How Can I Improve My Tajwid in Quran Recitation?
Answered by Shaykh Anas al-Musa
Question
How can I improve my Tajwid in Quran recitation?
Answer
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all worlds, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger sent as a mercy to the worlds, our Master and Prophet, Muhammad, and his Family and Companions.
Steps
If you wish to improve your Tajwid while reciting the Quran, here are some steps that can help:
1. Commit to a Teacher Proficient in Quran Recitation: Find a teacher who is proficient in Quran recitation to teach you the correct method of recitation. It is preferred that this Shaykh has an Ijaza with an unbroken chain, proving his qualification to teach.
2. Listen to a Skilled Teacher: Choose a teacher who applies the rules of Tajwid correctly and whose recitation you admire and feel comfortable with. It’s better if you can also watch the Sheikh while he recites.
3. Listen Attentively: Focus as you listen to the teacher recite how he pronounces the letters, their characteristics, and the rest of the Tajwid rules.
4. Repeat the Verses: Repeat the verses you listen to after the teacher to ensure you are applying the Tajwid rules correctly. I also recommend recording yourself while reciting; one may not notice their mistakes while reading but listening to their own recitation helps identify errors.
5. Use Illustrative Diagrams: Illustrative diagrams of the letters’ articulation points can help you apply the Tajwid rules accurately.
6. Use an Electronic Pen: This pen guides you on the correct way to read the Quranic word by simply pointing at it.
7. Benefit from Colored Mushafs: These Mushafs highlight the rules of Tajwid and distinguish them with colors.
Some important considerations regarding the Tajwid of the Quran:
Finding a Proficient Teacher
If you manage to find a proficient teacher who can teach you the correct and precise way of recitation, this will suffice for all the other steps mentioned above.
Definition of Tajwid
Linguistically, Tajwid means making something good. The good is the opposite of the bad. It is said: “So-and-so perfected something,” meaning he did it well. And “he perfected the recitation” means he performed it free from poor pronunciation.
Technically, Tajwid is giving each letter its due and what it deserves.
By “due of the letter,” we mean its inherent, permanent characteristics, such as intensity, elevation, and softness.
By “what it deserves,” we mean what arises from these inherent characteristics, such as heaviness resulting from elevation and lightness resulting from lowering. [Salim, Sharh al-Muqadimat al-Jazariyya; Sindhi, Safhat fi ‘Ulum al-Qira’at]
Ruling Related to Learning Tajwid Rules
Learning the rules of Tajwid is a communal obligation (Fard Kifaya), meaning if some people in the community fulfill it, the obligation is lifted from the rest. However, practicing it is an individual obligation (Fard ‘Ayn). Ibn Jazari states:
“Undoubtedly, the Umma is obliged not only to understand the meanings of the Quran and establish its limits but also to correct its words and articulate its letters in the manner received from the Imams of recitation connected to the Prophetic presence, the clear Arabic speech that cannot be altered or deviated from.” [Ibn Jazari, al-Nashr fi Qira’at al-‘Ashr]
Ibn Jazari
In his poem “al-Muqaddima fi Ma Yajib ‘ala Qari’ al-Quran an Ya‘lamah” (Introduction to What a Quran Reader Must Know), Ibn Jazari emphasized the importance of Tajwid rules, saying:
وَالأَخْذُ بِالتَّجْوِيدِ حَتْمٌ لَازِمُ … مَنْ لَمْ يُصَحِّحِ الْقُرَانَ آثِمُ
Adhering to Tajwid is an obligatory duty,
Whoever does not correct the Quran is sinful,
لأَنَّهُ بِهِ الإِلَهُ أَنْزَلَا … وَهَكَذَا مِنْهُ إِلَيْنَا وَصَلَا
Because it is by it that Allah revealed it,
And thus, it has reached us.
وَهُوَ أَيْضاً حِلْيَةُ التِّلَاوَةِ … وَزِينَةُ الأَدَاءِ وَالْقِرَاءَةِ
It is also the adornment of recitation,
The beauty of performance and recitation,
وَهُوَ: إِعْطَاءُ الْحُرُوفِ حَقَّهَا … مِنْ كُلِّ صِفَةٍ وَمُسْتَحَقَّهَا
It is: giving the letters their due rights,
Of every characteristic and what it deserves,
وَرَدُّ كُلِّ وَاحِدٍ لأَصْلِهِ … وَاللَّفْظُ فِي نَظِيرِهِ كَمِثْلِهِ
And returning each to its origin,
And pronouncing each one like its peer.
The meaning of “returning each to its origin” is to articulate each letter from its proper articulation point. The meaning of “pronouncing each one like its peer” is to make similar sounds alike so that the recitation is consistent. For example, if we extend a separated elongation (mad munfasil) for two counts, we should do so consistently in every instance within the same session. It is not permissible to shorten it in one place and moderate it in another.
Advice
Finally, I advise you to remember that the Quran is the word of Allah (Most High). It is a treasure that one should strive to recite and perform well. It is an act of worship and a means of drawing closer to Him, in response to His command:
“Recite the Quran (properly) in a measured way.” [Quran, 73:4]
May Allah bless the Prophet Muhammad and give him peace, and his Family and Companions.
And Allah knows best.
[Shaykh] Anas al-Musa
Shaykh Anas al-Musa, born in Hama, Syria, in 1974, is an erudite scholar of notable repute. He graduated from the Engineering Institute in Damascus, where he specialized in General Construction, and Al-Azhar University, Faculty of Usul al-Din, where he specialized in Hadith.
He studied under prominent scholars in Damascus, including Shaykh Abdul Rahman al-Shaghouri and Shaykh Adib al-Kallas, among others. Shaykh Anas has memorized the Quran and is proficient in the ten Mutawatir recitations, having studied under Shaykh Bakri al-Tarabishi and Shaykh Mowfaq ‘Ayun. He also graduated from the Iraqi Hadith School.
He has taught numerous Islamic subjects at Shari‘a institutes in Syria and Turkey. Shaykh Anas has served as an Imam and preacher for over 15 years and is a teacher of the Quran in its various readings and narrations.
Currently, he works as a teacher at SeekersGuidance and is responsible for academic guidance there. He has completed his Master’s degree in Hadith and is now pursuing his Ph.D. in the same field. Shaykh Anas al-Musa is married and resides in Istanbul.
