Intermediate
Foundations
Surah: Al-Muzzammil (4)
Readers and Tajweed — Where Did Tajweed Come From? The Relationship Between Readings and Tajweed
وَرَتِّلِ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانَ تَرۡتِيلًا
— المزمل الآية 4
The fundamental question:
Is tajweed a theoretical system developed after the Quran? Or is it documentation of what already existed?
The answer:
Tajweed as a systematized codified discipline (written rules) came later — but tajweed as a firmly transmitted oral performance has existed since the Quran's revelation to the Prophet and his teaching of the Companions.
Stages of tajweed codification:
Readings are the source — tajweed is the rules extracted from the mutawatir performance of the readers. Every tajweed rule can be traced back to what was narrated from the trustworthy readers.
Ibn Al-Jazari: "Tajweed is the adornment of recitation — giving letters their rights and dues of characteristics and articulation points — and this is what we received from elder to elder from the Prophet ﷺ."
Is tajweed a theoretical system developed after the Quran? Or is it documentation of what already existed?
The answer:
Tajweed as a systematized codified discipline (written rules) came later — but tajweed as a firmly transmitted oral performance has existed since the Quran's revelation to the Prophet and his teaching of the Companions.
Stages of tajweed codification:
- Era of Companions and Successors: Oral mutawatir performance — no writing of rules
- Second Hijri century: Scholars like Al-Khalil Al-Farahidi (d. 175 AH) began describing Arabic sounds
- Third century: Ibn Mujahid (d. 324 AH) collected and documented the seven readings
- Fourth and fifth centuries: Al-Dani (d. 444 AH) and Ibn Al-Jazari (d. 833 AH) founded codified tajweed as we know it today
Readings are the source — tajweed is the rules extracted from the mutawatir performance of the readers. Every tajweed rule can be traced back to what was narrated from the trustworthy readers.
Ibn Al-Jazari: "Tajweed is the adornment of recitation — giving letters their rights and dues of characteristics and articulation points — and this is what we received from elder to elder from the Prophet ﷺ."
Source: Al-Nashr (1/3); Ibn Al-Jazari, Al-Tamhid (p.3); Attr (p.46)
Test Yourself
What is the relationship between readings and tajweed? Which is older — tajweed or the readings?
Show Answer