition (which states that copies were sent to Yemen and Bahrain) was not available, they added two of the reciters of Kufa, to make up the number they had previously chosen, to seven. This number, which corresponds with the above-mentioned saying and affirmed that the Qur'an was revealed in seven recitations, was then used by others who had no knowledge of the matter. They mistakenly supposed that what was meant by the seven harf which the Prophet spoke of, was the seven recitations. The only trustworthy recitations are those whose text is sound and whose meaning corresponds to what is written in the Qur'an.

Al-Qurab says in his al-Shefi, "We should look for the seven recitations amongst the qurra' not from among others." This view is neither tradition nor sunnah but rather it originated from some of the later Scholars who collected the seven recitations.

These seven recitations became so well known that people imagined that other recitations should not be used. This however, has never been claimed.

History of Qirat

A Brief History of the Science of the Pronounciation of the Quran

In the first hundred years after the prophet (peace be upon him) islamic
knowledge spread very rapidly through the region and was taken up by many
non-arab speakers.

Those groups of scholars who had been taught the correct pronounciation going
back to the companions (of the prophet) realised that if they didn't do
something then the people would lose the knowledge of how the quran should be
pronounced. Some of these scholars were:

Aasim ibn Najuud: his kunya was Abu Bakr, and he was the sheikh of recitation
in Kuufa (Iraq). The chain of those instructing him in recitation went back
to Abdullaah ibn Mas`uud, and Ali ibn Abii Taalib may God be pleased with
them both. He also was in the company of other scholars who had similar lines
of transmission in terms of reciting the quran. Bear in mind that the prophet
instructed the muslims to recite quran as he recited it, and they took this
very seriously indeed.

He passed away rahimahullaah in the year 127 hijrii.

Following him was Hafs ibn Sulaymaan alAsadii from the tribe of bani Asad and
his kunya was Abu `Amr. He was raised by Aasim.

This is the Hafs of whose scholarship/recitation we have in our hands today,
in the printings from Egypt and Saudi.

He passed away in 180 hijrii.

Following HafS we have AshShaaTibii. He is from amongst the most famous of
those who gathered the different recitations prevalent in the muslim world.
He travelled to Balansia (Valencia) in AlAndalus and showed/suggested the
book (Attayseer fii qiraa'aat assab`) "The making easy of the seven
recitations" to Abuu `Amr adDaanii from memory.

He passed away in 590 hijrii.

Of course there are many other famous scholars in the recitation of the quran
from this region and others. Their knowledge was entirely gained from
learning the exact recitation of their teacher and these chains of
transmission go back to the companions.

So what type of knowledge were they passing on?

In terms of pronounciation they taught:

Makhaarij and Sifaat alHuruuf, or exactly how the letters were pronounced.
They taught the placement of the front, middle and back of the tongue, the 5
places where the sound was made in the mouth/throat, the position of the tip
and edges of the tongue, the exact nature of the sound that was produced in
terms of 5 main attributes and their opposites.

The rules of pronounciation of the raa' in terms of tafkheem and tarqeeq,
which is the placement of the tongue in either the upper mouth or the front
of the mouth depending on the surrounding letters. There are a number of
rules such as if the raa' is saakin and before it is a kasra aSlii (in the
same word), and after it is one of the letters of isti`laa' (Saad, Daad etc)
which is not maksuur, then it is pronounced with tafkheem (the tip of the
tongue further up inside the mouth, making more of a 'hollow' sound).

The rules of pronounciation of the laam in terms of tafkheem and tarqeeq (see
above)

The pronounciation of meem mushaddada and nuun mushaddada were taught, in
terms of ghunna (nasalisation)

The pronounciation of meem saakina of which there are three variants, idhgaam
asshafawii, ikhfaa' asshafawii and idhhaar asshafawii

The pronounciation of nuun assaakina and tanween in terms of idghaam, idhhaar,
iqlaab and ikhfaa'.

Ikhfaa is 'hiding' of the nuun, or pronouncing it near the point of
pronounciation of the following letter, with ghunna.

Iqlaab is when the nuun is pronounced as a meem as a consequence of the
following baa'.

Idghaam (in respect to the nuun) is the assimilation of the nuun with the
following letters, sometimes with ghunna and sometimes not.

Idhhaar is clear prnounciation of the nuun and extra clarity should be used if
followed by a waaw or faa'.

the pronounciation of laam atta`reef in respect of Idhhaar and Idghaam

The rules of pronounciation with laam alfi`l in terms of idhgaam and idhhaar.

The pronounciation of idghaam in terms of the quality of the sound it makes
(idghaam almutamaathil, idghaam almutajaanis, makhraj aTTaa' wa attaa' wa
addaal wa Dhaa' wa adhdhaal wa aththaa' wa almeem wa albaa', idhgaam
almutaqaarib and mawaaDi`ahaa).

The rules of madd, of which there are very many, categorised in qaSr, almadd
alaSlii, almadd alfar`ii, madd waajib muttaSil, madd jaa`iz munfaSil, madd
alladhee sababuhu lissukuun, (`aariD assukuun and almadd allaazim and almadd
allaazim alkalamii and almadd allaazim alHarfii (muthaqqilan and
mukhaffifan), almuduud almulHaq (madd aSSila, inc SilatalKubraa
SilatuSSughraa) madd albadal (aSlii) and many more types

The seven types of alif

The subtle stops

Hamzatul waSl and qaT`

Stopping and starting of which there are many types

AlIshmaam wa aRawm

They also taught those ayats/words where the above rules where NOT completely
followed, and this of course is very important too.


The tajweed scholars of the period wrote books and long tracts of poetry that
were memorized by all serious recitors of quran. The poems encapsulated all
of the rules I have mentioned and also incorporated examples. This is how
recitation was taught after the era of the scholars I mentioned.

After time, scholars and scribes started trying to make it easier for the
people by making marks around the quranic script that indicated when the above
rules were to be applied. Of course, they could only show the most prominent
rules, but these were a great help (I can assure you!).

Many people today know these signs as a small meem indicating iqlaab of the
nuun and tanween, a staggered tanween to indicate ikhfaa, a shadda over the
initial letter to indicate idghaam, various symbols for madd etc etc.

I hope that clarifies things for some and can provide some sort of albeit
extremely brief reference.

Types of Tajweed

There are ten different ways of recitation that we have today transmitted in authentic chains from the Prophet, , with two narrators of each qari’. Some of these narrations are quite different than the other, so one cannot say that there are ten types of tajweed. Some of the different ways of recitation are not so different from others, but others are very different. There are also authentic turuq within each way, with some slight differences from the way of Shatibiyyah within the turuq.

There are many qurraa’ that can recite more than one way of recitation, and many have learned all ten of the qira’aat. Sheikh Al-Husary has recorded many different ways of recitation, and some are available online. The following links have the recitation of Sheikh Al-Husary with different qira’aat.

Reciting with the qira’aah of Hafs ‘an Aasim http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?category=49

Reciting with the qiraa’ah of Warsh ‘an Naafi’

http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?category=58

http://www.islamway.com/sindex.php?section=chapters&recitor_id=36

Reciting with the qiraa’ah of Ad-Doori ‘an Abee ‘Amr

http://www.islamway.com/sindex.php?section=chapters&recitor_id=124

Melodious recitation of Quran

Reciting the Qur’an melodiously


The Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) used to recite the Qur’an 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.”[6] He would stop at the end of each aayah[7]. He commanded people to recite in a beautiful voice in a pleasant melodious tone. He said “Beautify the Qur’an with your voices [for a fine voice increases the Qur’an in beauty]”[8] and he said “He who does not recite the Qur’an in a pleasant tone is not of us.”[9]

Unfortunately all to often we find people reciting the Qur’an quickly and without changing their tone and without any feeling. We should put all our efforts into reciting the Qur’an with as much feeling as we can! Have you ever prayed behind an Imam who read with feeling? Well the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) said “Truly the one who has one of the finest voices among the people for reciting the Qur’an is the one whom you think fears Allah when you hear him recite.”[10] And once when the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) complimented Abu Moosaa al-Ash’ari 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.”[11]

Let us remember, that the Qur’an is the word of Allah. In it we find exhortations, warnings, glad-tidings, parables, stories of the past, commands and prohibitions. Aayaat 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 aayah of Qur’an we should imagine that we are trying to feel and convey the full message behind that aayah. 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 learning Arabic.

Principles of Tajweed

PRINCIPLES OF TAJWEED

One who wishes to learn a science needs to know its principles so that he will gain insight into the sought science. There are several principles in the science of tajweed that should be understood:

1. Its definition By linguistic definition: Betterment

Applied definition: Articulating every letter from its articulation point and giving the letter its rights and dues of characteristics.

Rights of the letters are its required characteristics that never leave it. The dues of the letters are its presented characteristics that are present in it some of the time, and not present at other times. i.e. the medd, idgham

2. Its formation

The words of the Glorious Qur'an and some said Honorable Hadiths also.

3. Its fruits

It is preserving the tongue from mistakes in pronunciation of the Glorious Qur’an during reading.

4. Its precedence

It is one of the most honored of sciences and one of the best of them due to its relation to Allah’s words.

5. Its place within the sciences

It is one of the Islamic Law sciences that are related to the Glorious Qur'an.

6. Its founder

The rule setter from the practical point of view is the Messenger of Allah because the Qur’an was revealed to him from Allah, the most High, with tajweed, and he, was instructed on it from the Trustworthy, Jibreel, peace be upon him, and taught it to his companions, who then taught it to their followers and so on until it came to us by these chains. The rule setters from the scientific point of view are the scholars of Qur’anic sciences, such as Abu ‘Ubaid Al-Qasim bin Sallaam.

7. Its precept

Knowledge of tajweed is fardh kifayaah, meaning some of the Muslim community must know it, and its application is fardh ‘ain, required by all Muslims (men and women) who have the complete Qur’an or part of it memorized, even if only one surah.

8. Reasons for its rules

Guarding the Glorious Qur'an and preserving it from distortion. The Arabs mixed with non-Arabs after the spread of Islam, and the Muslims feared that the Arab tongue would become corrupted with this intermixing. It then became mandatory for rules to be put down that would preserve the recitation of the Qur’an from mistakes, and guarantee the reader of the Qur’an integrity of pronunciation.

9. Its principles

The knowledge of tajweed is contingent on four matters:

1. Knowledge of the articulation points of the letters

2. Knowledge of the characteristics of the letters

3. Knowledge of what rules change in the letters due to the order of letters

4. Exercising the tongue and a lot of repetition.

Importance of Tajweed

The purpose of Tajweed
The Qur’an is the word of Allah, and its 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 Qur’an, 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 Qur’an upon the way of the Prophet (SAW) who received it from Jibreel who received it from Allah (SWT) in the Classical Arabic dialect that it came down in.

Arabic letters each have a Makhraj – an exit or articulation point - in the mouth or 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 makes 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 the words in Qur’an recitation. Observing the rules of Tajweed in reciting protects the reciter from making mistakes in reciting the Qur’an.

What is Tajweed ?

Listening to the Qur'an being recited correctly is enough to soften even the hardest of hearts and Muslims and non-Muslims alike find it a deeply moving experience even if they do not understand what is being said. We feel this even more in Ramadaan when we are in the Taraweeh prayers and we can really feel the difference if we go to a Masjid where the Tajweed rules of Qur'an recitation are not being observed as they should. Every single Muslim has to recite Qur'an in Salah but many of us do not realise that reciting the Qur'an correctly, observing the rules of recitation is not an advanced science for expert reciters alone, rather it is an obligation upon each and every one of us whenever we recite the Qur'an.
What is TajweedThe word Tajweed linguistically means 'proficiency' or 'doing something well'. It comes from the same root letters as the word 'Jayyid' in Arabic (meaning 'good'): Jeem, Waw and Daal. When applied to the Qur'an, it means giving every letter of the Qur'an its rights and dues of characteristics when we recite the Qur'an and observing the rules that apply to those letters in different situations. We give the letters their rights by observing the essential characteristics of each letter that never leave it. And we give them their dues by observing the characteristics of each letter that are present in them some of the time and not present at other times.
The Qur'an was revealed with Tajweed rules applied to it. In other words, when the angel Jibreel (alaihis salaam) recited the words of Allah to the Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) he recited them in a certain way and he showed the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) the ways in which it was permissable to recite the Qur'an. So it is upon us to observe those rules so that we recite it in the way it was revealed.
At the time of the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) there was no need for people to study Tajweed because they talked with what is now known as Tajweed so it was natural for them. When the Arabs started mixing with the non-Arabs as Islam spread, mistakes in Qur'an recitation started appearing, so the scholars had to record the rules. Now, because the everyday Arabic that Arabs speak has changed so much from the Classical Arabic with which the Qur'an was revealed, even Arabs have to study Tajweed.
The purpose of Tajweed
The Qur'an is the word of Allah, and its 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 Qur'an, 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 Qur'an upon the way of the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) who received it from Jibreel who received it from Allah (subhanahu wa ta'aala) in the Classical Arabic dialect that it came down in.
Arabic letters each have a Makhraj - an exit or articulation point - in the mouth or 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 makes 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 the words in Qur'an recitation. Observing the rules of Tajweed in reciting protects the reciter from making mistakes in reciting the Qur'an.
The ruling of reading with Tajweed Muhammad bin Al-Jazaree the great Qur'an 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 Qur'an, then a sinner is he."
Sheikh Zakariyyaa 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 Qur'an. The scholars have divided the types of mistakes one might fall into when reciting the Qur'an 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.
And the majority of scholars agree that applying the Tajweed rules of Qur'an such that the Clear Mistakes are avoided is an individual obligation (Fard 'Ayn) upon every Muslim who has memorised part of or all of the Qur'an. As for applying all of the rules of Tajweed and avoiding the Unobvious mistakes then it is (Fard Kifaayah) upon the Muslim ummah. That is, there must be some students of knowledge who have knowledge of that. This is because the Qur'an was revealed with the Tajweed rules applied to it and the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) recited it back to Jibreel in that way and the Companions of the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) read it in that way, so it is an established Sunnah.
The Clear mistakes must be avoided by all and to avoid them one must memorise and read attentively and have knowledge of some basic aspects of Tajweed. If a person falls into the Clear Mistakes, this is considered a sin and Ibn Taymiyyah even regarded it undesirable for a Student of Knowledge (i.e. someone who knows Tajweed) to pray behind a person who makes Clear Mistakes in their Salaah. As for the Unobvious mistakes, then the ruling on them is lighter and the recitation of a person falling into this type of mistake is regarded as lacking in completeness but prayer behind such a person is sound. The List below shows what type of mistakes fall under each category.
Clear mistakesMistakes in words which are clear and inconspicuous, usually changing the meaning. Mistakes related to correct pronunciation of letters so that letters are not mixed up. Scholars, and the ordinary Muslims should avoid these.
Examples of Clear mistakes:
Changing one letter into another, or a short vowel (harakah) into another, (changing Fathah into Damma or the letter Qaaf into Kaaf etc)
Not observing the elongations (Madd) at all. Reciting them quickly as if there is no Madd so that they turn into the length of a vowel.
Making a madd letter out of a normal harakah.
Stopping or starting at an incorrect place so that the meaning is spoilt. Like stopping at 'Laa ilaaha' (There is no God), without completing 'illallaah' (except Allah).
Unobvious mistakesMistakes which are to do with perfecting pronunciation and are not obvious. Known only by those who have studied Tajweed rules or experts in this field. Ordinary Muslims may not know these or perceive these as mistakes.
Examples of Unobvious mistakes:
Not being totally exact with the elongation of letters: (Making the Madd shorter or longer by a 1/2 or even 1/4 degree etc.)
Not observing the attributes of each letter perfectly: (Slightly rolling the Raa', or exaggerating the 'N' sound in Noon etc.)
Not observing the rules with which to pronounce letters when they are next to each other (like not merging certain letters that should be merged (idghaam) and not clearly pronouncing those which should be clearly pronounced (ith-haar) etc.)
Making light letters sound heavy and heavy letters sound light (Except if by doing this you change a letter into another; in this case it would be an obvious mistake.)
And of the proofs that the scholars bring to show the obligation of Tajweed and that it is an established Sunnah is that Allah says in the Qur'an, the meaning of which is:

'And recite the Qur'an (aloud) in a (slow and melodious) style (tarteela)' (Surah Muzzammil, aayah 4)

Ali ibn Abi Talib (radi Allahu 'anhu) said in the explanation of this aayah:

"at-Tarteel is Tajweed of the letters and knowing where to stop (correctly)".
And of the proofs also is that Allah says in the Qur'an, the meaning of which is:

'Those who We have given the Book to, give it its right in recitation ( recite it as it should be recited)' (Surah al-Baqarah, aayah 121)

And of the rights of reciting correctly is reciting it the way it was revealed.There are various ahadeeth also showing us the importance of Tajweed.

Umm Salamah was asked about the recitation of the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) and she described it as a recitation 'clearly-distinguished letter by letter'.
Sa'eed bin Mansoor relates in his Sunan that a man was reciting the Qur'an to Abdullah bin Mas'ood and he recited

"Innamas sadaqaatu lil fuqara-i wal masaakeen", so Ibn mas'ood said: "This was not how the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) recited it to me!" So the man asked,"How did he read it to you oh Aba Abdir-Rahman?" So he said "Lil Fuqaraaaa-i wal masaakeen", he elongated the word Fuqaraa and the knowledge of the different lengths of elongation (mudood) is also from the rules of Tajweed.
Reciting the Qur'an melodiously
The Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) used to recite the Qur'an 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 aayah.
He commanded people to recite in a beautiful voice in a pleasant melodious tone. He said "Beautify the Qur'an with your voices [for a fine voice increases the Qur'an in beauty]"
and he said
" He who does not recite the Qur'an in a pleasant tone is not of us." Unfortunately all to often we find people reciting the Qur'an quickly and without changing their tone and without any feeling.
We should put all our efforts into reciting the Qur'an with as much feeling as we can! Have you ever prayed behind an Imam who read with feeling? Well the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) said "Truly the one who has one of the finest voices among the people for reciting the Qur'an is the one whom you think fears Allah when you hear him recite."
And once when the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) complimented Abu Moosaa al-Ash'ari 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 Qur'an is the word of Allah. In it we find exhortations, warnings, glad-tidings, parables, stories of the past, commands and prohibitions. Aayaat 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 aayah of Qur'an we should imagine that we are trying to feel and convey the full message behind that aayah. 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 learning Arabic.
Helpful Tips towards learning Tajweed
You must find a Qur'an teacher who has studied Tajweed to listen to your recitation and correct you. Tajweed cannot merely be learnt from books, because the movements of your mouth as well as the sounds are important and only a teacher can correct you and make sure you are applying the rules correctly. Sometimes local Mosques will run classes. Qur'an recitation is a science which was passed down generation by generation through teachers not just books, with a direct line to the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam).
Find a book containing the rules of Tajweed and learn each rule little by little, applying it as you go along with the help of your teacher. There are many concise Arabic books and in English there are some books as well as tapes to help. Look for books with some drawings showing you how to pronounce each letter.
Listen to Qur'an tapes of reciters who recite very clearly, at a medium or slow speed (like Sheikh Hudhaify or Sheikh Muhammad Hosary) and try and notice them applying the different rules of Tajweed. Repeat after them while trying to apply the rules you've learnt. Try to copy their tone and melody as well and see how it changes as the meaning of what they're reciting changes.
Tajweed website: There is an excellent Tajweed website I came across in English which details many aspects of Tajweed in a very clear way including a Question and Answer section: http://www.abouttajweed.com
Tajweed Mus-haf: You can get a new Mus-haf (copy of the Qur'an), called Mus-haf at-Tajweed, which has the rules of Tajweed incorporated in the text of the Qur'an in colour coding! This is very helpful as it prompts you as you go along. There is also a computer program you can buy with it which highlights Tajweed rules with recitation.

Introduction

Assalamualikum

This blog is created mainly to serve as a refernce for my Tajweed classes. All my notes can be found here.

Listening to the Qur'an being recited correctly is enough to soften even the hardest of hearts and Muslims and non-Muslims alike find it a deeply moving experience even if they do not understand what is being said. We feel this even more in Ramadaan when we are in the Taraweeh prayers and we can really feel the difference if we go to a Masjid where the Tajweed rules of Qur'an recitation are not being observed as they should. Every single Muslim has to recite Qur'an in Salah but many of us do not realise that reciting the Qur'an correctly, observing the rules of recitation is not an advanced science for expert reciters alone, rather it is an obligation upon each and every one of us whenever we recite the Qur'an