Allah says in the Noble Qur’ān:
وَرَتِّلِ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ تَرْتِيلًا
“…And recite the Qur’ān (aloud) in a slow, (pleasant tone and) style.” (73:4 Muzammil)
One explanation of this ayah is to recite the Qur’ān as it was recited by our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, who himself received it from the arch-angel Jibraīl, upon him be peace. For those whom English is their first language, one may be daunted by this aspect, however correct recitation can be achieved by studying and applying the science of tajwīd. Tajwīd means to beautify something or make it better. With reference to the Qur’ān, reading beautifully would mean to read correctly. So, what is the science of tajwīd and how did it come about?
In the time of the Prophet ﷺ, tajwīd was innate and not something that needed to be explicitly taught. If we refer to the companions of the Prophet ﷺ, whom were the earliest reciters of the Qur’ān, due to their high command of the Arabic language, the earliest written Qur’ān didn’t even need diacritical marks, and so reading the Qur’ān in this time was a very natural process.
Once Islam started spreading across non-Arab lands, grammatical and recitation mistakes started becoming common place when reading the Qur’ān and also in speech. There is a recorded instance in the time of the second Khalifa ʿUmar, may Allah be pleased with him, when a youth replied to ʿUmar but used the incorrect grammar, and ʿUmar said, “Your grammar mistake made me angrier than the error we were discussing!” It was the fourth Khalifa, Imam ʿAli, may Allah be pleased with him, who commissioned a scholar by the name of Abū al-Aswad ad-Du’ālī to lay some formal rules for the Arabic language. Abū al-Aswad was the first to place consonant and vowel markings on Arabic letters in the Qur’ān, the first to write on Arabic linguistics, and is said to be the first to write a book on Arabic grammar.
Gradually in the 4th century AH, the science of tajwīd began to grow as a subject matter on its own. Initially everything had been passed down orally, but students started requesting for things to be written, and so didactic poems and books started to emerge on this subject. Thus, ways of reading the Qur’ān that were taken for granted in the time of the Prophet ﷺ, where gradually formalised into a set of rules known as the science of tajwīd. This included, but was not limited to, noting the exact articulation point of all the Arabic letters (makhraj), the attributes of each letter (ṣifāt), pronouncing of the maḍ letters (ا و ي) correctly and other rules.
This science has now been around for centuries and has helped both Arabs and non-Arabs recite the Qur’ān correctly which in itself is a religious obligation upon every adult Muslim. However, what is the link of tajwīd with Arabic poetry? Well, there are certain aspects of tajwīd, which if applied when reading or singing Arabic poetry, would enhance the experience for both the reciter and listener. For the one reciting or singing the poem, practicing certain rules of tajwīd on Arabic poetry would strengthen and fortify one’s relationship with the Arabic language and become a means of practicing reading and spoken Arabic, which in-turn would improve one’s Qur’ānic reading. This would be done without the worry of making major and minor mistakes, which is what mistakes are categorised as when reading the Qur’ān. So, poetry is a great place to practice and improve one’s tajwīd without the worry of mistakes.
As for those listening, particularly if they are familiar with Arabic, the delivery of the poems with the application of tajwīd will allow a greater appreciation of the poem, enabling the listener to be moved by the poem, rather than perhaps distracted by mistakes in pronunciation. Applying tajwīd will result in a more authentic delivery of the poems, putting a stop to accidentally changing the meaning of the poem, a very important aspect that is not to be overlooked as ultimately the point of listening to the poem is connection to its deep and beautiful meanings which can’t be achieved through incorrect pronunciation.
And although initially, learning tajwīd, especially for non-Arabs can seem daunting, but like with any other skill, practice and consistency soon opens the way for correct application, and the rewards are numerous, both in this world and the next, and the poems are a perfect place for consistently practicing this skill. It is very important however to learn this science with a teacher as a lot of feedback and confirmation is required when trying to make the correct sounds and/or applying the various rules etc. Ultimately however, learning tajwīd aids in creating a deeper connection with the Qur’ān as you are now learning to recite as it was recited by our beloved Prophet ﷺ, and to conclude with the words of our Prophet ﷺ:
“The expert reciter of the Qur’ān will have the same rank as the noble and honourable scribe-angels, and the one who reads it but struggles and finds it hard will get double reward.” [Bukhari 4937]