VI.— The Recital and Reading of the Qurʾān

Tilāwah ( تلاوة ‎ ), or “the recital of the Qurʾān,” has been developed into a science known as ʿIlmu ʾt-Tajwīd ( علم التجويد‎ ), which includes a knowledge of the peculiarities of the spelling of many words in the Qurʾān; of the qirāʾāt ( قراءات‎ ), or various readings; of the ejaculations, responses, and prayers to be said at the close of appointed pa ages; of the various divisions, punctuations, and marginal instructions; of the proper pronunciation of the Arabic words; and of the correct intonation of different pa ages. The reading or recital of the Qurʾān should commence with legal ablution and prayer. The usual prayer is, “I seek protection from God against the cursed Satan!” which is followed by the invocation , “In the name of God the Merciful, the Compa ionate!” The mosque is considered the most suitable of all places in which to read the Qurʾān, and the most auspicious days of the week are Friday, Monday, and Thursday. The ordinary time allowed for reading the Qurʾān through is forty days, although by reciting a juzʾ or sīpārah daily, it can be done in thirty days, which is said to have been the custom of the Prophet. Some read it through by manzils , or stages, of which there are seven, which is done in a week. On no account should it be read through in le than three days, for which there is a three-fold division, known in Persian as the K͟hat am-i-Manzil-i-Fīl , the initial letters of each portion ( فى ال‎ ) forming the word fīl . Ejaculations, or responses, are made at certain places. For example, at the end of the Sūratu ʾl-Fātiḥah (i.) and of the Sūratu ʾl-Baqarah (ii.), say, “Amen!” At the end of the Sūratu Banī Isrāʾīl (xvii.), say, “God is great!” After the last verse of the Sūratu ʾl-Qiyāmah (lxxv.), say, “Is He not powerful enough to raise the dead? Say, Yes, for He is my Lord Most High!” At the end of the Sūratu ʾl-Mulk (lxvii . ), say, “God brings it (clear water) to us and He is Lord of all the Worlds!” In addition to responses to be made after each Sūrah, or Chapter, there are certain ejaculations to be made after certain verses, for example, after the sixteenth verse of the third Sūrah, “There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Wise!” say, “I am a witne to this!” There are fourteen verses known as the Ayātu ʾs-Sajdah , after which a prostration is made. They are Sūrahs vii. 205 ; xiii. 16 ; xvi. 51 ; vii. 109 ; xix. 59 ; xxii. 19 ; xxv. 61 ; xxvii. 26 ; xxxii. 15 ; xxxviii. 24 ; xli. 38 ; liii. 62 ; lxxxiv. 20 ; xcvi. 18 . There are numerous instructions given as to pronunciation, and there have arisen seven schools of pronunciation, which are known as those of the Qurrāʾu ʾs-Sabʿah , or “seven readers ” (for a list of these readers, see QARI ). It is considered quite lawful to recite the Qurʾān according to the pronunciation established by any one of these seven worthies. There are many marks and symbols on the margin of an Arabic Qurʾān. Mr. Sell, in his Ilm i Tajwid , gives them in detail. ( Ilm i Tajwid , Keys & Co., Madras, 1852.) The symbol for full stop is o , when the reader should take breath . The word سكنة‎ is written when a slight pause is made, but no breath taken. There are also signs which are known as waqf , or pause . They were originally of five kinds, but many more have been added in modern times. They are distinguished by letters and words. [ WAQF .] There are twenty-nine Sūrahs of the Qurʾān which begin with certain letters of the alphabet. These letters, the learned say, have some profound meaning, known only to the Prophet himself, although it seems probable that they are simply marks recorded by the amanuensis. (1) Six Sūrahs begin with the letters Alif , Lām , Mīm . الم‎ ALM , viz. Sūrahs al-Baqarah ( ii. ), Ālu ʿImrān ( iii. ), al-ʿAnkabūt ( xxix. ), al-Rūm ( xxx. ), Luqmān ( xxx i. ), as-Sajdah ( xxxii. ). Golius thinks that they probably stand for Amr li-Muḥammad , “At the command of Muḥammad,” and to have been written by the amanuensis. Jalālu ʾd-dīn as-Suyūt̤ī says that Ibn ʿAbbās said that they stood for Anā ʾllāhu aʿlimu , “I, God, know” (that this is true). Al-Baiẓāwī thinks A stands for “Allāh,” L for “Gabriel,” and M for “Muḥammad.” Mr. Sale gives the meaning as Allāhu Lat̤ifun Majīdun , “God is gracious and exalted”; others have suggested Allāhu li-Muḥammad , “God to Muḥammad.” But the general belief is that the letters have a hidden meaning. (2) At the commencement of Sūratu ʾl-Aʿrāf ( vii. ), there is Alif , Lām , Mīm , Ṣād . المص‎ ALMṢ , which may mean: A , “Anā”; L , “ Allāh ”; M , “Raḥmān”; Ṣ , “Ṣamad”; i.e . “I am God, the Merciful, the Eternal.” (3) The Sūratu ʾr-Raʿd ( xiii. ) begins with the letters Alif , Lām , Mīm , Rā . المر‎ ALMR , which al-Baiẓāwī takes to mean, A , “Anā”; L , “ Allāhu ”; M , “Aʿlimu”; R , “Arā.” “I, God, both know and see.” (4) Five Sūrahs begin with Alif , Lām , Rā . الر‎ ALR , which some understand to mean Amara lī Rabbī , “My Lord hath said to me,” or Anā ʾllāhu arā , “I, God, see.” These Sūrahs are Yūnus ( x. ), Hūd ( xi. ), Yūsuf ( xii. ), Ibrāhīm ( xiv. ), al-Ḥijr ( xv. ). (5) The Sūratu Maryam ( xix. ) begins with the letters Kāf , Hā , Yā , ʿAin , Ṣād . كهيعص‎ KHYʿAṢ , which Ibn ʿAbbās says stand for five attributes of the Almighty: Karīm , “Gracious”; Hādi , “Guide”; Ḥakīm (taking the middle letter), “Wise”; ʿAlīm , “Learned”; Ṣādiq , “Righteous.” (6) The Sūratu T̤H ( xx. ), as its title implies, begins with the letters T̤ā Hā طه‎ , which Ḥusain says may signify T̤āhir , “Pure”; Hādi , “Guide”; being attributes of God. (7) Six Sūrahs commence with the letters Ḥā Mīm حم‎ , ḤM , namely, Sūrahs al-Muʾmin ( xl. ), Fuṣṣilat ( xli. ), az-Zuk͟hruf ( xliii. ), ad-Duk͟hān ( xliv. ), al-Jās̤iyah ( xlv. ), al-Aḥqāf ( xlvi. ). Ibn ʿAbbās says they indicate the attribute Raḥmān , “Merciful.” (8) The Sūratu ʾsh-Shūrā ( xlii. ) begins with Ḥa Mīm ʿAin Sīn Qāf . حمعسق‎ HMʿASQ , which Muḥammad ibn Kaʿb understood to mean Ḥ for Raḥmān , “Merciful”; M for Raḥīm , “Gracious”; ʿA , ʿAlīm , “Learned”; S , Quddūs , “Holy”; Q , Qahhār , “Dominant”; being attributes of God. (9) The Sūratu YS ( xxxvi. ), as its title implies, begins with the letters Yā Sīn يس‎ , which is supposed to stand for Yā insān , “O man!” (10) The Sūratu Ṣ ( xxxviii. ), as its title signifies, begins with the letter Ṣād ص‎ , which some say means Ṣidq , “Truth.” (11) The Sūratu Q ( l. ), as its name implies, begins with the letter Qāf ق‎ , which Jalālu ʾd-Dīn as-Suyūt̤ī says stands for Qādir , “Powerful,” an attribute of God. Others think it means the mountain of Qāf. (12) The Sūratu ʾl-Naml ( xxvii. ) begins with the letters T̤ā Sīn طس‎ , which Muḥammad ibn Kaʿb says stand for Ẕū ʾt̤-t̤aul , “Most Powerful,” and Quddūs , “Holy,” being attributes of the Almighty. (13) Two Sūrahs, namely ash-Shuʿarāʾ ( xxvi. ), and al-Qaṣaṣ ( xxviii. ), begin with T̤ā Sīn Mīm طسم‎ , which supplies the addition of the attribute Raḥmān , “Merciful,” to those of the former section, indicated by T̤S . (14) The Sūratu ʾl-Qalam ( lxviii. ) begins with Nūn , ن‎ N , which some say stands for an ink-horn, others for a fish, and some for the attribute of Nūr , or “Light.”