al-Wajiz fi Ilm al-Tajwid
- Author died
- 1415 AH
- Editions
- al-Wajiz fi Ilm al-Tajwid
al-Wajiz fi Ilm al-Tajwid (The Concise Guide to the Science of Tajwid) is an introductory textbook on the rules and principles of Quranic recitation (tajwid) by the Egyptian reciter and scholar Mahmud Sibawayh al-Badawi (1349–1415 AH / 1931–1995 CE) .
Context and Purpose
The treatise was compiled by al-Badawi as a concise educational manual and was designated as part of the formal curriculum for students at the College of Imam Abu Hanifa al-Nu'man in Baghdad, where he served as a lecturer .
Structure and Contents
The book covers the essential foundational and practical subjects of tajwid, beginning with preliminary definitions and proceeding through phonetics, recitation conventions, and stopping rules:
- Introduction and Core Principles: The text opens by defining tajwid linguistically as improvement (al-tahsin) and technically as granting every letter its intrinsic right (haqq)—namely, producing it from its proper articulation point with its permanent essential attributes—and its conditioned due (mustahaqq), such as velarization (tafkhim) arising from elevation (isti'la'), or lightening (tarqiq) from lowering (istifal) . It defines theoretical knowledge of the discipline as a communal obligation (fard kifayah) and its practical application as an individual obligation (fard 'ayn) established by the Quran, Sunnah, and consensus, with the aim of safeguarding the tongue against error (lahn) .
- Errors and Recitation Speeds: It divides phonetic error (lahn) into obvious (jali), which alters pronunciation conventions regardless of whether the meaning shifts, and subtle (khafi), which violates standard recitation norms without altering meaning; both categories are characterized as prohibited . The author categorizes recitation into three speeds (maratib): measured and deliberate (tartil), rapid (hadr), and intermediate (tadwir) .
- Refuge Seeking and the Basmalah: The treatise outlines the formulas and permitted combinations for the seeking of refuge (isti'adhah) and the basmalah at the beginning of chapters and between consecutive surahs, noting the exceptional rulings governing Surah al-Tawbah .
- Articulation Points of the Letters (Makharij al-Huruf): Al-Badawi surveys scholarly differences regarding the number of points of articulation, outlining the position of sixteen points associated with Sibawayh and al-Shatibi, and fourteen points held by Qutrub, al-Jarmi, and al-Farra' . He adopts the preferred position of al-Khalil ibn Ahmad and Ibn al-Jazari, which establishes seventeen specific points distributed across five general regions: the chest cavity and mouth (al-jawf), the throat (al-halq), the tongue (al-lisan), the lips (al-shafatan), and the nasal cavity (al-khayshum) .
- Stopping on Word Endings: The work details the three methods of pausing on the ends of words: pure quiescence (al-iskan al-mahd), partial voicing (al-rawm), and lip-rounding without sound (al-ishmam), detailing their applicability depending on whether a letter ends with nominative, genitive, or accusative inflection .
Sources
The author drew on classical and contemporary manuals of tajwid and qira'at, including al-Nashr fi al-Qira'at al-Ashr and al-Muqaddimah al-Jazariyyah by Ibn al-Jazari, Lata'if al-Bayan by Ibrahim Ali Shahatah al-Samannudi, al-Wafi fi Sharh al-Shatibiyyah by Abd al-Fattah al-Qadi, and al-Amid fi Ilm al-Tajwid by Mahmud Ali Bassah .
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