The Art of Beautiful Recitation: Understanding Its Foundations

When you hear the recitation of the Imams of the Haramain in Makkah and Madina, it sounds so perfect and melodious. We all accept this unanimously and play their recitation on our phones and cars. There's a science behind this: every letter of the Arabic language is pronounced from the correct part of the mouth. The heavy letters and the light letters, as well as the nuanced rules of recitation, are all meticulously observed.

This science isn’t difficult, it seems difficult because most people have not been introduced to it. If any child, is introduced to it from the beginning of their Qur’an studies, they too will recite as accurately as the imams of the Haramain.

We saw this with the two Qaris who visited us from London at our Qur’an exhibition event. They did not study in Saudi Arabia, they are local boys who studies with local teachers in East London. But, they were taught correctly from the beginning, and now, they recite as well as any of the celebrated reciters we may have encountered, even those from Makkah and Madinah. This is increasingly becoming the norm in places like East London. When the science of Tajweed was introduced in masajid in East London, they too faced resistance from people wanting to quickly complete the Quran. However, they emphasised that correct recitation was more important to preserve the meaning, and now, they are producing young reciters like Qari Yahya and Qari Younus: only 17 and 18 years old, respectively.

Once the foundations of accurate letter pronunciation are set, students will only know this way to recite. Then, you can build upon this correct foundation for fluency and nurturing a beautiful voice. Just having a beautiful voice without correct pronunciation isn't enough.

We must remember that the Quran is the word of Allah (SWT), and its proper recitation is a form of worship that deserves our utmost attention and respect. Learning to recite the words of Allah (SWT) accurately, as the Prophet (S.A.W) taught his companions, ensures that this accuracy is preserved and passed on through generations via ijazah (formal certification).

Qari Yahya and Qari Younus are not alone, Twenty years on, and hundreds of outstanding reciters are being produced locally in the UK, Mash Allah. This should be our aim in Chelmsford. London is only one hour away, but we are twenty years behind in correct Quran recitation. We must catch up quickly. It is already too late for many of our youth of yesteryear.