What is Tajweed?

The reading of the Holy Quran in a leisurely and relaxed way, in order to achieve the meaning of the verses, is to understand and apply the legislation contained therein during the daily life of the Muslim; reading the Holy Quran without taking into account the various rules of tajweed may change the meaning of words as well as a complete verse.

What is Tajweed? The word tajweed comes from the root of the verb Jawada; which literally means to beautify and improve your reading (doing it well). In the context of the recitation of the Holy Quran, Tajweed is a science of studying the correct articulation of letters.

So it is applied when articulating every letter from its articulation point and giving the letter its rights and dues of characteristics. Rights of the letters are its required characteristics that never leave it. The dues of the letters are its presented characteristics that are present in it some of the time, and not present at other times.i.e. the Qalb, Gunah, Maad.

Manners of Reciting (Tajweed) the Holy Quran

Reciting Quran should be in the presence of one's heart, with full understanding and believing that those are the words of Allah, the Exalted - not the words of man. The Muslim should interact with every ayah with its appropriate meaning and understand each message of the Holy Quran with full recognition that it is directed to him especially. In addition to these internal manners of reciting Quran, there is a lot of external manners. Here are some of the most important manners to follow:

Perform wudhu and be sure of the cleanliness of the body, clothes and place. (It is allowed to read Quran from memory without wudhu; while women with the period are not allowed to touch the Holy book).

Sit with the highest respect to the Holy Quran while facing the Qibla.

Start reciting with At-ta'awwuz and Al-Baassmala.

Do not sit on a place higher than the Holy Quran.

It is not allowed to talk while reading Quran, but if there is an important matter you should stop reading and close the book. Then, you could continue your recitation after saying At-ta'awwuz.

One has to give each letter its due so as to clearly and fully pronounce every word, and each letter.

Parts of Tajweed

​Tajweed consists of two parts which related to the essence of their meaning:

The Scientific Tajweed: It is the knowledge of Tajweed rules and characteristics in the certified books. This part is a collective duty which means if a few Muslims learn and memorize it, it was made to fall from the others; but if no one does then all the Muslims are in sin. That is because it is one of the legal science and for that, there is a MUST to be in each of the Islamic countries of different languages tutors taught it. Allah Almighty said," And it is not for the believers to go forth [to battle] all at once. For there should separate from every division of them a group [remaining] to obtain understanding in the religion and warn their people when they return to them that they might be cautious." [Quran, At-Tawba-122]

The Practical Tajweed: It is the implementation of phonetic rules of Quranic recitation and reading Quran with tajweed as it was revealed to the Prophet Muhammed (Peace be upon him). It is required upon every legally competent Muslim of a responsible age to perform religious duties in Islam and to recite Quran with tajweed properly. Allah Almighty said, "….And recite the Quran with measured recitation." [Quran, Al-Muzzammil-4]

Levels of Reciting (Tajweed) the Holy Quran

There are three levels of recitation that exist in tajweed. They are classified according to the human ear which can only recognize them as a slow recitation, a fast recitation and a moderate recitation (neither slow nor fast).

A-Tahqîq: (slowness without elongation), which is the slowest recitation without elongation that encourages to reflect upon the words and meanings and that allows hearing the tajweed rules very clearly. This level exemplified by the simplicity and care in articulating the letters of Quran words.

Al-Hadr: (fast reading without merging of the adjacent letters), which is a quick recitation that utilized for revision; thus it is very close to everyday speech rhythm. When reading with Hadr, there is a danger of minimizing the timing of the letters and merging one into another. However, there is no problem with reciting the Quran with Hadr, provided that there is no idghaam (merging of the adjacent letters) or reduction in the required time of the letter articulation.

At-Tadweer: (letters moderation in recitation), which is reading in between Al-hadr and Al-Tahqiq, neither too fast nor too slow.