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What Tajweed Is

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Tajweed is giving every letter its right and its due, in its makhraj and its sifah, in stopping and in starting.

The definition of tajweed

ArabicTermMeaning
التَّجْوِيدTajweedMasdar of جَوَّدَ يُجَوِّدُ. In the language: reaching the utmost in precision (itqan) and the furthest limit in excellence (tahsin)
لُغَةًLughatanIn the language
اصْطِلَاحًاIstilahanIn the technical usage of the scholars
مَخْرَجMakhrajThe articulation point of a letter (plural makharij)
صِفَةSifahAn attribute of a letter (plural sifat)

The root shows the idea: جَادَ الشَّيْءُ يَجُودُ جَوْدَةً فَهُوَ جَيِّدٌ, "the thing became good, so it is good (jayyid)".

Three definitions

عِلْمُ التَّجْوِيدِ هُوَ الْعِلْمُ الَّذِي يَبْحَثُ فِي كَيْفِيَّاتِ نُطْقِ الْحُرُوفِ وَالْعِنَايَةِ بِمَخَارِجِهَا وَصِفَاتِهَا وَمَا يَعْرِضُ لَهَا مِنْ أَحْكَامٍThe science of tajweed studies how the letters are pronounced, attending to their makharij, their sifat and the rulings that occur to them, and what relates to stopping, starting, joining and separating. Its aim is the best level of perfecting the recitation.al-Munir
إِعْطَاءُ الْحُرُوفِ حُقُوقَهَا، وَتَرْتِيبُهَا مَرَاتِبَهَا، وَرَدُّ الْحَرْفِ مِنْ حُرُوفِ الْمُعْجَمِ إِلَى مَخْرَجِهِ وَأَصْلِهِGiving the letters their rights, putting them in their ranks, returning each letter to its makhraj and origin, joining it to its counterpart, giving its sound fully, and pronouncing it firmly in its proper form, without excess, strain, exaggeration or affectation.ad-Dani (d. 444 AH), at-Tahdid
Tajweed is correcting and straightening the letters, bringing them out of their makharij, ordering them and returning them to their origins, without an excess that leads to ugliness and without a deficiency that leads to loss, with gentleness and ease.Abu al-'Ala' al-'Attar (d. 569 AH), at-Tamhid

إِعْطَاءُ كُلِّ حَرْفٍ حَقَّهُ وَمُسْتَحَقَّهُ مَخْرَجًا وَصِفَةً، وَقْفًا وَابْتِدَاءً، مِنْ غَيْرِ تَكَلُّفٍ وَلَا تَعَسُّفٍ: giving every letter its right and its due, in makhraj and sifah, in stopping and starting, without affectation or strain.

Haqq and mustahaqq

Haqq (حَقّ), its right

The permanent (lazimah) sifat of the letter. Another view: bringing the letter out from its makhraj.

Mustahaqq (مُسْتَحَقّ), its due

The incidental ('aridah) sifat, such as tafkhim and tarqiq. Another view: what follows from the sifat, such as tarqiq and tafkhim.

After mastering makharij and sifat, the learner studies the rulings that arise when letters combine, and trains the tongue with much repetition until reaching itqan.

The history of writing on tajweed

Before books, tajweed was learned orally with the Qur'an: the student took the Qur'an from his shaykh and recited to him again and again until his recitation was precise. Tajweed became an independent science around the 4th century AH.

d. 154 AHAbu 'Amr ibn al-'Ala' al-Basri

A treatise on al-idgham al-kabir, one of the earliest writings on a tajweed issue.

d. 220 AHQalun al-Madani

A poem (urjuzah) on recitation.

d. 325 AHAbu Muzahim al-Khaqani

The first independent work: a poem of 51 lines rhyming in ra'. He did not use the word "tajweed" but "husn al-ada'" (good performance).

c. 410 AHas-Sa'idi

at-Tanbih 'ala al-lahn al-jali wal-lahn al-khafi.

d. 437 AHMakki ibn Abi Talib al-Qaysi

ar-Ri'ayah li-tajwid al-qira'ah.

d. 444 AHad-Dani

at-Tahdid fil-itqan wat-tajwid.

d. 461 AH'Abd al-Wahhab al-Qurtubi

al-Mudih fit-tajwid.

After them, books followed one another. Dr. Ghanim Qadduri al-Hamad counted more than 100 books and treatises on tajweed up to the end of the 13th century AH.

The ruling of tajweed

Tajweed has two sides
Theory (نَظَرِيّ): knowing, memorizing and understanding the rules. Ruling: fard kifayah (فَرْضُ كِفَايَةٍ, a communal obligation), like the other instrumental sciences Muslims need.
Practice (عَمَلِيّ): applying the rules while reciting. Ruling: wajib 'ayni (وَاجِبٌ عَيْنِيٌّ, an individual obligation) on everyone who recites the Qur'an or any part of it.

This knowledge is gained by riwayah (transmission): 'ard, the student reads to the shaykh, and talqin, the shaykh reads and the student repeats; combining both is better. It is also gained by dirayah (study of the rules), but the student must still recite to a precise shaykh.

The Ummah is required to correct the wording of the Qur'an and establish its letters as received from the imams of recitation. People in this are either a doer of good who is rewarded, a wrongdoer who is sinful, or one who is excused. Whoever is able to recite correctly but is too proud to return to a scholar is deficient and sinful. As for one whose tongue does not obey him, Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity.Ibn al-Jazari, an-Nashr (abridged)

The evidence that tajweed is obligatory

وَرَتِّلِ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ تَرْتِيلًا"And recite the Qur'an with tartil."al-Muzzammil 73:4

as-Samin al-Halabi: make it clear, one word after another. Ibn Kathir: read it slowly, for that helps understanding and reflection. al-Husari: وَرَتِّلْ is a command, and a command means obligation unless something diverts it; nothing diverts it here.

A man recited to Ibn Mas'ud إِنَّمَا ٱلصَّدَقَٰتُ لِلْفُقَرَآءِ وَٱلْمَسَٰكِينِ (at-Tawbah 9:60) without madd in لِلْفُقَرَآءِ. Ibn Mas'ud said: "This is not how the Messenger of Allah ﷺ taught it to me," and recited it with madd. Ibn al-Jazari: this hadith is a proof and an explicit text in this matter (at-Tabarani).

Ijma': from the revelation until now, the Ummah agrees on reciting the Qur'an soundly, free of distortion, addition and reduction. Its letters, vowels, sukuns, madd and idgham were transmitted through every age.

Wajib shar'i (وَاجِبٌ شَرْعِيٌّ)

Most tajweed scholars: the doer is rewarded, the one who leaves it is punished; violating the rules is sinful.

Wajib sina'i (وَاجِبٌ صِنَاعِيٌّ)

A number of scholars: the essence of the word and its vowels is a shar'i obligation; madd, idgham, tafkhim and the like are a technical obligation of the craft: the one who leaves them is not sinful but is reproached and corrected.

Key points

  • Tajweed: giving every letter its right (haqq) and due (mustahaqq) in makhraj and sifah, in stopping and starting.
  • Haqq: the permanent sifat; mustahaqq: the incidental sifat such as tafkhim and tarqiq.
  • First independent work: Abu Muzahim al-Khaqani (d. 325 AH); then as-Sa'idi, Makki, ad-Dani and others.
  • Theory: fard kifayah. Practice: wajib 'ayni on every reciter.
  • Evidence: 73:4, the hadith of Ibn Mas'ud, and ijma'.
  • Shar'i vs sina'i: most scholars say leaving the rules is sinful; others call the finer rules a technical obligation.

Quiz

6 questions

Test your understanding of this lesson.

1. What is the book's summary definition of tajweed?
2. Match each term with its meaning (first view).
Items
Haqq of a letter
Mustahaqq of a letter
Itqan
Matches
Precision
Its permanent sifat
Its incidental sifat, such as tafkhim
3. Who wrote the first independent work on tajweed?
4. Match each side of tajweed with its ruling.
Items
Learning the rules (theory)
Applying the rules while reciting
Madd, idgham and tafkhim, on the view of a number of scholars
Matches
Fard kifayah
Wajib 'ayni
Wajib sina'i
5. A man recited lil-fuqara' without madd, and Ibn Mas'ud corrected him. What does this hadith prove?
6. According to those who call the finer rules a "wajib sina'i", what happens to someone who leaves the madd?

Discussion

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