The importance of tajweed rules

What is Quran and what are the Tajweed rules?

Quran is the speech of Allah sent down to his last prophet, Muhammad, through the angel Gabriel (Jebril), in its precise meaning and precise wording, transmitted to us by numerous persons (tawatur) both verbally and in writing. It is inimitable and unique protected by Allah from corruption and fabrication. Allah the Exalted said:

إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ

“Indeed, it is We who sent down the message [i.e., the Quran], and indeed, We will be its guardian.” Quran 15:9

Tajweed, linguistically, means “proficiency” or doing something well. Technically, it means giving each and every letter in the Quran its rights and dues when we recite it, and adherence to the rules that apply to these letters in different situations according to each of their characteristics. And we give them their dues by compliance with those characteristics that are present at some times and not in others.

Why do we study Tajweed?

Simply speaking, it is to learn how to read the Quran in the same way it was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad through the angel Jebril and the same way the prophet and his companions did.
Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala said in the Qur’an:

وَرَتِّلِ الْقُرْآنَ تَرْتِيلاً

Which means “and recite the Quran (in a distinct) recitation.”

Each Arabic letter has a makhraj, an exit or an articulation point, in the mouth or throat from which they originate. It has also a siffah, attributes or characteristics, particular to them. Knowing the makhraj and siffah is a very important part of learning the tajweed rules. Sometimes two letters have very similar exits which can make mixing them up easy. Hence, if you do not know the attributes of each letter there is a potential mistake that you will change the meaning of the words in your recitation of the Quran. So, the tajweed protects you from making such mistakes in reciting the noble Quran.

Here we refer to some benefits of studying the tajweed rules as mentioned in the prophetic traditions (Sunnah):

1- The reciters of the Quran will be in the company of the noble angels:

‘Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, relates that the Prophet (SAW) said: “Verily the one who recites the Quran beautifully, smoothly, and precisely, he will be in the company of the noble angels. And as for the one who recites with difficulty, stammering or stumbling through its verses, then he will have TWICE that reward.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

2- You will be from the best of people:

‘Uthmaan, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Prophet (SAW) said: “The best of you are the ones who learn the Quran and teach it to others” [Al-Bukhari]

3- There are ten rewards for each letter you recite from the Holy Quran:

“Whoever reads a letter from the Book of Allah, he will have a reward. And that reward will be multiplied by ten. I am not saying that “Alif, Laam, Meem” is a letter, rather I am saying that “Alif” is a letter, “laam” is a letter and “meem” is a letter.” [Tirmidhi states this is saheeh]

4- Al Quran will lead you to Paradise!

The Qur’an is an intercessor, something has given permission to intercede, and it is rightfully believed in. Whoever put it in front of him, it will lead him to Paradise; whoever puts it behind him, it will steer him to the Hellfire.” [An authentic hadith found in At-Tabaraanee, on the authority of ‘AbdullaahibnMas’ood]

The question that poses itself here is this: how did the companions learn Quran?
In other words, did this science exist during the lifetime of the Prophet?

It is noteworthy that Quran was revealed with the tajweed rules applied to it, that is to say, it is the scholars who observed these rules so that we read it the way it was revealed. The Prophet  (SAW) recited the Quran in front of the companions and the companions would recite it back in front of him.

It is of great importance to learn Quran from a person who is familiar with it (shaykh). The knowledgeable companions were sent by the Prophet to the different Muslim territories to teach the Muslims the recitation along with the rulings of Islam. Mus’ab bin ‘Umair was sent with the people of the first pledge of ‘Aqabah and Mu’adh bin Jabal was also sent to Yemen to instruct the people there.

The ruling of learning Tajweed Rules:

This issue is oft-discussed by the tajweed scholars. Imam ibn al-Jazari, who was the greatest Quran and Hadith scholar during his time, said in his poem: “And applying tajweed is an issue of absolute necessity, whoever does not apply tajweed then a sinner is he.” As we can see, he regarded it as an individual obligation.

وَالأَخْـذُ بِـالتَّـجْـوِيـدِ حَـتْـمٌ لاَزِمُ
***
مَنْ لَـمْ يُـجَـوْدِ الْــقُـرَآنَ آثِـــمُ

There are two kinds of mistakes one can make:
(1) a hidden or subtle mistake and (2) a clear or obvious mistake.

It is not allowed for the one who studies the tajweed rules to pray behind one who makes clear, obvious mistakes. As for the more hidden or subtle mistakes, the ruling is different: it is allowed to pray behind him and his mistakes are considered as a lack of completeness in his studies of the tajweed.

Helpful Tips for learning Tajweed:

1- Find a buddy or Quran teacher.

You must find a Quran teacher who has studied tajweed to listen to your recitation and correct you. Tajweed cannot merely be learned from books because of the movements of your mouth, as well as the sounds, are important and only a teacher can correct you and make sure you are applying the rules correctly. Quran recitation is a science which has been passed down from generation to generation through teachers not just books, with a direct line to the Prophet (SAW).

2- Listen to Quran Recitation.

Listen to Quran tapes of a hafiz or qari who recites very clearly at a medium or slow speed and notice how they apply the different rules of tajweed to the ayat of the Quran. Repeat after them while trying to apply the rules you’ve learned. Try to copy their tone and melody as well, and see how it changes as the meaning of what they’re reciting changes.

3- Apply what you learn.

Apply the rules you have learnt to the surahs you have already memorized and give every effort in reciting them correctly. You might have to revise the surahs by looking back at them. 

4- Practice Makes Perfect.

Practice and repetition will make perfect inshaaAllah. As Ibn al-Jazaree says in his poem about acquiring tajweed: ‘And there is no obstacle between it (learning tajweed) and leaving it, except that a person must exercise his mouth with it!’