Tajweed; what is it?

The word “tajweed” means to improve, make better. Tajweed of the Qur’an is the knowledge and application of the rules of recitation so the reading of the Qur’an is as Prophet Mohammed (peace and blesings be upon him) recited.

Linguistic Meaning 

The Word Tajweed is from the root word “jawdah” which means
“quality”. Tajweed means “Improving,” or “to make something better.” The word Tajweed linguistically means ‘proficiency’ or ‘doing something well’. When applied to the Qur’an, it means giving every letter of the Qur’an its rights and dues. When we recite Qur’an and observe the rules that apply to each letter in different situations, we are giving the letter its right and by observing essential characteristics of each letter, we give its due.

History and the Addition of Tajweed

At the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) there was no need for people to study Tajweed because they talked with what is now known as Tajweed so it was natural for them. When the Arabs started mixing with the non-Arabs as Islam spread, mistakes in Qur’an recitation started appearing, so the scholars had to record the rules. Now, because the everyday Arabic that Arabs speak has changed so much from the Classical Arabic with which the Qur’an was revealed, even Arabs have to study Tajweed. 

The additional signs we see these days on top or bottom of the Arabic alphabet letters are the pronunciation keys. Muslims were the first to come up with the concept of pronunciation keys, it helped Non-Arabs to pronounce the words properly following some simple pronunciation rules (i.e. the same concept is adapted these days in modern dictionaries). Initially when the Qur’an was compiled these additional signs were not there, in fact even the dots (nuqtas) we see on the letters “baa”, “taa”, “thaa” and were not present and Arabs would pronounce the words without any difficulty. As more and more Non-Arabs embraced Islam, additional signs and dots were added to help pronounce the words correctly.

The Purpose of Tajweed

The Qur’an is the word of God, and its every syllable is from God. The purpose of the Science of Tajweed in essence is to make the reciter proficient in reciting the Qur’an, observing the correct pronunciation of every letter with the rulings and characteristics which apply to each letter, without any exaggeration or deficiency. 

Benefits 

The benefits of learning Tajweed are many as reflected in some of the following Ahadeeth:
• The reciters of the Qur’an will be in the company of the noble and obedient angels. ‘Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, relates that the Prophet
(pbuh) said: “Verily the one who recites the Qur’an beautifully,
smoothly, and precisely, he will be in the company of the noble and obedient angels. And as for the one who recites with difficulty, stammering or stumbling through its verses, then he will have TWICE
that reward.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

The Prophet (pbuh) said: “The best of you are the ones who learn the Qur’an and teach it to others” [Al-Bukhari]