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Tajweed: the basis of a good recitation

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In our discussion of voice and tune in the context of recitation, we can’t forget that a recitation that sounds good has to be strongly built upon the solid foundations of tajweed.

Why? Al-Hafidh Muhammad ibnul Jazaree explains in his Muqaddima:

لأنه به الإله انزلا وهكذا منه إلينا وصلا
وهو إيضاً حلية التلاوة وزينة الأداء والقراءة

“Because the Quran was revealed to us by Allah in this form, and like this (i.e. with tajweed) it has reached us. And it is also a beautification of tilawah, and an adornment of pronunciation and qira’ah.” (Matnul Jazariyyah, lines 28-29)

A lot of tajweed deals with proper articulation and clarity of pronunciation, so it’s pretty clear that knowing tajweed will help your recitation sound better. On the other hand, even if someone has a “good” voice (i.e. has the ability to carry a tune and/or modulate their voice), their recitation will not sound good if it’s built on a weak or shaky foundation.

Knowledge of tunes builds upon and adds to the knowledge of tajweed to further beautify recitation.

If you’re looking to improve your recitation but haven’t studied any tajweed at all, then that would be a good place to start. But if you’ve learnt some tajweed in the past or are doing so now, you can also work on beautifying the sound of your recitation as you work on your tajweed.

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