Reciting the Quran like a Qari with a melodious voice
The Holy Quran sent down to the Prophet (PBUH) via Jibrail (a.s.) is the uncreated speech of Allah. This Holy Book is the cornerstone of a Muslim’s faith and life. Allah specified how he wants us to live our lives and what we need to do on this Earth. Therefore, the Quran isn’t just another book for us. It’s the most important book we will ever read or recite.
The Quran has been passed down to the generations of Muslims, unchanged and undiluted. This is primarily due to the memorization of Allah’s word, which has been undertaken by millions around the world. However, knowing how to read the Quran, or even memorizing it is different from having perfect recitation, like a Qari.
Perfecting recitation of the Holy Quran is a challenging but rewarding task. It requires you to recite the Holy Book with all the rules of grammar, tajweed, etc., in a beautiful voice. The Prophet (PBUH) said, “Allah does not listen so attentively to anything as He listens to the recitation of the Qur’an by a Prophet who recites well with a melodious and audible voice.” (Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Benefits of reciting like a Qari
Beautifying recitation is a part of the Sunnah. The Prophet (PBUH) said, “Beautify the Qur’an with your voices.” The Quran is already a beautiful book, courtesy of it being the word of Allah. Reciting the Quran beautifully is almost like giving the book the due respect it deserves.
It brings you closer to the Quran. Anyone who has recited the Quran in a melodious voice will know this inexplicable feeling. When you recite the Quran with appropriate tones to your voice, you automatically connect with it better. The human heart and mind are affected by this melodious form of a recital. Humans naturally appreciate beauty, in this case, in the form of sound. As a result, you will likely enjoy reading the Quran more. This will help us to be regular with our recitals of the Holy Book as well.
You can bring others close to the Quran. As with the previous point, this is also one that many Muslims will automatically understand. Melodious recitation of the Quran has the power to affect other people. It is due to this reason that the recitation of the Quran from certain Qaris is in high demand. One can easily go on a website like YouTube and search for a recitation of the Quran. Most of the comments below the video will be emotional ones. That is the nature of the Quran, it touches people’s hearts, and beautiful recitation even more so.
What are the foundations of the beautification of Quran recital?
Tajweed
The first thing a reciter needs to master is the rules of Tajweed. This is crucial in the quest to beautify the recital because Tajweed perfects the pronunciation of Arabic words. Arabic letters have unique characteristics and sounds that need to be implemented correctly.
The Arabic vowels also have many rules, especially in the case of a sentence to maintain the flow of recital. Similarly, the rhythm needs to be understood by a reciter, and that can only be done with a proper understanding of the timing of letters, elongation, etc.
Maqaamaat
The maqaamaat are certain forms of melodic modes that are utilized by the Quran reciters. Different methods are used according to the tone and meaning of the verses.
Not every Quran reciter is capable of reciting while applying the many maqaamaats. Versatility, in terms of the reader’s voice, is essential.
· Maqaam Bayati — Induces feelings of humbleness, focuses on the heart
· Maqaam Rast — Shows steadfastness, often used for tales and rulings
· Maqaam Nahawand — Compassion and consideration
· Maqaam Sikah — Slow and easy pace
· Maqaam Saba — Powerful and spiritual
· Maqaam Hijaaz — Very spiritual
As we can see, the emotion of the verse plays a significant role in the type of recitation, depending on what message is being conveyed by Allah. Thus, it’s arguably crucial for a Qari to know Arabic; ideally, he should understand the Quran.
It’s also vital that we don’t just begin to apply random emotions while reading the Quran. The tone being conveyed may not be appropriate in relation to the meaning of the verse. Thus, we must have basic knowledge of the maqamat or know the tone to apply to parts of the Quran from memory. This can be learned by repeatedly listening to another Qari reciting the Quran.
What is and isn’t permissible regarding beautifying recitation?
Beautifying one’s voice has a lot of virtues. However, some boundaries must not be crossed by Muslims during this action.
The first point of note is the reciter’s intention. He should ensure that he is doing it for an Islamically approved reason, i.e., to have focus, to affect people, and touch their hearts, which increases their love for the Holy Book. The objectionable intention is when a reciter beautifies his recital to show off or to earn praise.
The means of beautifying the recitation should be natural and in accordance with the methods utilized by mainstream Qaris. Musical effects cannot be superimposed onto Quran for kids recitation. Some reciters aim to beautify recitation to more than what can be considered natural, to the point where it sounds like music as they change the tone and tune of the verses. This is impermissible.
Summary
Having a melodious voice like a Qari is a highly desirable quality and one that we should yearn to have. However, we must do it in the right way in accordance with what is permitted in Islam. The aim of the reciter must always be to earn the pleasure of Allah. That is only done when he intends to beautify recitation for the benefit of himself and other Muslims.
The high merit of a Qari with a melodious voice can be seen by a Hadith. The Prophet (PBUH) said, “It shall be said — meaning to the one who memorized the Qur’an — ‘Recite, and rise up, recite (melodiously) as you would recite in the world. For indeed your rank shall be at the last Ayah you recited.” (Jami at-Tirmidhi)
