The Holy Quran is the actual text that Almighty Allah revealed as the perfect and unrivalled source of law for all of humanity. It also contains guidelines and prescriptions for every element of life and the afterlife. Every Muslim should read and recite the Holy Quran properly and clearly with Tajweed since it is extremely significant.
Almighty Allah said: "The people we gave the Book to are the ones who believe in it, and they read it as it should be read. And those who don't believe it are the ones who lose." [Al-Baqarah 121]
"Allazeena aataynaahumul-Kitaaba yatloonahoo haqqa tilaawatiheee ulaaa'ika yu' mi noona bih; was many-yakfur bihee fa-ulaaa'ika humul-khaasiroon," according to the transliteration of the ayah.
Along with the Quran's deep and lofty teachings, it also has sublime language that, when carefully spoken, can soften people's hearts. To understand and apply the laws contained in the Holy Quran during a Muslim's daily life, one must read the Holy Quran in a leisurely and relaxed manner while keeping in mind the various tajweed rules. If one reads the Holy Quran without doing so, the meaning of words as well as an entire verse may be altered.
Tajweed Definition
Tajweed is derived from the root of the verb Jawada, which literally means to make reading more attractive (doing it well). Tajweed is a science that examines the proper letter articulation when the Holy Quran is being recited. In order to give each letter its rights and obligations of features, it is implemented when articulating each letter from its articulation point. Its essential qualities, the rights of the letters, never leave it. The letters' obligations are the traits they present, such as the Qalb, Gunah, and Maad, which are sometimes present and sometimes absent.
Procedures for Reciting the Holy Quran
When reciting the Quran, one should do it in the presence of their hearts, with a clear understanding that what they are saying comes from Allah, the Exalted, and not from a human being. The Muslim should interact with each ayah according to its intended meaning and comprehend each message of the Holy Quran with the full understanding that it is specifically addressed to him. There are many exterior manners for reciting the Quran in addition to these internal ones. Some of the most crucial manners to observe are listed below:
- Make wudhu and ensure that the surroundings, your body, and your clothing are all clean. (While women on their period are not permitted to touch the Holy book, it is permitted to recite the Quran from memory without wudhu.)
- Face the Qibla and sit with the utmost respect for the Holy Quran.
- With At-ta'awwuz and Al-Baassmala, begin the recitation.
- Never place yourself higher than the Holy Quran.
- Talking while reading the Quran is prohibited, however if there is an urgent reason, you should pause and put the book down. After reciting At-ta'awwuz, you could continue your recitation.
- To pronounce each word and letter correctly and completely, each letter must be given its proper respect.
- When one has finished reciting, he or she should affirm the truth of Allah, the Exalted, and that the Prophet Mohammed (Peace be upon him) has conveyed his or her message by saying: "O Allah, the Exalted, You have said what is true, and Your messengers have brought the news and attested to it. O Allah, make us among those who speak the truth and uphold justice ": following which one prays to Allah in supplication.
Parts of Tajweed
Parts of Tajweed Tajweed is divided into two sections that are related to the core of their meaning:
- The Scientific Tajweed is the understanding of Tajweed traits and rules as found in approved books. This section is a collective obligation, therefore if only a few Muslims learn and memorise it, the rest will be forced to follow suit; but, if no one does, then all Muslims are guilty of sin. This is due to the fact that it is a legal science and that it MUST be taught by tutors fluent in all Islamic nations' official languages. Almighty Allah said: "And the believers are not expected to advance [into combat] simultaneously. Because each division of them should have a group that remains to learn about the religion and advise their people to exercise caution when they visit them again." [At-Tawba-122 in the Quran]
- The Practical Tajweed It entails following the Prophet Muhammad's PBUH revelation of the Quran's phonetic principles for recitation and reading it with tajweed. Every Muslim who is of legal age and competence must complete their religious duty and recite the Quran correctly with tajweed. And recite the Quran slowly, as Allah Almighty commanded.[Quran, Al-Muzzammil-4] Levels of Quranic Recitation (Tajweed)
Tajweed Levels
In tajweed, there are three different degrees of recitation. The human ear can only distinguish three of them: a slow recitation, a fast recitation, and a moderate recital (neither slow nor fast).
- A-Tahqîq (slowness without elongation) is the slowest recitation style without elongation, which enables listeners to consider the words' meanings and makes it possible to thoroughly understand the tajweed principles. The ease and precision with which the letters of Quranic words are pronounced serve as examples of this level.
- Al-Hadr is a quick recitation used for review and is extremely similar to the cadence of normal speech. It is fast reading without merging adjacent letters. The risk of underestimating the time of the letters and fusing them together when reading using Hadr is there. However, as long as there is no idghaam (merging of the neighbouring letters) or reduction in the necessary time of the letter articulation, reciting the Quran with Hadr is not problematic.
- At-Tadweer: When reading between Al-hadr and Al-Tahqiq, at-Tadweer, which means to read neither too quickly nor too slowly, is used.
Common Errors in Tajweed
Muslims must master the Arabic letters and vowels in order to recite the Quran in its original language, without requiring a transcription. The numerous letters that, to the untrained ear, sound alike yet are pronounced very differently are not taken into account in transliterations. The Quran is the message of Allah that was revealed to man as a guidance, so we must read it carefully and as accurately as we can. By mispronouncing the Arabic characters in a transcription, the meaning of the Holy Quran can be altered.
Muslims frequently make the following blunders when reciting the Holy Quran:
- Muslims from Arab and non-Arab backgrounds equally commit the first error of making incorrect beginnings and stops. There are two problems with this error. The first problem is that the proper method to end a word is with a sukoon, or absence of a vowel on the word's final letter. Stopping the harakah, or vowel, on the word's final letter is prohibited. The second consideration while pausing is choosing a location that does not contradict the intent of All-Powerful Allah, the Exalted. Starting up after pausing and exhaling can result in the same error. The start should be on a word that conveys the whole and correct meaning, even if the reader needs to travel back two or three words. We cannot simply start on the next word at random; the meaning needs to be taken into account.
- The timing of the vowels (called madd letters in Arabic) and the articulation points of the letters are the two most typical tajweed errors committed by non-Arabs.
- The first category relates to the time of the vowels and includes natural lengthening and prolonging a vowel beyond one vowel count (making them shorter than they should be). Each vowel that follows a letter counts as one. So, whenever these letters are not followed by the madd letters alif, or a ya' with no vowel preceded by a kasrah, or a wow with no vowel preceded by a dhammah, they receive the same timing as a fath. In contrast, Madd letters have two vowel counts if a hamzah or a sukoon is not immediately followed. As previously mentioned, all vowels have the same time and length. Saakin letters and vowelless letters are an exception to this rule. Depending on their qualities, saakin letters have different timings. However, there is not much of a time difference.
- The second category, which involves how the letters are articulated, is a crucial problem that all non-Arabs in any other region of the world must face. The issue here is not that Arabic letters differ from those in other languages; rather, some Arabic letters are similar to those in other languages but lack the same articulation points as their equivalents.
Arabic uses the following letters, which are uncommon in other languages: ض ص غ ع خ ح ط ظ
While the following letters have different articulation positions in English yet make similar sounds in other languages: د ت ف ك ر ل
The fact that Allah, the Exalted, commands us to recite the Quran with measured recitation is one of numerous evidences and proofs that Tajweed is required and that it is an established Sunnah: "…And recite the Quran with measured recitation." [Al-Muzzamil: 4]
Numerous Prophetic narrations (Hadith) place a strong emphasis on the value of Tajweed and understanding its norms. According to Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As, who may Allah have mercy on him: “One who was devoted to the Quran will be instructed to recite, ascend, and recite with the same care as while they were in the world, for when they reach the last verse they repeat, they will have reached their abode.” Prophet Mohammed PBUH
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