Importance of reciting Qur’an with Tajweed
Qur’an recitation is a significant part of Ramadan. Most of us strive to finish the whole Qur’an from cover to cover. But during that race sometimes, we forget to give the divine words, its due right.
As a student and a teacher of Tajweed, I can tell how important the pronunciation of a word is. But I also understand the struggle Tajweed students and teachers have to go through, to achieve the right results.
Hence, it led me to write this article as a guide for students on how to improve their recitation step by step and for the teachers on how to deal with the students struggling to correct their Tajweed inshaaAllah.
Tajweed:
The Arabic word *Tajweed* literally means “to do well”. It comes from the same root word as *jayyid* which means “good”. Pretty cool, right?
The term Tajweed refers to reciting the Qur’an with correct makhaarij of letters (articulation point of the letters) and observing the characteristics and rules that apply to those letters as taught by the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Before I start, we must know that why is learning Tajweed so important?
Importance:
I feel we don’t give as much importance to Tajweed as other Islamic subjects such as Tafseer, Seerah or Hifz. But learning Tajweed is equally (if not more) important because the wrong pronunciation of alphabets may lead to changing the entire meaning of the divine word (of Allah) and if we don’t try to improve as much as we can, we will be held accountable.
For example: pronouncing “QUL (قُلۡ )” as “KUL (كُلْ)” changes the meaning from “SAY” to “EAT”.
Allah says in the Qur’an:
“And recite Quran as it ought to be recited” (73:04)
Here are some tips that might help you improve your recitation and as an added bonus, make you fall in love with the speech and the Speaker.
1) Purify your Intention:
Narrated ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab:
I heard Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) saying, “The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended…” [Bukhari]
http://sunnah.com/bukhari/1/1
You should learn Tajweed for the love of Allah and his beautiful book. Learning it for the praise and compliments of people on how good your voice and recitation is, will neither benefit you in this world nor the next.
2) Pray:
Before starting your lesson, supplicate to Allah (SWT) to make it easy for you as nothing is possible without His help and ithn (will).
3) Consult a Teacher:
You can’t achieve greatness in Tajweed all by yourself. You need to have a teacher who can supervise your lessons and correct you where wrong by listening to your Tajweed.
Cooperate with your teacher and complete any homework or task that is given to you.
4) Practice & repeat:
I can not emphasize on this enough. You need A LOT of practice. Do not give up on yourself thinking you can never get your Tajweed right. It might take some time but keep practicing until you get it and by the will of Allah, it will feel like your mother tongue.
Some tips for practicing:
a) Listen:
Listen, on repeat, to a recitation by a Qari who is really slow and clear
Suggestions (Sheikh Abdullah basfar & Sheikh hudhaify).
b) Record:
Record yourself and try to analyze your mistakes yourself and notice the improvement you need.
c) Mirror:
Place a mirror in front of yourself and see how good you are in the makhaarij. How your mouth moves with the pronunciation of a specific word. Ask yourself: Is it the same way you were taught?
d) Break words:
If you are finding it hard to pronounce a word, then break it into parts for ease.
For example: You can practice fa’ala as fa-aa-la
When you’re done practicing it this way, pronouncing the haroof together as one word becomes easier.
e) Teach:
Once you feel that you have started improving alhamdulillah and can now recite the Qur’an with ease, don’t start looking down upon people who can’t.
Remind yourself that once upon a time, you recited just like them or maybe you had to struggle even harder.
Instead, try to help them improve and start teaching – be it your sibling, mom’s best friend or even a stranger. And share the precious knowledge with everyone.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “The best among you (Muslims) are those who learn the Qur’an and teach it.” [Bukhari]
http://sunnah.com/bukhari/66/49
May Allah help us give these beautiful words of Allah their due right by not only reciting them correctly but also by understanding them and applying them in our lives. Aameen.
About the Author:
Hafsa Baber is an integral part of AYEINA (www.ayeina.com) who is currently a student of Arabic/Qur’an and a teacher of Tajweed. She is also memorizing Qur’an by taking one small step at a time.
Jazakumullah khair ladies. It is always an honor and privilege to be published here <3
^_^