Tuhfat al-Atfal wal-Ghilman fi Tajwid al-Quran

Tuhfat al-Atfal wal-Ghilman fi Tajwid al-Quran (Arabic: تحفة الأطفال والغلمان في تجويد القرآن, "The Gift for Children and Youths on the Rules of Quranic Recitation") is a didactic poem in the rajaz meter on the rules of Quranic recitation (tajwid), composed by the Egyptian scholar Sulayman al-Jamzuri (d. after 1209 AH / 1794 CE) Tuhfat al-Atfal wal-Ghilm…+1.

Composition and Scope

The work is a concise versification comprising 61 poetic verses set to the rajaz meter Mutun Talib al-Ilm - al-M…+1. Al-Jamzuri composed the poem for beginners seeking to learn the foundational rules of recitation, crediting the teachings received from his instructor, al-Nur al-Mihi Tuhfat al-Atfal wal-Ghilm…+1. The designation "children" (atfal) in the title signifies novices who have not yet attained advanced mastery in the discipline, regardless of their actual age al-Wafi fi Kayfiyyat Tart….

Rather than providing an exhaustive treatment of all aspects of tajwid—such as articulation points (makharīj) or phonetic attributes (sifat)—the text restricts itself to select core rules Mujam Ulum al-Quran:

• The rulings of vowelless nun and nunation (al-nun al-sakina and al-tanwin), covering manifest pronunciation (izhar), assimilation (idgham), conversion (iqlab), and concealment (ikhfa') Tuhfat al-Atfal wal-Ghilm…+1.
• The rules governing doubled mim and nun (al-mim wal-nun al-mushaddadatayn) al-Wafi fi Kayfiyyat Tart…+1.
• The rules of vowelless mim (al-mim al-sakina) Mujam Ulum al-Quran+1.
• The rulings for the letters lam in the definite article (lam al-ta'rif) and in verbs (lam al-fi'l) Mujam Ulum al-Quran+1.
• Letter relationships: identical, proximate, and homogeneous letters (al-mithlayn, al-mutaqaribayn, and al-mutajanisayn) Mujam Ulum al-Quran+1.
• The divisions, rulings, and categories of elongation (madd) and its subsidiary branches Mujam Ulum al-Quran+1.

Reception and Commentaries

Owing to its brevity, clarity, and ease of memorization, Tuhfat al-Atfal became one of the standard entry-level texts in traditional Quranic curricula, typically memorized and studied by novice students before progressing to more advanced works Mujam Ulum al-Quran+1.

Several scholars composed commentaries on the poem, including:

• Fath al-Aqfal bi-Sharh Tuhfat al-Atfal, authored by al-Jamzuri himself Hidayat al-Qari ila Tajwi…+1.
• Fath al-Malik al-Muta'al Sharh Tuhfat al-Atfal, by Muhammad al-Mihi al-Ahmadi Iktifa al-Qanu bima huwa ….
• Explanatory marginalia and annotations by later scholars, including a concise commentary by Ali Muhammad al-Dabba' Tuhfat al-Atfal wal-Ghilm…+1.