Knowledge of Reciting ways 

 

Hafs from Aasem Relation

 

 

-         Seven Words (Dialects) 

 

-          Knowledge of Reciting ways 

 

-         Well-Known Recitations

-          Authentic and bizarre Recitations

-         Relation of Hafs from Aasem

 

  

 

·        SEVEN WORDS (i.e. DIALECTS)

Ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنهما) relates from our prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم):

 " أقرأني جبريل على حرف، فلم أزل أستزيده، ويزيدني حتى انتهى إلى سبعة أحرف "

(Gabriel recited according one words, and I kept on asking for more, until it resulted in seven words)

Ubai bin Kaab says prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was near the Bani Ghaffar's lake. Gabriel  (peace be upon him) came to him and said: " إن الله يأمرك أن تقرأ أمتك القرآن على حرف " (Allah commands you to recite Quran for your Ummah on one word (Dialect)) prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) responded:

 " أسأل الله معافاته ومغفرته وإن أمتي لا تطيق ذلك " (I asked Allah for his forgiveness and remission, my Ummah cannot tolerate it ) Gabriel came to him for the second time and said:

 " إن الله يأمرك أن تقرأ أمتك القرآن على حرفين " (Allah commands you to recite Quran for your ummah on two words ) he answered:

" أسأل الله معافاته ومغفرته وإن أمتي لا تطيق ذلك " (I asked Allah for his forgiveness and remission, my Ummah cannot tolerate it) the third time Gabriel said:

 " إن الله يأمرك أن تقرأ أمتك القرآن على ثلاثة أحرف " (Allah commands you to recite Quran for your ummah on three words) he replied: " أسأل الله معافاته ومغفرته وإن أمتي لا تطيق ذلك " (I asked Allah for his forgiveness and remission, my Ummah cannot tolerate it) the fourth time Gabriel said:

 " إن الله يأمرك أن تقرأ أمتك القرآن على سبعة أحرف فأيما حرف قرأوا عليه فقد أصابوا" (Allah commands you to recite Quran for your ummah on seven words, and which word (dialect) they choose to recite according to is right.) (Muslim).

Ibn Omar (رضي الله عنه): I heard Hesham bin Hakim bin Hizam reciting chapter "الفرقان", in prophet's lifetime. I listened to his recitation and he recited it according to many different words (dialects) that prophet never recited such for me so. I intended to rush at him, but waited until he finished his prayer and saluted. Then I grappled him and asked: Who has recited this chapter that I heard you recite? He replied: Prophet recited it to me. I said: You are lying; I swear to God that prophet himself recited this chapter that I heard from you to me. I brought him to prophet and said: Oh, prophet of God, I heard this man reciting chapter Al-Forqan in a way you never recited it to me like that, and you have recited chapter Al-Forqan to me. He said: Oh, Hesham you recite it. He recited it as I heard him reciting it before. The prophet said it has been revealed exactly like this. Then said: You recite it Omar. I recited the chapter as he had recited it to me before, and he said: It has been revealed to me right so. Then he continued: (إن القرآن أنزل على سبعة أحرف فاقرؤوا ما تيسر منه. متفق عليه) This Quran has been revealed to me on seven words (ways), recite it as you please.

The scholars have different opinions about the meaning of "seven words". Here are some of them:

The first point of view: The seven words are seven dialects among different eloquent Arab tribes like: Quraish, Huthail, Hwazan and… That was for the differences among those dialects. This is what Al-Qasim bin Salam, Ibn Atyah and others believe. Ibn al-Jazri says: Most of scholars think it refers to dialects.

Second opinion: Says that, seven words is seven agreed on aspects of meaning, with different pronunciations. This is what Abul-Fazl Al-Razi, Ibn Qutaybiah, Ibn Al-Jazari etc. think is true. Those seven aspects are:

- Difference between their singular, dual, plural, muscular and feminine nouns. Like this verse:

 ﴿وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لأَمَانَاتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَاعُونَ﴾ {Al-Mu'minun: 8} where it is recited " لأَمَانَاتِهِمْ " with singular noun.

- Differences in verb declension in past, present or imperative cases. Like:   ﴿فَقَالُوا رَبَّنَا بَاعِدْ بَيْنَ أَسْفَارِنَا  {Saba': 19} in praying form, but is recited as " رَبَّنَا بَاعَدَ " with past tense verb too.

- Differences of words syntaxes. As an example, look at this verse: ﴿ذُو الْعَرْشِ الْمَجِيدُ{Al-Buruj: 15} where it is recited as "الْمَجِيدُ" and " الْمَجِيدِ ".

- Variations in shortage and excess of words: ﴿وَمَا خَلَقَ الذَّكَرَ وَالْأُنثَى{Al-Lail: 3} is recited as: " الذَّكَرَ وَالْأُنثَى ".

- Priority variations: ﴿فَيَقْتُلُونَ وَيُقْتَلُونَ  {Al-Tawbah: 111} which is recited as: " فَيُقْتَلونَ ويَقْتُلُون ".

- Overturn (Qalb) and Exchange (Ibdal): ﴿وَانظُرْ إِلَى العِظَامِ كَيْفَ نُنشِزُهَا {Al-Baqarah: 259} with letter "" as: " نُنشِرُُهَا ".

- Difference accents. Differences in "Fathah", "Imalah" (tilt), "thickening", "thinning", "clearness" and "merging": ﴿هَلْ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ مُوسَى{Al-Nazeat: 15}is recited with "Fat-ha" (/æ/) and "Imalah" (tilt) in: "أتى" and " موسى ".

These two views are the most preferred ones in declaring implications of Seven Words, although the first one is superior. God knows better.

An important Note: it is necessary to consider that seven words here are not the same with the seven ways of recitation which is well-known today. This confusion is the result of similarity between their names. Seven recitation ways were only known in fourth century by Imam Ibn Mujahid, who had gathered main recitation ways of reciting imams. The number of recitation ways was decided to be seven. Sheikh-ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyah says: "There is no quarrel among creditable scholars on this point that the seven words which prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) had mentioned and Quran is revealed according to it, are not the same with seven well-known recitation ways."

We also must pay attention that Othman and other companions (رضوان الله عليهم) gathered Quran on one word (dialect), which is Quraish tribe's word and that those most frequented recitation ways are included in seven words.

Ibn Qayem (رحمه الله): Othman Bin Affan collected the Ummah on one word (Dialect) from the seven words, so that there couldn't arise any discord in result of their quarrel on Quran. Other companions (رضي الله عنهم) agreed on that decision too. ("إغاثة اللهفان " and also in " الطرق الحكمية ")

 

Knowledge of Recitation Ways

Prophet's companions were reciting Quran as they have heard from prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم) ) in his lifetime. Dhahabi says in his book "طبقات القراء" that: the most famous Quran readers among the companions of the prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) are seven: Othman bin Affan, Ali bin Abitalib, Ubai ibn Ka'b, zayd bin Thabit, Abu Darda', Obn Mas'ud and Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari. Ubai Ibn Ka'b used to recite Quran for some of the companion like: Abu Hurairah, Ibn Abbas and Abdullah bin Al-Sa'ib.

According to many of those honorable companions and the Quran retentive among them, their posterities were reciting Quran and the Othmany Quran was as their standard book. They tried to be firm on what they have learned letter by letter and vowel by vowel. Some of them got well-known in all cities and communities. People were listening to their recitation and learning from them verse by verse and word by word. Among them were:

On Medina: Sa'eed bin Musayieb, Urwah bin Zubair, Abd-ur-Rahman bin Hurmuz Al-A'raj, Ibn Shahab Al-Zuhari and Omar bin Abd-ul-Aziz.

Mecca: Mujahid bin Jabr, Ata' bin Rebah, Tawoos and Akramah.

Koofah: Al-Aswad bin Yazeed, Masruq bin Al-Ajad' and Amr bin Sharhabil (They all were students of Ibn Mas'ud), Abd-ur-Rahman Al-Salmi and Abdullah bin Habib, who was the first person reciting as to what Othman has collected in Koofah, Sa'eed bin Jubair and Al-Sha'bi.

Basrah: Al-Hasan Al-Basri, Ibn Sirin, Qutadah, Yahya bin Ya'mar, Nasr bin Asim and Abdullah bin Abi Ishaq Al-HAdhrami.

Shaam: Al-Mughairah bin Abu Shahab al-Makhzooni, who had been learned Quran from Othman, Halid bin Sa'eed, who learned reciting from Abu Darda'.

القراءة.. علما

Then, inheritors of that first generation increased all over the cities. They focused on the Quran and tried to keep it with their heart and soul and made it a science just like other religious sciences. They became leaders others traveled to them to learn Quran and recitations. Each of them was reciting Quran as he had learned from his ancestors without any changes. Therefore, there were different recitations in result of different recitations of their ancestors of companions. But they were all included in Quraysh word (dialect), which was Othmanian copy of the Quran's version.

Among this generation, Abu Ja'far Yazid bin Al-Qa'qa' and Nafi' (in Medina), Muhammad bin Abd-ur-Rahman Mahis and Abdullah bin Katheer (in Mecca), Isa bin Omar Al-Thaqafi, Al-Hassan Al-Basari, Asim Al-Hajdari and Abu Amr bin Al-Ala' (in Basra), Asim bin Abu Al-Nojod, Al-A'mash Suleiman bin Mehran, Hamzah and Al-Kasaee (in Kufah) and Abdullah bin Amir, were very famous.

During this time, in the second migratory century, recitation experts arose. They wrote many books on recitation of each Recitation Imam. They tried to keep recitation of each Imam alive with all their traits (merging, clearness, hiding, tilt and other specifications)

Gradually, number of recitation carriers, and consequently number of recitation ways, was increased. Recitation ways reached 50 ones. There was a fear of its being a gap for entering confusion like problem in recitations, which there was fine an authentic and invalid recitations among them.

A recitation expert, who could do his best to study and compare various recitation ways common in Muslim world and to release the most correct and frequent recitation for the Ummah, to prevent exacerbation of the issue and get into a mess that everybody recites without a complete insight about recitation aspects and its principles. Ibn Mujahid was the one who arose to accomplish this job. After a lot of discussions, comparisons and studying he selected seven main recitation ways and invited people all around the Muslim world to follow their way.

Ahmad Tamam:  www.islamonline.net 

 

The first person who gathered this knowledge in a book was Imam Abu Ubaid Al-Qasum bin Salam in third migratory century. He wrote " كتاب القراءات " (Book of Recitations). It is said the first to write and compile different recitation ways was Hafs bin Omar al-Dawri. In fourth century Hafiz Abu Bakr bin mujahid Al-Baghdadi, who was one of the first compilers of seven known recitations, got famous. He died in 324 Hijri. In fifth century Hafiz Imam Abu Amr Othamn bin Sa'eed Al-Dani, writer of " التيسير ", about seven recitation ways, was well-known and became a significant Qari (reciter). He has many books on this skill.

Imam Makki bin Abu-Talib Al-Qaysi Al-Qairawani was a significant expert and wrote a lot of books in Recitation and Quranic knowledge.

Sixth century: Sheikh of this art who recitation scholars competed to get light and knowledge from him. He was Shatibiyah and his book was "حرز الأماني ووجه التهاني " which is a poem consist of 1173 verses.

He is Abul Qasim Bin Fairah bin Khalaf bin Ahmad Al-Ra'eeni Al-Shattibi Al-Andolosi. He died in 590 (Hijri). After him scholars of this art have been shown up in every generation, they have been Quran carriers, leading recitation science and accomplishing it, spending their lives to serve it with writing books and doing researches, until Allah assigned Imam of researchers and sheikh of reciters, Muhammad bin Al-Jazari Al-Shafi'ee. A lot of people apprenticed in his classes. He wrote many books, which the most important was " النشر في القراءات العشر " and a poem on Tajweed " المقدمة فيما على قارئه أن يعلمه ".

Nid' Al-Iman website: www.al-eman.com

 

Famous Recitations

م

Recitation Imams

Recitation Narrators

SEVEN FREQUENT RECITATION

1

Nafi'Al-Madani

Qalun

Warsh

2

Ibn Katheer Al-Makki

Al-Bazi

Qanbal

3

Abu Amr  Bin Ala'

Al-Dawri

Al-Susi

4

Ibn Amir  Al-Demashqi

Hesham

Ibn Thakwan

5

Asim  Bin Obai Al-Nojud Al-Kufi

Sho'bah

Hafs

6

Hazah  Bin Habib Al-Ziat Al-Kufi

Khalaf

Khallad

7

Al-KAsa'ee Al-Kufi

Abu-l-Harith

Hafs Al-Dawri

THREE RECITATION COMPLEMENTARY OF TEN

8

Abu Ja'far  Al-Madani

Ibn Wardan

Ibn Jummaz

9

Ya'qub  Al-Basari

Ruwais

Rawh

10

Khalaf Bin Hesham Al-Bazar

Ishaq

Edris

Everything related to any of those ten Imams, is called Recitation (Qira'ah) " قراءة" and all that is related to the narrators from an Imam is called a Relation (Riwayah) "رواية". Like: Recitation of Asim related from Hafs or recitation of Nafi' related from Warsh and so on.

Ibn Ashur has mentioned in his commentary " التحرير والتنوير " that: The recitations ways which are used now in Muslim world are: Recitation of Nafi' related from Qalun, in some parts in Tunis, Egypt and Libya. Relation from Warsh, in some parts of Tunis, Egypt, all parts of Algeria, All parts of Morocco and other regions and Sudan. Recitation of Asim related from Hafs, in all parts of East, most parts of Egypt, India, Pakistan, Turkey and Afghanistan. Ibn Ashur: - I have heard the recitation way of Abu Amr Al-Basari is used in Sudan near to Egypt.

Charities and Islamic Affairs Ministry of Kuwait website http://www.islam.gov.kw

Authentic and Bizarre Recitations

The Recitation ways are divided into two main types: Authentic and Bizarre Recitations.

Authentic Recitation is the recitation possessing these three elements:

1. To accord with one of authentic Arabic language (aspects) dialects.

2. Be in agreement with Othmanian copy of Quran.

3. To be related as a frequent relation, or with an authentic and well-known document.

Any recitation that has those three elements is a good way for reciting Quran in prayers. This is what most of scholars believe.

However, the bizarre way of recitation is one which lacks one of those above mentioned three elements.

Here remains some recitation ways that are suspended. They are some recitations that have authentic documents, agreed to Arabic language but are different from Othmanian copy. This one is included in what is called "Commentary Recitation". It is a commentary recitation, like recitation of Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas of this verse:  ﴿وله أخت (Al-Nisa: 176) that he has recited as: (وله أخت من أم) or Ibn Abbas' recitation of:

مؤمنين ﴿وكان ورائهم ملك يأخذ كل سفينة غصباً وأما الغلام فكان أبواه (Al-Kahf: 79-80) which is recited as:

 )وكان أمامهم ملك يأخذ كل سفينة غصباً وأما الغلام فكان كافراً(.

Scholars say: The purpose of bizarre recitation ways is for interpreting the well-known recitation ways and clarifying their meanings. Like Ayeshah and Hafsah's recitations of this verse:  :﴿حافظوا على الصلوات والصلاة الوسطى (Al-Baqarah: 238) recited as:

(والصلاة الوسطى صلاة العصر), Ibn Mas'ud's recitation of: ﴿فاقطعوا أيديهما (Al-Ma'eedah: 38) recited as: (فاقطعوا أيمانهما), Jabir's recitation of the verse:  ﴿فإن الله من بعد إكراههن غفور رحيم(Al-Noor: 33) recited as: (من بعد إكراههن لهن غفور رحيم). These words (recitations) and similar ones became commentaries for the Holy Quran.

They all have agreed on what is other than those ten recitation ways is bizarre and unfrequented and it is not considered as Quran, it is not correct to be used in prayers or be recited for God. But it can be taught, learned and collected to show one of aspects of language and its structure.

 

Note:

The connection between the seven recitation and seven known reciters is selection and being well-known connection, not of opinion and desire. It is about following the relations and heritage. The recitations are based on gaining and narrating not judgment or deductions. All the recitations reached us in an credible way, frequent or well-known, are revealed from Allah to our prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), therefore  we see the scholars avoid getting Quran from any way other than from direct acquiring, hearing or viva voce way.

Allah is gracious and guide to the right path and all praises are due to the lord of all universe.

Charities and Islamic Affairs Ministry of Kuwait website:  http://www.islam.gov.kw

 * Hafs from Asim Relation

This program just contains study on the relation of Hafs from Asim which is the most widespread relation all around the world.

Hafs: Abu Amr Hafs bin Sulaeman Al-Asadi Al-Kufi, was born in 90 (Hijri) and died in 180 (hijri).

Asim: Abu Bakr Asim bin Abi Al-Nujud Al-Asadi Al-Kufi, a credible narrator Imam. And one of ten famous Reciters. Died in 127 (Hijri).

Asim Al-Kufi has recited Quran to Zar bin Habish and Abu Abd-ur-Rahman Salmi and both of them to Ibn Mas'ud, Ali bin Abi-Talib, Othman bin Affan, Ubai ibn Ka'b and Zaid ibn Thabit (رضي الله عنهم).