Hidayat al-Qari ila Tajwid Kalam al-Bari
- Author died
- 1409 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat Taybah
Hidayat al-Qari ila Tajwid Kalam al-Bari (The Reader's Guide to the Recitation of the Creator's Speech) is a comprehensive manual on the science of Tajwid (Quranic orthoepy and recitation) by the Egyptian scholar and reciter Abd al-Fattah al-Marsafi (1341/1342–1409 AH / 1923–1989 CE) .
Composition and Purpose
Al-Marsafi authored the work while serving as a faculty member in the College of the Holy Quran and Islamic Studies at the Islamic University of Madinah, where he took up a teaching post in 1397 AH (1977 CE) after moving from Libya . The book was written to collect and synthesize the foundational principles and intricate rulings of Tajwid, providing both an exhaustive reference for advanced scholars and an accessible guide for beginners . A central objective of the author was to delineate the exact recitation practices handed down through authentic transmission and to refute erroneous innovations and unauthorized combinations (takhleet and tarkib) of recitation transmissions .
Content and Structure
The book addresses the essential theoretical and applied topics of Tajwid, including:
- Articulation points (makharaj) and phonetic characteristics of letters .
- Rules governing nasalization (ghunna), consonant assimilations, and transformations .
- In-depth rulings regarding elongation (madd), including the distinction between extending (madd) and shortening (qasr) the detached vowel elongation (al-madd al-munfasil) across specific transmission paths .
The text is accompanied by supplementary material prepared by the author and his disciples:
- Biographical Appendix (Mulhaq al-A'lam): An appendix compiled by al-Marsafi fulfilling a pledge made in his preface to provide biographical sketches of all notable scholars and authorities cited throughout the work .
- Author's Biography: Later printings feature a biographical profile of al-Marsafi compiled by his student Ahmad al-Zu'bi al-Hasani, based on outlines dictated by the author during his lifetime .
Reception and Scholarly Commendations
Hidayat al-Qari gained widespread acclaim among contemporary specialists in Quranic sciences and recitation . In recognition of the work's academic quality, the Islamic University submitted it to the Supreme Council of Universities, leading to a royal decree on 6 Safar 1406 AH promoting al-Marsafi to full professor, after which he was appointed to the Scientific Committee of the King Fahd Glorious Quran Printing Complex .
Several prominent Quranic authorities provided formal prefaces and endorsements:
- Hasanayn Muhammad Makhluf, former Grand Mufti of Egypt and member of the Senior Scholars Organization at al-Azhar, commended its comprehensive scope and rigorous investigation in an introduction written in Madinah on 17 Dhu al-Hijjah 1399 AH .
- Ahmad Abd al-Aziz al-Zayyat, the senior master of recitation in Cairo, praised the author's extensive erudition and his defense of classical recitation standards against unauthorized mixtures, dated 27 Sha'ban 1400 AH (10 July 1980 CE) .
- Husayn Khattab, Shaykh al-Qurra' of Damascus, praised the book and its service to the transmission of the Quran .
- Muhammad Tamim al-Zu'bi, reciter of Homs, lauded its synthesis of differing scholarly opinions and lucid argumentation .
Publication History
The first edition of the book was printed in 1402 AH (1982 CE) by Dar al-Nasr in Egypt . A second edition was published by Maktabat Taybah in Madinah, arranged in two parts under a single continuous pagination sequence .
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