By Dr Laila Abdel Aal Alghalban
It was during Ramadan in 610 when the first verses of the holy Qur’an, God’s greatest words, were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad in Mecca, a process that continued for over a period of some 23 years. Ever since, Qur’an has been addressing all humans of all races. It is meant to connect believers to their Creator, grant them peace and guidance, help them navigate their troubled, stormy life, heal their mental and psychological scars and transforms their lives. Linguistically, the very word ‘Qur’an’ is derived from the verb ‘qara’a’ which means to read or to recite, namely to read it aloud, to the best of my knowledge. It is much more appreciated, upon the Prophet’s command, to read Qur’an with beautiful voices, with tunes. This results in the rise of Qur’anic recitation styles, different schools of verbalising the Qur’an, Qira’at, which may differ in tone and articulation as a result of the diverse areal, cultural and historical experiences of Muslims worldwide.
Variant readings
It is worth mentioning that differences between Qira’at are slight and include varying rules regarding such articulatory variation in prolongation, imalaa, intonation and pronunciation of vowels and consonants, and less frequently entire words. Eventually, schools of variant readings develop and constitute a core field of Islamic studies, solely concerned with teaching and describing the variant readings, with teachers giving tajweed courses to any student including kids. Tarteel involves reciting slowly and melodically (using musical scales) the Qur’an following the rules of tajweed. Tarteel means reading as the Prophet (PBUH) used to recite and as he was ordered to by Allah: “and recite the Qur’an in slow measured rhythmic tones,” chapter 73, verse 4. s
Magnificent effects
Such multiplicity in recitation styles has been teeming with authentic and vibrant vocal performances that mark the identity of each school and stimulates special feelings, so overwhelming that we are not able to articulate exactly what they are and how they look like. All one can say is that they penetrate into our souls, sway us to the fullest, hit our emotions at their rawest and nourish our thought. These unsayable effects strike most, especially during religious occasions such as evening prayers in the month of Ramadan, ‘taraweeh.’
Maqamaat (musical scales)
To recite in a singing manner, as encouraged by Prophet Muhammad, reciters use Maqamaat (musical scales). A maqaam is a group of tones that are inherently used in our speech. According to biomusicologists, musical scales are physiologically and cognitively based. They are part of the instinctive features of our speech, as our speech is musical by nature. A maqaam is a group of sounds around us, selected from the seven tones known to all humans. Such scales or melodies are embodied in the sonic traditions typically used in the daily speech of locals in each region. No wonder that, according to historian Sylviane Diouf the chants, prayers and recitation of enslaved West African Muslims – which can sound similar to that of Muslims across the Sahel region to Sudan and Somalia may have contributed to the creation of “the distinctive African American music of the South that evolved into the holler and finally the Blues”, reported the BBC.
The Egyptian school
The seven-tone scale involves the utmost highness and lowness in the human voice pitch. It is very popular in the Middle East, especially in Egypt and the Levant. In fact, the Egyptian style of reciting the Qur’an has long enjoyed a sweeping popularity worldwide, with such iconic reciters as the legendary Mohammed Rifaat, El Minshawy, Abdul Basit, Moustafa Ismail, and Al-Hussary. The Egyptian school has stolen the hearts and ears of Muslims worldwide, thanks to the mighty soft power of the millennium-old Al-Azhar, the world’s largest and oldest mosque and university, the stronghold of religious education, including Islamic law and jurisprudence, Arabic grammar, rhetoric, Islamic philosophy and logic.
The five-note/ pentatonic scale
However, thanks to social media that other reciting styles in the Gulf States and Sub-Saharan African countries, are finding their way to the hearts and ears of Muslims, employing other maqamaats. The five-note/ pentatonic scale is one of the most common scales in many cultures and regions worldwide. It was common in ancient Egypt. The world is taken by storm by the sweet, authentic, soulful recitations of non-Egyptians. One of them is the late Sudanese Nureen Siddig, who passed away in a car accident a few months ago. Siddig’s recitation mirrored the five-note or pentatonic scale that is common in Muslim-majority regions of the Sahel and the Horn of Africa. His unique voice and reading style have made him one of the Muslim world’s most popular reciters.
Women reciters
Reciting the Quran in a melodic tone of voice and very beautifully according to the rules of the ten recitations has attracted women for a long time. However, the current digital revolution has enabled young women outside Islam’s heartland in the Middle East to recite and gain increasing popularity, shattering the stigma over women’s voices and furnishing wonderful diversity of tones and rhythms.
Let all flowers bloom
Finally, it is the miraculous beauty of the Qur’an that offers a garden with a fertile soil for all Qur’anic recitation flowers to bloom. Beautiful recitations sway us to the fullest, granting us sweet and thoughtful moments shrouded with the glory of the All-Mighty, the Creator of the universe and His eternally Glorious Qur’an.
Dr Laila Abdel Aal Alghalban
Professor of Linguistics
Faculty of Arts
Kafr el-Sheikh University
Email: [email protected]
