𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧? 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟏

A BIG QUESTION?

HOW EXCELLENT IS YOUR RECITATION?

The Prophet ﷺ said

إن الله كتب الإحسان على كل شيء...

Indeed, Allāh has ordained Ihsān (excellence) in all things...

Why then do we recite the Book of Allāh with a recitation short of Ihsān?

Many of us are not even putting in the needed effort to achieve an excellent recitation.

The Qur'ān, as we know, is filled with words and words are made up of letters.

Every letter has a scale or measure that must neither be exceeded or reduced.

Imām As-Sakhāwī said in his Nūniyyah

للحرف ميزان فلا تك طاغيا

فيه و لا تك مخسر الميزان

The letter has a scale, so do not exceed

And do not be deficient in the scale

So, you need to keep the scale of the letter balanced

Abū Mazāhim Al-Khāqānī said in his Rāiyyah,

زن الحرف لا تخرجه عن حد وزنه

فوزن حروف الذكر من أفضل البر

Measure [every] letter and do not exclude it from the limit of its measure,

for the measuring of the letters of the Qurʼān is from the greatest deeds of righteousness.

Among the first things to learn in your study of the Qur'ān is the letters, how to articulate them correctly without errors

Imām Ibn Al-Jazarī mentioned some of the things that are obligatory on the reciter of the Qur'ān to learn, he said:

إذ واجب عليهم محتم

قبل الشروع أولا أن يعلموا

مخارج الحروف و الصفات

لينطق بأفصح اللغات

As it is certainly compulsory upon them, before starting

(recitation of the Qur`ān), firstly to know…

The articulation points of the letters and their

characteristics, so as to pronounce (it) in the most eloquent of languages.

The first thing Ibn Al-Jazarī mentioned is related to the letters because it's the foundation upon which words are constructed.

Rectifying the letters is tantamount to rectifying the recitation itself.

So, what are the errors that occur in the articulation of these letters?

How do we avoid or rectify them as the case may be?

Imām Al-Khāqānī has this to say about Lahn (errors in recitation)

فأول علم الذكر إتقان حفظه

و معرفة في اللحن فيه إذ يجري

فكن عارفا باللحن كيما تزيلَه

و ما للذي لا يعرف اللحن من عذر

TO BE CONTINUED....

©Markaz Daarul Athariyyah