The Science & Art of Qira'a: An Introduction (2)
Eid Mubarak to everyone! The first day of the Hijri [Islamic lunar calendar] month of Shawwal is tomorrow inshAllah, may this Eid be an occasion of happiness and joy for everyone reading this, Ameen.
Continuing on where we left last time, we will first start by mentioning the explanations of two terms we had left for further explanation on the last post; tawator and ijaza.
-Tawator: The process of 'tawator' is the process whereby the Holy Qura'n was transferred to us through this day and is still being transferred to further generations. It goes without saying that the main issue is not preserving the Qura'n on paper but to preserve it in the hearts and minds of those who memorize it. For this reason, there are many people who memorize the Qura'n (in any of one of the aforementioned qira'as) and who carry it to future generations. Tawator is a simple idea: Suppose that I, a new qari, will learn how to the entire memorized Qura'n from someone who learned it and memorized it already. The sheikh who teaches me has authority on his sheikh and that sheikh on his sheikh and so on until the lineage is related back to one of the ten readers and, thus, authentic to the prophet PBUH. This process of transfer of the Holy Qura'n from one authorized sheikh to another is referred to as tawator.
-Ijaza: Once a qari has finished memorizing and learning how to read the Qura'n on the hands of a sheikh, the sheikh will give him an 'ijaza' on that reading. Of course the sheikh already had an ijaza himself. So what is an ijaza? A certificate of authorization and allowance of a person to read the Holy Qura'n, that also relates the names of the chain of people that go back to the prophet PBUH in learning and reading the Qura'n on that particular reading. As you can see, gaining multiple ijazas sounds like a huge achievement requiring a lot of dedication and effort; and it actually is.
1)Tahkeek [التحقيق]: This refers to reading the Qura'n with huge emphasis on every letter and in very slow speed to allow the reader to appreciate the meaning and truly feel it. This is a very famous method of recitation in Egypt and in many other countries but Egypt has been famous for it for generations. Readers who had read with tahkeek include Abdul-Basset-Abdul-Samad, Mostafa Ismaeel, Dr. Ahmad Ne'eina, all from Egypt, among others from Egypt and various parts of the world. An example video [of Surat Al-Duha (The Morning Hours/Chapter 93)] showing tahkeek is shown below, from the reading of Sheikh Abdul-Basset Abdul-Samad. Note the slow speed and the freedom in repetition of verses to emphasize meaning:
2) Hadr [الحدر]: This is the fastest method of reading the Qura'n. It does not focus on every word, let alone on every letter. It is very common in Saudi Arabia and the gulf countries. One of its famous practitioners is Sheikh Al-Sudais, from Saudi Arabia. Shown below is an example of this method of reading. Note the huge difference in speed, although it is the same Surah shown earlier:
3) Tadweer [التدوير]: This varies from hadr in the fact that it is a little slower than it and a little faster than tahkeek. Tadweer is one of the commonest methods of reading. It's not too fast and not too slow in its reading. An example (I think!) is shown below from Sheikh Mishary-bin-Rashed Al-Efasy:
NOTE: This is the only example where I cannot be sure exactly if this is tadweer or not. But it most probably is. And Allah knows best.
4) Tarteel [الترتيل]: The common factor of all readings; reading the Qura'n at regular speed with all rules of pronunciation and tilawa [a bit on the rules might be explained later] taken into account and satisfied.
The following video [in Arabic] is of Dr. Ahmad Ne'eina, a famous Egyptian qari, explaining the above methods and demonstrating them. The above four are just a variation of what is usually present. The actual number of types is usually in the range of three to five.
-A good question is: Which readings are common? The most common two readings are the rewaya of Haffs on the reading of Imam Aasem-Al-Koufey and the rewaya of Warsh on the reading of Imam Nafae-Al-Madani. The former is by far one of the most common, if not the most dominant reading of all. And Allah knows best. However, the remaining readings are known to various qari's around the world and to the people in charge of the science of qira'a; enough for all ten to be transferred through tawator. All ten readings are printed in various copies of the Holy Qura'n and can be easily found through a Google search and in various places around the world. Certain copies of the Holy Qura'n also come with the text of the Qura'n with a particular reading, and along the edges are the differences from the other readings.
Today's session was a short one and it might be our last. If there will ever be a next post I'll put in what I know on why and what are some of the common differences in the different readings of the Qura'n. For now I leave you with just a taste. Here is the same Surah we referred to earlier when explaining the different 'styles' of reading recited in two different readings [both by Sheikh Mishary-bin-Rashed Al-Efasy].
1) Reading of Imam Aasem Al-Koufey from the rewaya of Haffs:
2) Reading of Imam Hamza Al-Koufey from the rewaya of Khalaf:
Until our next meeting,
Take care and may Allah SWT bless anyone reading this, Ameen!
Eid Mubarak again!
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