Importance of Tajweed Rules and Some Tips for Effective Learning

Quran is the greatest blessing of Allah Almighty for the human race. It carries immense knowledge whether it is regarding the universe or about human life in general. Besides the enriched knowledge, the recitation of Quran carries religious and spiritual benefits for Muslims.

Muslims at a very young age are encouraged to learn to properly recite the Holy Quran daily, so that they are able to find guidance and enlightenment from it when they grow up in later part of their life. Besides the guidance and mentoring nature of Quran, there is an aesthetic appeal to it as well.

Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in the form of decorated prose. Therefore, the recitation of Quran in light of the recitation rules and guidelines adds to the charm of Quran and increases its effectiveness and impact on the heart.

In Quran, Allah Almighty says:

‘Those to whom We have given the Book recite it with its true recital. They [are the ones who] believe in it. And whoever disbelieves in it – it is they who are the losers.’ [Al-Baqarah - Verse 121]

From this ayah of Quran it is clear that Quran needs to be recited in the true form and way in which it deserves to be recited. This need of reciting Quran in the light of recital rules and regulations refers to the crucial aspect of Tajweed. The lines below discuss what Tajweed is, why is it needed and a few tips that can help in learning the rules of Tajweed.

Tajweed:

From linguistics point of view, the word ‘Tajweed’ actually means ‘doing something well’ or ‘proficiency’. Therefore, if Tajweed is to be considered with regards to Quran, it means learning Quran in the proper way by keeping in mind the requisites of Arabic language pronunciation. Therefore, when every letter is pronounced with proper understanding and the way it deserves to be recited, it means that Quran is being recited with Tajweed.

The best role model pertaining to recitation of Holy Quran is the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Only He knew the rules of Tajweed with which the Quran was revealed to Him, thus, He recited it in the same way and other people copied Him. Therefore, it becomes imperative that one learns the rule of Tajweed so that Quran could be recited in the same way as Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) recited it Himself.

Purpose behind Observance of Tajweed:

Besides the very fact that reciting Quran with Tajweed is the Sunnah of Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), there are other purposes behind the observance and ensuring of Tajweed.

The first purpose behind the observance of Tajweed is the fact that Quran is revealed by Allah Almighty. Hence, being His subjects it is imperative that we read and recite Quran in the very same way as He has revealed it. Reciting Quran in that very way means that the person is reciting it in the true form in which it is revealed, hence seconding the Authority of Allah, and submitting to it in the apt manner.

The second purpose that recitation of Quran serves is the fact that words do not change their meanings. Arabic is very sensitive language and any variation in the form of shortening or elongation of sounds results in change in meanings. Therefore, if the proper rules of Tajweed are not followed, the words of Quran, although seeming the same would change their meaning, which is one thing that a Muslim must avoid in any case.

The Rise of the Need Of Learning Tajweed:

If Islam were a religion of Arabs and Quran would have been recited in the Arabian region of the world only, then there would have been no need of telling or teaching other people the rules of Tajweed, as being the natives of the language they would know the right way of pronouncing words and alphabets. However, Islam is a universal region and because of its universal appeal, it has spread across the globe. Due to this spread of Islam, people from different parts of the world started reading Quran, however, because of their not being native of the Arabic language, they pronounced the words as their pronunciation was in their own language. Hence, the deviation in pronunciation started to occur, which gave rise to the need of properly establishing and documenting the rules of Tajweed for Holy Quran recitation.

The rules of Tajweed are not some randomly assigned rules, rather a lot of effort was put into it. Many Muslims scholars went through the turmoil of establishing Tajweed rules so that the people should know the rules and keep them in mind when reciting Quran. Regarding the establishment of rules, the scholars ensured the reliability and validity of the rules, thus because of all this when Quran is recited, it produces the same pronunciation against every alphabet, and this consistency in pronunciation is the same as for a non-Arab as it is for an Arab.

Tajweed Learning Tips:

Like any other form and type of learning, the pace of Tajweed learning can also be increased by following a particular set of tips. The lines below give some major tips that can help in better learning and applicability of Tajweed rules.

1. The first thing that needs to be done pertaining to learning of Tajweed rules is finding a professional Quran tutor who is familiar with the rules and has command over them. Although there are numerous books on Tajweed available, especially the Noorani Qaida that is taught to students before teaching them Quran, however, despite all the books, the need for a tutor is imperative. The tutor teaches the rules to the students in the best and comprehendible manner, thus, before joining an online Quran teaching school or a particular mosque for Quran learning, the student must ensure that the teacher is familiar with rules of recitation. To help your cause at this particular purpose, QuranTutor.com Academy offers online teachers who are both skilled and proficient in their tutoring methods and
2. The second tip pertaining to learning of Tajweed is to find out authentic books written on Tajweed and then complement the teaching of the teacher with the learning from the book. This way, a person has both the knowledge of the Tajweed rules as well as the experience of having those rules applied by the teacher.
3. The third way of learning the rules of Tajweed effectively is by listening to the recitation of Quran by experts. There are numerous scholars across the globe who are renowned for their recitation of Quran, therefore, by listening to them and then imitating them, one can easily know the right pronunciation of the words and learn them to pronounce quickly as well.
4. The fourth thing that can help in effective learning of the rules of Tajweed is the use of Tajweed Mus-haf. There are special copies of Quran that contain the symbols and signs of Tajweed. Thus by reading Quran from such a copy, a person gets into the habit of pronouncing the words correctly.
5. The fifth and perhaps the most crucial tip that needs to be remembered and followed when learning Tajweed is practice. You need to practice every Tajweed rule that you have learned by applying it to every ayah of Quran that you read. The more you read, the more will you be able to learn it in a better way, hence practice the rules as much as you can.

Bottom Line:

In a nutshell, in order to show submissiveness to Allah Almighty by reciting Quran the way it was revealed, to fulfill the Sunnah of Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) with correct pronunciation, and avoid change in meaning of the words by pronouncing them correctly, it is imperative that a Muslim learns the rules of Tajweed and ensures that all the rules are learned and then applied in the recitation of Quran.