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Tajweed
Thajweed
means to improve, to make better.
Thajweed of the Holy Qur-an
means the knowledge and application of the rules of recitation
so the reading is as the recitation of the Messenger of
Allah, Muhammad S.
How can you learn tajweed?
Tajweed and its application can only be
learned with a qualified teacher.
The rules themselves can be studied independently,
but their correct application can only be done by listening
to, reciting to, and being corrected by, a qualified teacher
of the Qur’an.
Do all Arabs know how to recite the Qur’an
with proper tajweed?
Unfortunately many do not know proper tajweed.
In the days of the Prophet, peace and blessing upon him,
there was no need for the study of tajweed because they
talked with what is now known as tajweed; in other words,
it was natural for them. Now, over 14 centuries later,
colloquial Arabic has changed radically from the classical
Arabic with which the Qur’an was revealed, and Arabs have
to study tajweed, just in the same way that non-Arabs
do.
I want to learn to recite the Qur’an with
proper tajweed, but don’t know where to start.
The first step is finding a qualified Qur’an
teacher who will listen to you and point out your mistakes,
and help you practice fixing them. You will need to learn
the Arabic letters and vowels too.
What if there aren’t any qualified teachers
where I live?
Then your task is going to be a little
harder, but certainly not impossible. You need to work
with tapes of good reciters, for example, Sheikh Abdullah
Basfar, or Sheikh Mohammed Hosary. There are sets available
on the Internet and in Islamic stores that are called
“mu’alm”. In these sets, the reciter reads a phrase, and
then there is a blank space on the tape, allowing the
student to repeat what the reciter has just read.
You will need to work on the pronunciation
of letters by getting a description of the articulation
points and practice placing your tongue, lips, or finding
the place in your throat where the letter is articulated
from, and compare it to the letter when recited by the
Sheikh.
Common
Tajweed Mistakes
The two most common tajweed mistakes made by non-Arabs
are the timings of the vowels, and medd letters, and in
the articulation points of the letters. The first type
of mistake has been addressed in the first of what will
be, insha’ Allah many tidbits; please see the tidbit lesson
link. The second type of mistake, that in the letters
themselves, is a major problem that needs to be addressed
by all non-Arabs, whether they are Westerners, Europeans,
Africans, from the Indo Pakistani subcontinent, or from
Eastern Asia. At the outset, the letters that occur in
Arabic that are not common in other languages would be
what one would imagine to be a problem, but in fact, there
are letters in Arabic that are similar to other languages,
but do not share the same articulation points with their
counterparts.
The
letters that occur in Arabic, that are not common in other
languages are:
The
articulation points of all the Arabic letters will be
described later, insha’Allah in a future tidbit lesson.
Letters that have similar sounds in other
languages, but in fact have different articulation points
are:
The first two (starting from the right),
use the tip of the tongue from the top side and what lies
opposite from the tip of the tongue from the gum line
of the two top front incisors. Many different languages
have similar letters, as in English there is “d” and “t”,
but they articulate these letters at a posterior position
in the mouth from what the Arabs use as an articulation
point. The result is an incorrect pronunciation of these
letters when reading Qur’an.
The next two letters also are used in other
languages. Most notably the kaf in Arabic is similar to
the “k” in English. Many languages pronounce this letter
farther back in the mouth than the correct Arabic position.
The deep part of the tongue meets up with the hard palate
in Arabic to pronounce this letter, not the soft palate,
as many mistakenly use.
The ra’ and lam are two letters that non-Arabs
have some difficulty in pronouncing correctly. The ra’
uses the tip of the tongue and the top of the tip and
the gums of the two top incisors, but the trick to the
ra’ is actually hitting the gum. Many Muslims try to pronounce
the ra’ without touching the tongue to the gum. Some mistakenly
use the throat, like the French do in the French “r”.
The Arabic lam has the widest use of the tongue of any
other letters, but uses only the end of the sides of the
tongue until it ends at the tip, which then hits the gums
of the front upper eight teeth.
The above are just brief summaries of the
letters, and as stated before, insha’ Allah soon a tidbit
lesson will be posted with all the articulation points
discussed in detail.
A third mistake incurred by Arabs and non-Arabs
alike is in making proper stops and starts. There is more
than one aspect to this mistake. The first aspect is that
the proper way to stop on a word is by putting a sukoon,
or absence of a vowel on the last letter of the word.
It is not allowed to stop using the harakah, or vowel
on the last letter of the word. The second aspect of stopping
is that of stopping at a place that doesn’t contradict
the meaning intended by Allah, the Exalted. The same mistake
can occur when starting up after stopping and taking a
breath. One cannot just start on the next word arbitrarily,
instead the meaning needs to be considered, and the start
should be on a word that portrays the correct and complete
meaning, even if the reciter needs to go back two or three
words. The stop and start will be explained in detail,
insha’ Allah in future tidbit lessons.
One note that is of utmost importance.
It is vital that the Muslim learn the Arabic letters and
vowels and recite the Qur’an using them, NOT a transliteration.
Transliterations do not take into account the various
letters that sound similar to the untrained ear, but are
very different in pronunciation. The Qur’an is the word
of Allah, revealed to man as a guidance, and we have to
be extremely careful to read it, as best we can, with
proper pronunciation. Reading a transliteration can lead
to changing the meaning of the Arabic Qur’an by mispronouncing
letters.
Manners when reading the Qur'an
Manners of the Heart
A. Understanding of the origin of the words
This is an indication to the greatness
of the words being read, and the bounty of Allah; Glorified
is He, to His creation when He addressed His creation
with these words.
B. Putting into the heart the understanding
that these are not the words of man.
Through this the reader should think about
the characteristics of Allah the Exalted.
C. Presence of the heart while reading.
Through this the reader should throw away
other thoughts while reading the Qur’an.
D. Pondering the meaning.
There is less reward in reciting the Qur'an
without understanding the meaning. The Qur'an was revealed
for guidance and this can be achieved through recitation
accompanied with pondering.
E. Understanding the meaning.
This means interacting and reacting to
every verse according to what is proper for it.
F. Individualization
This means that the reader feels that every
message in the Qur’an is meant especially for him personally.
External Manners for reading the Qur’an
A.
Purity
of body and clothes and place.
Using sawak.
B.
Facing the Qiblah.
C.
Seeking refuge from rejected Satan and
reading the basmalah.
Not reading when yawning.
D.
Avoiding cutting off reading to talk with
people.
E.
Stopping at a verse of warning and seeking
protection with Allah, and stopping at a verse of mercy
and asking The Merciful for His Bounty.
F.
Humbleness
and crying when reading.
Imam An-Nawwawi may Allah be Merciful to
him said: Crying when reading the Qur’an is a characteristic
of those who know Allah (know Him through His names and
Characteristics) and the feelings of the righteous.
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.
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