Lesson Reminders

1.1. Shukr

Know that we do not attend these blessed dars by chance; rather it is Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬who honours us
by bringing us to these gatherings therefore we should be grateful and appreciate this blessing
upon us, we do so by giving shukr.

To be able to give shukr, to be inspired to give shukr, is, in and of itself a ‫ﻧﻌﻤﺔ‬, a blessing. There are
various means by which we can show our gratitude to Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬for example by praying two
rak’at Salatul shukr, making dhikr etc.

The tongue to the body only equates only 1%, therefore we should give shukr through our actions
and by acting in accordance with what we have been blessed with. The actions by the body are
incomparable to the praise on the tongue.

Everyone’s journey is unique so reflect upon this and give shukr for the blessing which has lead us
where we are today.

One should make it a habit to show shukr via their action, when one ponders over a blessing one
will give shukr for the ‫ ﻧﻌﻤﺔ‬which will only cause Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬to increase one in that blessing and
Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬will put barakah in it.

It is Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬who gives you the tawfeeq to do your homework, so give shukr to have been
given the honour to hand it in on time and complete it with ihsaan, quality. For one to miss a
lesson they have missed 60-70 years of nawafil ibadaat therefore try and obtain as much benefit
from each lesson as is possible.

Dawud ( ‫ )ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﺳﻼﻡ‬was gifted with beautiful recitation, and he was also the best in fasting and
salaah. One should do the ‘amal that will lead you to act upon it thereby giving shukr i.e. recite
Quran and try to act upon its verses.

There is an israli hadith which narrates that Dawud (‫ )ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﺳﻼﻡ‬asked Allah (‫‘ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬How can I make
shukr to you when I need to be making shukr for being given the ability to make shukr?’

So one should also realise that the ability to make shukr is from Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬also, this should no
doubt humble us.

1.2. Hidayah

Know that Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬is ‫( ﺍﻟﻬﺎﺩﻱ‬Al-Haadi); The Giver of hidayah, guidance.

Surah Al Fatihah is one of the first and easiest surahs that Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬has helped us to
comprehend and understand, it is a surah in which we ask Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬to keep us on the Siraat Al
Mustaqeem, the straight path.

How do we know we have been given hidayah? The very fact that we are attending these lessons
shows that Allah has granted us hidayah and we should give shukr to Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬for this ni’mah.

We should view hidayah as Risq therefore if we give shukr to Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﻠﻰ‬He (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬will increase us
in hidayah/rizq.
We need to plan our journey of I’lm and build our attachment to the ‫ ﻛﺘﺎﺏُ ﺍﷲ‬and remember that
‘the best amongst you are those who learn the Qur’an and teach it.’

1.3. Taalibul ‘ilm

We must always be in the attitude of Shukr, of humility. The most necessary element for Jinns and
Humans is hidayah. Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬is ‫ﺍﻟﻬﺎﺩﻱ‬. He loves to give hidaya but we as individuals need to put
in effort so we can have hidayah.

How do we gain the divine guidance? The divine knowledge is the key on how to utilise all other
knowledge; both secular and religious. It will be a cause of the secular knowledge to become
knowledge with ethics.

Knowledge with ethics will undoubtedly benefit human beings as it has the spirit of true and
divine guidance. This is why the scholars order and maintain the divine journey. The ‘Ulamah
(‫ )ﺟﺰﺍﺋﻜﻢ ﺍﷲ ﺧﻴﺮﺍ‬advise us to keep seven points in our journey for the sake of ‘ilm;

1. Be a stranger for knowledge i.e. become detached from dunya and do not waste
time in idle matters.

2. Be humble toward your Sheikh and the friends with whom you study.

3. Take knowledge to its wholeness therefore attain as much as is possible and

always aim higher. One should note this does not mean to be humble if you lack
understanding rather one should seek knowledge fully and be humble with the people.

4. Do not be led by your stomach, therefore try not to eat too much and do not make
food a priority, this will raise spiritual awareness.

5. Displace yourself i.e. travel far for the sake of knowledge, accept a smaller job for
the sake of the divine ‘ilm etc

6. Go against your desires and fulfil the spiritual needs of the soul. If you entertain
your nafs it will make you disobedient against the acquisition of the divine knowledge

7. Follow the advice of the Qur’an, Hadeeth and your Sheikh.

1.4. I’tiraaf

It is the case that every muslim should recognise Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬is the one who gives bounty. If one
can recognise every favour as from Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬it is called I’tiraaf ‫ ﺇﻋﺘﺮﺍﻑ‬i.e. full recognition and
submission.

Every Muslim/non Muslim should know Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬is The One who gives bounty. There are
different levels of knowing, so one must ask themselves how much they know Allah. The more one
recognises Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬the more one knows Him.

How can one increase in their recognition of Allah (‫ ?)ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬One can do so by increasing their
knowledge of Him (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻝﻯ‬through His sifaat and reflecting upon this.

The more one recognises Allah’s favours the easier it will be to obey Him (‫)ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬, the more I’tiraaf
one has the less likely it will be that one will fall into sin. The outcome of recognition is obedience.
 ‫ﺧﻴﺮﻛﻢ ﻣﻦ ﺗﻌﻠﻢ ﺍﻟﻘﺮﺁﻥ ﻭﻋﻠﻤﻪ‬

The best amongst you is the one who learns Quran and teaches it, the right of tajweed is that it is
to be taught, it is the zakat for the knowledge therefore do not be a miser with ‘ilm.

1.5. Hidayah

The Qur’an, kitabullah (Allah’s Book) is a book of hidayah. Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬has affirmed this in the
Qur’an itself when He (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬states in Suratul Baqarah that this kitab is ‘‫ ’ﻫُﺪَﻯ ﻟﱢﻠْﻤُﺘَﻘِﻦ‬to the effect; a
guidance for those who have taqwa.

We all believe this to be true, but how can this book of guidance be real true ‫ ﻫﺪﻯ‬guidance for us?
This is a personal question we must all ask ourselves and measure whether the book of Allah really
is guidance for us personally.

Two questions are to be derived from this:

1. What is our faith in the book of Allah (‫ ?)ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬Do we truly accept it as the revealed
word of Allah?
2. Are we concerned with having a relationship of guidance with the book of Allah?

Only Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬knows our real intention, but we should constantly strive to analyse our
intentions as to why we are studying the book of Allah (‫)ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬. We must ask ourselves why are
people struggling to make the Qur’an a part of their lives and how am I going to implement Quran
into my life?

The living example of the Quran is Rasul Allah (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻼﻡ‬who was described by Aisha ( ‫ﺭﺿﻲ‬
‫ )ﺍﷲ ﻋﻨﻬﺎ‬as the example of the Quran walking on earth. The Sahaba ( ‫ )ﺭﺿﻲ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻨﻬﻢ‬collectively
embodied the Quran as they were always in the company of the Prophet (‫)ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻼﻡ‬.

So what is it that is stopping us from implementing the Quran in our lives? The reason we have
this problem is that the vast majority of us are living two lives. We read the Quran part time and
we go to class with a different personality. Outside this forum, outside the dars, whether at work
or study, we are a different personality. We need to recognise this as a problem.

We may have these different, often opposing personalities due to our upbringing or friends. It can
also be due to the media and other drivers. So we find ourselves with a dual personality, one
personality is of taqwa; and the other is dunya where Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬is missing from that part of our
life.

How do we build the personality of taqwa? By building ‫( ﺇﻋﺘﺮﺍﻑ‬full submission) with Allah (‫)ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬, so
much so that it can cover up the other personality. We need to build up our taqwa to such a level
that we can take it outside into our other world with us, so we can take the remembrance of Allah
(‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬with us. In our interaction with others, we see Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬and know that Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬sees
us. We should try to connect with Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬and take that link with us wherever we go.

Try to link tajweed al lisaan (rules etc) with tajweed al janaan. It is like jannah in dunya – it is the
tajweed of the heart – the spiritual side of tajweed. So link the rules with your life.

So one should try to be the same wherever one goes, one should analyse ones intentions.
Recognise that Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬is always watching you. If you have the real intention and the will to do
this, then Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬will help you.
Try to build connection with Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬by pondering over the names of Allah (‫)ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬. Each day
think of a name of Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬and ponder over it as you go about your daily routing that day, for
example. Allah is ‫( ﺍﻝﺭّﺯّﻕ‬Ar Razzaq) who is always providing for us and give thanks for the provision
to the One who provided it for you.

1.6. Talibul ‘Ilm

All favour, grace and divine tawfeeq are from Allah (‫)ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬. This concept, understanding, surely is
needed for everyone more so for the seeker of ‘ilm, in order to have a strong appreciation of Allah
(‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬for inviting us to come to the journey of knowledge.

This knowledge makes us human begins which makes us deserve to be the children of the first
Prophet Adam (‫)ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﺳﻼﻡ‬. Therefore every human being is a child of a prophet (‫)ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﺳﻼﻡ‬.

Alhamdulillah we are from the Ummah of the sealed Prophet ( ‫)ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻼﻡ‬. He ( ‫ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ‬
‫ )ﻭﺳﻼﻡ‬as all the prophets (‫ )ﻋﻠﻴﻬﻢ ﺳﻼﻡ‬before him received prophecies (regarding this like life and the
hereafter).

Taalibul ‘ilm is one who is a seeker of blessed Islamic knowledge. Academic knowledge is also
good and beneficial if used in the correct way and with the right intention. With these conditions
any sciences can be blessed.

In Islam when we say knowledge we mean knowledge given to prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻼﻡ‬and that
which has been preserved for us in the Qur’aan and Sunnah.

So before we come to class we should do 2 things:

1. Do Shukr/ Show Appreciation

2. Check how you have benefitted from these lessons

This does not just mean thinking about what rules we have learnt i.e. not just tajweed al lisaan (of
the tongue) but also tajweed al jannan (of the body/heart).

Tajweed al lisan teaches us to be closer to the One who revealed Qur’aan therefore we should
give more time to the book of Allah, this will create greater love for Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬and His book and
that will reflect in our manners, the friends we have, the way we dress etc.

The best example to follow is that of the prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻼﻡ‬and the Sahabas (‫)ﺭﺿﻲ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻨﻬﻢ‬
we should look at how their lives were changed.

Studying with the school is not just about learning for oneself but Insha’Allah to teach others. It is
not just about learning and understanding the rules but rather a matter of making a change in our
own lives as well as those around us.

‫ﺧﻴﺮﻛﻢ ﻣﻦ ﺗﻌﻠﻢ ﺍﻝﻗﺮﺁﻥ ﻭﻋﻠﻤﻪ‬

1.7. Engagement and communication with Allah (‫)ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬

The greatest moment for a believer is when Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬is pleased with him. There are 2 ways of
communicating with Allah (‫)ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬:

1) We communicate with Allah (‫)ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬, for example during salah

2) Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬communicates with us through responding to our duas. The companions
used to have Yakeen that their duas were answered by Allah and that help had
already descended.

Our communication with Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬is through ibadah and good actions (a’mal), eg Zakat, Salah
etc. There is no middle person between us and Allah (‫)ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬.

For our duas to be responded to there should be a love in our hearts for Allah (‫)ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬, stronger and
unlike the love for anything or anyone else in this world. This love can be built up through good
actions, dedicating time for seeking knowledge and sitting in gatherings where there is
remembrance of Allah (‫)ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬. Thus we should try and always make the most out of our lessons.

We make dua for Jannah in this dunya through the pleasure of Allah (‫)ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬, and Jannah in the
Akhirah. Ameen
 Book One

2.1. Qur’aan and Other Heavenly Books

The Holy Quran is the only Scripture that has survived in its complete original state before which
many of the revealed scriptures entrusted upon mankind were lost, concealed, corrupted or
destroyed.

- The Zabur also known as Psalms were scriptures given to Dawud (‫)ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﺳﻼﻡ‬
- The Torah is the divine book which was given to Musa (‫)ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﺳﻼﻡ‬
- The Injeel also known as the Bible was the divine scripture given to Eesa (‫)ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﺳﻼﻡ‬

The above scriptures were mentioned in the Quran. These books, although are claimed to be in
existence today, cannot be accepted as authentic as they were not successfully preserved by their
people.

There are many reasons why the scriptures of the past have perished and why we cannot rely on
the ones current among us. For example, generally, many of the revealed scriptures were not
specifically written down under the instruction and supervision of the Prophet it was revealed to,
also many were destroyed others lost and the majority altered.

The Jewish scriptures were originally given to Musa ( ‫ )ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﺳﻼﻡ‬who also had in his possession
scriptures of the former prophet but in 600BC they perished during the sack of Jerusalem.

Henceforth, Prophet ‘Uzair ( ‫ )ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﺳﻼﻡ‬salvaged remnants of these scriptures and added to this a
compilation of the history of the life of Musa ( ‫ )ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﺳﻼﻡ‬and the tribe of Israel around 500BC.
However, these scriptures and compilations were destroyed during the second sack of Jerusalem.

Around 200 AD Jewish scholars prepared a Bible with the help of manuscripts they had dated
several centuries earlier. The oldest copy of this Bible now dates back to 916 AD. No other Jewish
script exists today. The earliest manuscript comprises the first 5 books of the Bible.

Jewish oral law were unwritten legend current among the Jews for 1300-1400 years. In late 300AD
a priest called Ya Huda B Sha’mun committed them to writing under the name ‘Misnah’.
Commentaries were made on the Misnah by Palestinian Jews, these commentaries were called
Halaka. Commentaries were also made by the Babylonian scholars called Haggada. An anthology
of the three works is what is known today as the Talmud.

Eesaa ( ‫ )ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﺳﻼﻡ‬orally conveyed to the people the Injeel that Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬revealed to him. His
disciples preserved a mixture of their prophet’s life story and the revealed ayyats of the Bible. It is
important to note that none of this was put to writing during the lifetime of Eesaa (‫ )ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﺳﻼﻡ‬or
even the period following him.

Eesaa (‫ )ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﺳﻼﻡ‬native tongue was Syriac or Aramaic as was his disciples too, but history saw that
most Greek speaking authors heard these traditions in Aramaic but committed them to writing in
Greek.

None of these writings is dated prior to the year 70 AD, and there is no indication that attributed
to Eesaa (‫ )ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﺳﻼﻡ‬in order that a chain of transmission can be formed linking it to him not have
the original works survived.
70 different versions of the bible were prepared. 4 of which were approved by the Christian
leaders. We have no information as to what the grounds of approval or rejection were.

Muslims believe in all of the scriptures (Torat, Zaboor, Injeel etc ) but question whether the
scriptures used today are authentic.

Muslims use the Qur’aan as a standard criteria by which all other books are judged. Whatever
agrees with the Qur’aan is accepted and whatever differs from the quraan is rejected.

The purpose of the Qur’aan is to guard the previous revelations and restore the eternal truth of
Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬to guide humanity to the straight path and quicken the soul of man.

Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬has taken it upon himself to guard the Qur’aan from interpolation (to insert into a
text) and corruption of all kinds.

Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬has challenged the whole of mankind and the jinn’s to produce the like of the Qur’aan.
If the Qur’aan had been from other than Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬then surely there would be inconsistencies.

There is no doubt regarding the originality and purity of the Qur’aan. Scholars and all sensible
thinkers have concluded that the Qur’aan we use today is the same as the Qur’aan that was
revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (‫)ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻼﻡ‬.

There are many non Muslim thinkers agree that the Qur’aan is unique and has not been changed
since the time of the Prophet Muhammad ( ‫)ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻼﻡ‬. See points 1.22-1.24 for specific
comments.

In summary, the Qur’aan contains the words of Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬it is unique in that it is in the same
state as it was when revealed to the prophet Muhammad ( ‫ )ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻼﻡ‬and Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬has
taken it upon himself to protect the Qur’aan from interpolation and corruption of all kinds.

2.2. Definitions

‘Ilm Al- Tajweed (Science of Intonation) is one of the significant Sciences of ‘Uloom Al- Qur’an.
The Tilawat of the Qur’aan is governed by this science.

A Qaari is one whose mastery of Tajweed qualifies him for recitation in public.

The word Tajweed comes from the Arabic word ‘Jawwada’, which means to do better, or to
improve.

Literal meaning of Tajweed: performing, acting or making effort repeatedly in order to reach the
perfect level. In other words, ‘making beautiful’ or ‘striving for excellence’.

Conventional meaning of Tajweed: means determining the full, smooth and balanced
pronunciation and pausing in context of each letter and syllable.

The subject of Tajweed comprises of two main sections:

A) Haroof (letters) which is concerned with the pronunciation of the letters correctly
from their makhraj with their sifaat (qualities) and the relationship of letters to
other letters and words
B) Waqoof (pausing/stopping) which is concerned with the rules of where and how
to pause or stop as well as from where and how to resume.
Tajweed enables the learner to recite the Holy Qur’aan as it was revealed to Rasool Allaah (S), who
was directed to recite the Qur’aan with Tarteel.

Tarteel is the method of recitation to achieve the pleasure of Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬and ‘Ilm Al-Tajweed is
the sole tool to master Tarteel.

2.3. Learning the Qur’an

Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬is the one who taught the Qur,aan to the Prophet ( ‫ )ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻼﻡ‬through Jibreel
(‫)ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﺳﻼﻡ‬. Allah says in Surahtur Rahman verse 1-2:

‫ ﻋَﻠﱠﻢَ ﺍﻟْﻘُﺮْﺁﻥ‬- ُ‫ﺍﻟﺮﱠﺣْﻤَﻦ‬

‘The most Beficent (Allah). It is He who taught the Qur’an’

َ‫ﻭَﺇِﻧﱠﻪُ ﻟَﺘَﻨﺰِﻳﻞُ ﺭَﺏﱢ ﺍﻟْﻌَﺎﻟَﻤِﻴﻦ‬

ُ‫ﻧَﺰَﻝَ ﺑِﻪِ ﺍﻟﺮﱡﻭﺡُ ﺍﻟْﺄَﻣِﻴﻦ‬
َ‫ﻋَﻠَﻰٰ ﻗَﻠْﺒِﻚَ ﻟِﺘَﻜُﻮﻥَ ﻣِﻦَ ﺍﻟْﻤُﻨﺬِﺭِﻳﻦ‬
ٍ‫ﺑِﻠِﺴَﺎﻥٍ ﻋَﺮَﺑِﻲﱟ ﻣﱡﺒِﻴﻦ‬
‘And this Qur’aan is a relevation of the lord of the worlds. The faithful spirit (Jibreel) has
decended with it in a clear Arabic language upon you so that you may be amongst the warners.’
(Qur’aan 26 192-195).

The Qur’aan is an oral tradition. This tradition started with Jibreel(s) who recited to Prophet ( ‫ﺻﻠﻰ‬
‫ )ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻼﻡ‬and then listened to the Prophet ( ‫ )ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻼﻡ‬recite everything that had been
revealed to date, every Ramadan. The entire Qur’aan was read twice in the last Ramadan of the
Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻼﻡ‬life.

Ayaats of the Qur’aan had been in the hearts of the learned before being in book form. Allah
(‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬emphasizes this uniqueness in the Qur’aan.

ۚ َ‫ﻭَﻣَﺎ ﻳَﺠْﺤَﺪُ ﺑِﺂﻳَﺎﺗِﻨَﺎ ﺇِﻟﱠﺎ ﺍﻟﻈﱠﺎﻟِﻤُﻮﻥَ ﺑَﻞْ ﻫُﻮَ ﺁﻳَﺎﺕٌ ﺑَﻴﱢﻨَﺎﺕٌ ﻓِﻲ ﺻُﺪُﻭﺭِ ﺍﻟﱠﺬِﻳﻦَ ﺃُﻭﺗُﻮﺍ ﺍﻟْﻌِﻠْﻢ‬
‘Nay but the clear aayats are preserved in the hearts of those who have been given knowledge.
And none but the unjust deny our Aayat’ (Qur’aan 29: 49)

Teaching the Qur’aan

Two ways in which the Qur’aan was taught;

Al-Talaqqi is receiving the knowledge and skills of tilawaat under the supervision of a Qaari.
Learner listens to Qaari and then repeats after him. Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬taught the Prophet ( ‫ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ‬
‫ )ﻭﺳﻼﻡ‬by this method.

Al-Ard whereby the student offers or presents their knowledge and skills of tilawaat to the Qaari,
the Qaari listens and gives advice.
The Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻼﻡ‬taught the Sahabah (‫ )ﺭﺿﻲ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻨﻬﻢ‬using both of these methods. The
prophet(s) would teach 10 aayats and no more until the sahaabat memorized and practiced these
aayats.

Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬says in the Qur’aan to the effect: Allah conferred a great favour on the believers by
sending a messenger among themselves, reciting unto them his verses (qur’aan) and purifying
them and instructing them in the book and Al-Hikma (wisdom and sunnah of the prophet).

Besides orally some Sahabah ( ‫ )ﺭﺿﻲ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻨﻬﻢ‬used to study and memorise the Qur’an from
manuscripts as shown in the story of Umar ibn Khattab.

Many of the Sahaabah ( ‫ )ﺭﺿﻲ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻨﻬﻢ‬were permitted to teach the Qur’aan during the lifetime of
the Prophet (‫)ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻼﻡ‬. Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻼﻡ‬sent many Quraa’ to teach Muslims, he
(‫ )ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻼﻡ‬would encourage the Sahabah (‫ )ﺭﺿﻲ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻨﻬﻢ‬to recite and teach the Qur’aan.

Qiraats (variationa and styles of recitation)

The Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻼﻡ‬sent governors to newly established Islamic states to teach Qur’an.
Due to the rapid spread of Islam reputable Qur’aa to teach the Qur’an were in demand and a
necessity.

There are 7 approved qiraats of qur’aan Tilawaat. Each of these Qiraats became popular in
different Islamic territories.

Eygpt and estern islamic world especially makkat, Baghdad and kufat recite according to Imam
Aasim Ibn Abi Al Najood following Imam Hafs Ibn Sulayman (prominent Qaari of Kufat).

Most western countries e.g Libya recite according to Imam Naafi who follows Qiraat of Imam
Qaloon and Imam Warsh.

People of Sudan and some of Yemen follow Qiraat of Imam Abu Amr Ibn Ala which was promoted
by Imam Al-Dauri (‫) ﺭﺣﻤﺔ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻬﻢ‬.

2.4. Hukm At Tajweed

Hukm is from ‘Hakama’; to give an order/pass judgement. Allah (‫ )ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬gave the Hukm of Al
Tajweed and made it compulsory to recite the Qur’an with tajweed the way it was revealed and
recited by Rasul Allah (‫)ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻼﻡ‬.

There are two Hukm

Fard-al-Ayn (individual obligation) Fard-al-kifayyat (collective obligation)

1. To comply with rules of tajweed
without necessarily have full
knowledge of rules
2. Minimum fard-al-ayn is surat-al-
Fatihat and some other surats
(recited with tajweed) needed durin
salat
3. Carelessness/neglect makes one
sinful
1. Learning and teaching rules of ilm-al-
tajweed is fard-kifayyat
2. If no one does it – all held responsible
3. The Quran directed muslims to give
others the opportunity to learn
Islamic religion so that they may warn
and pass on to others.
Errors in Tilaawat are divided into two categories

1. Al-Lahn-Al-Jaliy - ‫ﺍﻟﺤﻦ ﺍﻟﺠﻠﻲ‬ 2. Al-Lahn-Al-Khafiy - ‫ﺍﻟﺤﻦ ﺍﻟﺨﻔﻲ‬

(manifest/plain mistakes) (concealed mistakes)
• MAJOR errors • MINOR errors
• Major sin and HARAAM • Sin and MAKROOH
• COMPULSORY to refrain • NECESSARY to refrain

These errors take place in three areas of recitation

Plain Concealed

- Replacing one letter - Not giving proper double

for another i.e. length to mushaddad
‫ ﺙ‬for ‫ﺱ‬ Letters
letters
- Not reciting letters with
‫ ﻁ‬for ‫ﺕ‬ entire qualities

- Replacing one vowel - Not reciting vowels with

for another Vowels entire qualities
- Ignoring necessary - - Not giving full length to
laazim madd madd

- Stopping/pausing in - Not ending word

wrong place i.e. Waqf properly at the point of
changing meaning of waqf
sentence

Errors and their Hukm

There are three Hukm for errors in recitation:

JAA’IZ: ‘allowed’; from ‘Jaaza’; to allow/permit

a. For one who is learning to read with tajweed
b. Errors are forgiven
c. Doubly rewarded
i. For effort
ii. For recitation (in spite of errors)

MAKROOH: ‘disliked’; from ‘kariah’; to dislike, loathe, abhor

d. Minor sin can reduce/destroy reward
e. Becomes major sin if leads to confusion/disrespect for recitation

HARAAM: ‘prohibited’
f. Changes letters or vowels
g. Making wrong pauses changes meaning
- these are major errors and can lead to:
 • Kufr
When error intentional = ‘Tahreef’/makes one Kafir. Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﻠﻲ‬mentions this as one of the
worst wrongs of some of the people of the book i.e. changing it knowingly after they’ve
understood it.

• Ithim
If changes (makrooh) are made unintentionally or a major sin if leads to
confusion/disrespect for recitation

2.5. Excellence of Tilaawat

Reciting with tajweed brings about the following:

• Pleasure of Allah (‫)ﺗﻊﺍﻟﻰ‬

• Full Ajr
• Enjoyable/effective recitation
• Fulfils one of the Quranic rights
• It reduces/removes carelessness whilst reciting the Quran; thus reducing confusion
and sin.

Virtues regarding the Excellence of Tilaawat

Learning a single Ayat correctly is better than offering 100 rakats Nafl Salat. Umm Al-Mu’mineen,
‘Aisha (‫ )ﺭﺿﻲ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻨﻬﺎ‬narrates that Rasool Allaah (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻼﻡ‬said, ’One who is well versed in
the Qur’aan will be in the company of those angels who are scribes, noble and righteous; and
one who falters in reading the Qur’aan and has to exert hard for learning, gets double the
reward.’ [Al-Bukhaariy & Muslim]

For every letter recited, one gets 10 Hasanat. E.g. in alif laam meem; alif is a letter, laam is a letter
and meem is a letter. Rasool Allaah (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻼﻡ‬said, ‘The best among you is he who learns
the Qur’aan and teaches it.‘ [Al-Bukhaariy]
 Book Three
Background Reading

The following is a brief introduction to Arabic grammar for the purpose of aiding the
understanding of the lam sakin rules.

In Arabic there are three main word types these are:

1. The verb
2. The noun
3. The particle

The verb (ٌ‫ )ﻓِﻌْﻞ‬denotes an action, otherwise known as the ‘doing’ word i.e. he beat (َ‫ )ﺿَﺮَﺏ‬he sent
(َ‫ )ﺑَﻌَﺚ‬he entered (َ‫ )ﺩَﺧَﻞ‬etc.

The noun (ٌ‫ )ﺍﺳْﻢ‬is the name given to a person or an object i.e. girl (ٌ‫)ﺑِﻨْﺖ‬, man (ٌ‫)ﺭَﺟُﻞ‬, table (ٌ‫)ﻣَﻜْﺘﺎﺏ‬,
book (ٌ‫ )ﻛِﺘﺎﺏ‬etc

The particle (ٌ‫ )ﺣَﺮْﻑ‬refers to words which join two nouns in terms of time and space the following
are some examples to help understand what a particle is;

- The book is on the table - ِ‫ﺍﻟﻜِﺘَﺎﺏُ ﻋَﻠَﻰ ﺍﻟْﻤَﻜْﺘﺎﺏ‬

- The man went to the market – ِ‫ﺍﻟﺮَﺟُﻞُ ﺇِﻟَﻰ ﺍﻟﺴُﻮﻕ‬ َ‫ﺫَﻫَﺐ‬
- The girl is from makkah – َ‫ﺍﻟﺒِﻨْﺖُ ﻣِﻦ ﻣَﻚﱠﺓ‬

From the examples we can see the particle are words such as; on, above, below, to, behind, from,
after, little etc as they join two objects either in terms of space i.e. he went to the market or time
i.e. I will meet you after maghrib.

Unlike English, Arabic is slightly more simplistic in its form, so a sentence can be written using just
three word type whereas in English we would use many word types for example:

The boy entered in the house in Arabic would be expressed as ِ‫ﻓَﻲ ﺍﻟﺒَﻴْﺖ‬ ‫ﺩَﺧَﻞَ ﻹِﺑْﻦ‬ the Arabic
words which were used can easily be broken down to the three word types:

Particle
Noun ِ‫ﺩَﺧَﻞَ ﻹِﺑْﻦ ﻓَﻲ ﺍﻟﺒَﻴْﺖ‬ Verb

In essence the text relating to Book III lesson I is acknowledging the fact that the lam sakin can
appear in any word type and primarily focuses on the three major word types mentioned above as
they are the main components in a sentence.

3. 1. The Lam Sakin (‫)ﻟْـ‬

Lam Saakin is a lam with a sukoon ْ‫ﻝ‬, ghunna is not made on any Lam. The Lam Saakin can be
found in verbs, nouns and particles.

Below is a table illustrating the various rules relating to the lam saakin.
 Lam Saakin
ُ‫ﺍﻟﻼﻡُ ﺍﻟﺴﺎﻛﻨﺔ‬

Verb Noun
(‫)ﻓِﻌْﻞ‬ (ٌ‫)ﺍِﺳْﻢ‬

Assliyat
Al Idgham This is when the noun
If ْ‫ ﻝ‬is followed by ‫ ﻝ‬or ‫ﺭ‬ without the ْ‫ ﻝ‬will cease
then idgham will be made to be a word i.e.
bila ghunna and the ‫ ﻝ‬or ‫ﺭ‬
will become mushadad i.e. Particle ‫ﺳَﻠْﺴَﺒِﻴﻼ‬
‫ﻗُﻞْ ﻟﱠﻜُﻢْ – ﻗُﻞْ ﺭﱠﺏﱢ‬ (ٌ‫)ﺣَﺮْﻑ‬

Zaa’idat
Al Idhaar
If ْ‫ ﻝ‬is followed by any
Al Idgham
other letter then it will
If ْ‫ ﻝ‬is followed by ‫ ﻝ‬or ‫ﺭ‬
be read with idhaar i.e.
with no ‫ *ﺳَﻜْﺘَﺔ‬in between
then idgham will be made
َ‫ﻗُﻞْ ﻫُﻮ‬ bila ghunna and the ‫ ﻝ‬or ‫ﺭ‬ Ghair
will become mushadad i.e. Lazimat

ُ‫ﻫَﻞْ ﻟﱠﻚَ – ﺑَﻞْ ﺭﱠﻓَﻌَﻪ‬

Lazimat
This is when the noun will
Al Idhaar
still exist even if the ْ‫ ﻝ‬is
If ْ‫ ﻝ‬is followed by any
omitted
other letter then it will
be read with idhaar i.e.

ْ‫ﻫَﻞْ ﺛُﻮﱢﺏَ – ﺑَﻞْ ﺯَﻋَﻤْﺘُﻢ‬

Al Idhaar
If ْ‫ ﻝ‬is followed by
Al Idgham any other letter
If ْ‫ ﻝ‬is followed by ‫ ﻝ‬then then it will be
idgham will be made bila read with idhaar
ghunna and the ‫ ﻝ‬will i.e.
become mushadad i.e.
ُ‫ ﺍَﻟْﺒَﻴْﺖ‬- َ‫ﺍَﻟْﻴَﺴَﻊ‬
‫ ﺍﻝﱠﺫِﻱ‬- ‫ﺍﻝﱠﺕِﻱ‬
* ‫ ﺳَﻜْﺘَﺔ‬Saktat is when a pause is made and then the recitation continues with the same breath
Laam Al-Tareef

Laam Al-Tareef otherwise known as ‫ ﺍَﻟْـ‬is used to make a noun (‫ )ﺍﺳﻢ‬definite for example:
ٌ ‫( ﻛِﺘﺎ‬A Book) - ُ‫( ﺍﻝﻛﺘﺎﺏ‬The Book)
‫ﺏ‬
ٌ‫( ﺑَﻴْﺖ‬A House) - ُ‫( ﺍﻝﺑﻴﺖ‬The house)
Laam Al-Tareef has two Hukm’s:

1. Al-izhaar: When laam Al-Tareef is followed by Qamariyyat (lunar) letter it is read with Al-
Izhaar(clearly). The laam is pronounced distinctly from initial letter.

There are 14 Qamariyyat letters: ‫ﺍﺏﻍﺡﺝﻙﻭﺥﻑﻉﻕﻱﻡ‬

2. Al-Idghaam: When Laam Al-Tareef is followed by a Shamsiyyat (solar) letter it is read with Al-
Idghaam. The Laam is assimilated into the initial letter of the Ism (noun). The letter becomes
mushaddad. No ghunna is done.

There are 14 shamsiyyat letters: ‫ﺕﺙﺩﺫﺭﺯﺱﺵﺹﺽﻁﻅﻝﻥ‬

3.2. The two Mushaddad; Meem and Noon

 Meem and Noon Mushaddatayn are letters with Shaddat OR Tashdeed (double
consonant)
 In Tashdeed the first is always Saakin (vowelless) and the second is read with the
vowel it carries.

Both Meem and Noon have the Hukm of Idghaam with obligatory gunnah.
The duration of the Gunnah is two Harakat.
Ghunnat is to be read in both Waqf (stopping) and Wasl (continuing) for the duration of two
Harakat.

3.3. Meek Saakin

Definition: Meem saakinat is a meem with a sukoon or jazm. Meem saakin appears in Ism (noun),
Fi’l (verb) and Harf (particle).

When meem saakin is a Mutawasit (middle) letter in a word this meem has the Hukm of Izhaar.

Hukm of the Akheer/ Akheerat Meem

When the meem saakin is the Akheer or Akheerat (final) letter in a word it will have one of three
Hukm:

1. Ikhfaa: If the akheer meem is followed in the next word by ‫ﺏ‬, it will be read with Ikhfaa
Ghunnah will be made. This Ikhfaa is called Ikhfaa Shafawiy (as it is issued from the lips).

2. Idghaam: If meem akheerat saakinat is followed by another ‫ ﻡ‬it will be read with Idghaam
bil Ghunnah. This Idghaam is called Idghaam Mithlayn (two harfs are the same i.e. meem
meem).
 3. Izhaar: If meem akheerat saakinat is followed by any of the remaining twenty-six letters; it
will be read with Izhaar. This Izhaar is called Izhaar Shafawiy (issued from the lips). This Izhaar
must be specifically manifest with letters faa and waaw.

Hukm of Meem Saakinat Letters followed Name of Rules

Ikhfaa Baa Ikhfaa Shafawiy
Idghaam Meem Idghaam Mithlayn
Izhaar Any other letters Izhaar Shafawiy

3.4. Noon Saakin and Tanween

Noon saakin can appear in:

• Noun (Ism) e.g. ‫ ﺃَﻧْﻬَﺎﺭ‬- ‫ ﺍﻟﺪﱡﻧْﻴَﺎ‬- ُ‫ﺍﻟْﻤُﻨْﺨَﻨِﻘَﺔ‬

• Verb (Fil) e.g. ‫ﻳَﻨْﺼُﺮْﻛُﻢ‬
• Harf e.g. ْ‫ﺃَﻥ‬

Noon saakin can be a Mutawasitat- middle of a word, or it can be Akheerat- final letter.
Tanween (nunnation) is an unwritten extra Noon Saakinat at the Akheerat letter of an Ism. It is
only found in wasl- continuation as it disappears when stopping (waqf)

Noon Saakin and Tanween have four Ahkaam (plural of Hukm) - Izhaar; Idghaam; Qalb and Ikhfaa

1. Idhaar Halqi; when noon saakin or tanween is followed by one of the six Huroof
Halqiyyat ‫ ﻍ ﺥ‬، ‫ ﻉ ﺡ‬، ‫ء )ﺃ( ﻫـ‬
No ghunna is made and the harf is read clearly from its makhraj

2. Idghaam occurs when noon saakin or tanween is followed by any of the 6 letters
‫ﻱ ﺭ ﻡ ﻝ ﻭ ﻥ‬
There are 2 types of idghaam:
- Idghaam Naaqis (incomplete Idghaam) otherwise known as Idghaam Bil Ghunnat.
This occurs with the following letters ‫ ﻱ ﻭ ﻡ ﻥ‬where ghunna is made fully from the
makhraj.

*Exceptions- Izhaar Mutlaq (plain izhaar) is made when noon saakin is in a middle of a
harf. This occurs in 4 words in the Qur’an
‫ ﺩُﻧْﻴَﺎ‬- ‫ ﻗِﻨْﻮَﺍﻥ‬- ‫ ﺑُﻨْﻴَﺎﻥ‬- ‫ﺻِﻨْﻮَﺍﻥ‬
- Idghaam Kaamil (complete Idghaam) otherwise known as Idghaam Bilaa Ghunnat.
This occurs with the remaining two Harf; ‫ ﺭ‬and ‫ﻝ‬

3. Qalb (alteration or turning) - noon saakin or tanween is changed into a meem when if
it followed by baa. Ikhfaa is made i.e. ghunna is made but not fully from the makhraj.

4. Ikhfaa (concealing or covering)- this occurs when noon saakin or tanween is followed
by any one of the fifteen letters that remains from Huroof Al-Hijaa i.e. once the letters
of the throat, idhaam letters and baa have been taken out
‫ﺹ ﺫ ﺙ ﻙ ﺝ ﺵ ﻕ ﺱ ﺩ ﻁ ﺯ ﻑ ﺕ ﺽ ﻅ‬
Noon Saakin (or Tanween) is pronounced lightly through the Khayshoom (the nasal
cavity) and the Lisaan (tongue) does not pronounce the Noon fully from its Makhraj.