Tajweed,
or the science of the recitation of the Holy Qur’an, is the most difficult
thing I’ve attempted to study. I’ve been at it for a few weeks with a teacher
here in Cairo. What I’ve learnt from a few lessons is that the practice of
tajweed requires deep concentration, a strong working memory, commitment, lots
of practice, attention to detail, lots of practice, immense patience, and did I
mention lots of practice?
A
major part of this science is the “makhaarij al-huroof” (exiting points of
letters). There are five areas where all the letters of the Arabic alphabet
exit from during Qur’an recitation. These are the mouth, throat, tongue, lips,
and nose. Within these five areas there are seventeen points of articulation.
No two letters are articulated in the same manner. So you can imagine the
preciseness with which one must move one’s mouth, tongue, and lips to achieve
proper recitation of the Holy Qur’an. And this is the wisdom of the rules of
tajweed – to facilitate proper recitation. As my teacher explained, the purpose
of tajweed is “ikhraaj al-huroof bi
shaklin sahlin” (the extraction of letters in an easy way).
The
struggle of studying tajweed is worth it. There’s a certain beauty in the words
of the Creator being recited properly. The Holy Qur’an sounds especially beautiful
when recited by an Egyptian. There is a saying that goes like this: “the Qur’an
was revealed in Arabia. It was read in Egypt. It was written in Turkey.”
Egyptians have a sweet accent which beautifies the Quranic words. I feel so lucky
to be studying with an Egyptian.
A
benefit of studying tajweed is reciting the Holy Qur’an often. Constant recitation should
only humble one and cause awe to descend upon one’s tongue, which becomes used
to reciting noble words. The practice of saying noble things will eventually
extend to one’s daily interactions with people – one’s family, friends,
colleagues, and strangers.
May
God bless us with love of the Noble Qur’an, and the ability to recite it as it
deserves to be recited. Ameen.
No comments:
Post a Comment