3. Melodious voice:
It is also required for the proper
recitation of the Qur’an that a person should read it in the best manner and in
the most melodious voice possible.
This is necessary
because almost every human being
is gifted with a love for music and has a natural fondness for sweet and
melodious sounds. Islam is a natural region; it does not curb any of our
inherent tendencies but diverts them into healthy channels. As we have an
instinctive love for the beauty of sight and the beauty of sound, we insist
upon a fascinating printing of the Holy Qur’an and its recitation in a soft
melodious voice. The Prophet (SAW) has urged us to:
Adorn the Qur’an with your voices.
(Narrated by Abu Daud & Nasai)
He has also warned us against our
negligence in this matter in the words:
One who does not recite the Qur’an in
a melodious voice is not from us!
(Narrated by Abu Daud)
And has given us the following
tidings as a further inducement for melodious recitation:
Allah (SWT) does not listen to
anything so attentively as He listens to the Prophet (SAW) reciting the Qur’an
aloud in a sweet voice.
(Narrated by Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Daud, & Nasai)
It often happened that, while going
along his way, the Holy Prophet (SAW) heard a Companion (RAA) recite the Qur’an
in a sweet-sounding voice. He would stop and stand for a long time listening to
the Qur’an being recited and would appreciate it later on. Sometimes, he would
ask a Companion (RAA) to recite the Qur’an to him.
It is stated in the books of traditions that once he asked Abdullah Ibn Mas‘ud (RAA) to recite the Qur’an to him. The latter (much astonished at the request) said: “Messenger of Allah! How can I recite the Qur’an to you, while you are the person to whom it was revealed?” He replied: “I like to hear it being recited by others.” Accordingly, Abdullah Ibn Mas‘ud (RAA) began to recite, and, as the Holy Prophet (SAW) sat listening, his eyes welled up with tears which could be seen trickling down his cheeks. On another occasion, he heard a Companion (RAA) recite the Qur’an in a melodious voice which he praised in the words: “You have been granted a share from the musical talent of the sons of Daud (AS).”
It is stated in the books of traditions that once he asked Abdullah Ibn Mas‘ud (RAA) to recite the Qur’an to him. The latter (much astonished at the request) said: “Messenger of Allah! How can I recite the Qur’an to you, while you are the person to whom it was revealed?” He replied: “I like to hear it being recited by others.” Accordingly, Abdullah Ibn Mas‘ud (RAA) began to recite, and, as the Holy Prophet (SAW) sat listening, his eyes welled up with tears which could be seen trickling down his cheeks. On another occasion, he heard a Companion (RAA) recite the Qur’an in a melodious voice which he praised in the words: “You have been granted a share from the musical talent of the sons of Daud (AS).”
Although a person should recite the
Qur’an in the most melodious voice he can produce because otherwise the
recitation will be far from satisfactory, yet to over-emphasize this aspect of
recitation is not without danger. When a melodious recitation is the outcome of
mere show or affectation or when one takes to it as a profession, it becomes a
serious perversion and a reprehensible practice. We should, therefore,
carefully guard against this danger; still we may seek the satisfaction of our
love for the beauty of sound in reciting the Qur’an or in hearing it being recited
in a melodious
voice. Hence, everyone
of us should read the Book of
Allah (SWT) in as nice a manner and as sweet a voice as it may be possible for
him to do.
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