Allah SWT has sent down 124000 Prophets
in total from the beginning of life on earth. The key factor behind it had
always
All of the previous Divine Scriptures
were meant to revolutionize lives of particular nations, but the Holy Quran has
the greatest credit being guide for rest of the entire world. It was
communicated to Allah`s Messenger ﷺ through Angel Gabriel (Jibrael A.S). Since,
it was made known to the people of Arabia first, so it was meant to be in the
Arabic. The Creator of the universe says about the implication of this fact as
follows:
“Indeed,
We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur’an that you might understand.” [Quran,
12: 2]
Thus, the reason behind transferring the
Divine Manuscript in this language is that its receivers could comprehend it
easily. Due to universality of purpose of Furqan e Hameed, Muslims all over the
world have to read and understand it properly in order to benefit from it. The
Holy Quran has some basic rights, which need to be fulfilled such as its
narration, realization and spreading of its teachings among others.
The process of recitation of this
Hallowed Volume of God is commonly known as “Qirat”. It requires the correct
reading of Quranic verses according to its set format. There is a great reward
of rehearsing the Holy Book. Abu Hurairah (R.A) reported that Rasulullah ﷺ has
said:
“Whoever follows the funeral procession and offers the
funeral prayer for it, will get a reward equal to one Qirat, and whoever
attends it till burial, will get a reward equal to two Qirat.” It was asked,
“What are two Qirat?” He (PBUH) replied, “Equal to two huge mountains.”
(Bukhari and Muslim)
Such is the great significance of Qirat
that Hazrat Muhammad ﷺ has compared it with the reward as much as that of
gigantic mountain. But this great incentive also requires one to adopt the
proper way of carrying out narration while voicing-over Quran.
Now let us discuss some of the basic
rudiments of reading this Sacred Book that one should know about:
Tajweed
The Arabic word “Tajweed” literally
means “to improve or make better”. From Quranic point of view, it involves the
knowhow and proficiency of the essential rules of Qirat of this Highly Revered
Scripture in the most suitable manner. The Holy Prophet ﷺ said:
“The Best amongst you is (he) who learns and teaches
the Holy Quran.” (Bukhari)
Learning the Muhaiman
requires knowing about the core principles of its tongue first. As, Arabic is
very complex language itself, so it becomes very difficult for foreign Muslims
to recite the Holy Quran in the right
way. The very first step that is to be taken is to learn
about the basics of Quranic language, as it is different in its origin and
background from Modern Standard Arabic that is used in conversation nowadays.
It is important to know about Tajweed
because one must pronounce the Holy Verses in the exact fashion as Jibrael
(A.S) revealed them upon the Apostle ﷺ of God, Who in turn taught them to His
companions and from whom it spread to other parts of the world.
As the word Tajweed refers to
improvement and development, so the Holy Quran should also be recited in
beautiful voice by maintain a slow and calm tone so that one may not articulate
any words with wrong pronunciation. One must have the suitable knowledge about
Arabic alphabets, expressing terms in their right sounds, and most importantly
caring properly for pauses involved in between verses.
Rasulullah ﷺ is reported to have said:
“Adorn the Qur’an with your voices.” (Abu Dawud &
Nasai)
As per the above mentioned Hadith, one
must take great care in doing Qirat of the Divine Book of Allah by beautifying
one`s pitch in order to make the recital process sound pleasant to ears. The
greater implication of Tajweed can be observed in the following Quranic line:
“Those
to whom We have given the Book recite it with its true recital. They [are the
ones who] believe in it. And whoever disbelieves in it – it is they who are the
losers.” [Quran, 2: 121]
It means that Allah SWT has greatly
emphasized on maintain the rightful manner of reading the Nur.
Some of the essential principles on
which Tawjeed of the Holy Quran is based on are:
1. information and application about the articulation (the formation of clear
and distinct sounds in speech)points of the
2. familiarity with the distinctiveness of the letters used
3. knowledge about the changes in rules involved in letters as a result of any
specific changes in their order
4. rehearsing of one`s tongue repeatedly in order to master recitation
5. knowing about when to slow down and the meanings of different kinds of
stopping signs used
In short, Tajweed is
the key scientific law of learning and reading the Holy Quran in the most
appropriate mode. It started with the arrival of the Sacred Manuscript, and
Hazrat Muhammad ﷺ undoubtedly is the initiator of its rules and regulations as
He was first educated by Jibrael (A.S) about Quran. However, later when the
message of Islam started spreading beyond Arab regions, it was thought to make
a basic structure of convention for Qirat. The basic reason behind knowing and
applying this system is to preserve the Huda in its original form as Allah SWT
says:
“Indeed,
it is We who sent down the Qur’an and indeed, We will be its guardian.” [Quran,
15: 9]
Indeed, the Almighty
is the Only true Defender of this Blessed Volume, and we are only carrying out
our religious responsibility by learning about Tajweed to maintain the
Hikmah in its true form.
Tarteel
It is an Arabic word which also calls
for keeping the correct and rhythmic tone in Qirat of the Holy Quran. It
involves thoughtful reading of the Holy Verses with accurate accent. Allah SWT
says in this matter:
“Or add
to it, and recite the Qur’an with measured recitation.” [Quran, 73: 4]
It means that one must
recite the Quranic lines gradually by articulating its letters carefully so
that the understanding of Furqan e Hameed could become
effective. There is not that much
So, to conclude, one can say that
Qirat is an extremely delicate and most important part of the Holy Quran, which
is serves a means of receiving Allah`s blessings and communicating the Message
of this Sacred Scripture to others. But it should be done according to the
rules and regulations of Tajweed and Tarteel so that this Holy Task could be
performed in the most rightful manner.
