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Fatwa CenterRecitation of Qur'an
Question
Is it ok to read the Qur'an the way Sheikh Abdul Basith reads it in Qiraat or is it a Bidah, because I was reading in Zad al-Maad that using tones is a Bidah.
Answer
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the World; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.
al-Sheikh Abdul Basit is one of the well-known contemporary reciters of the Qur'an. He is known for his good and accurate way of recitation and adherence to the rules of Tajweed (intonation and modulation) such as Idgham (diphthong) Ghunnah (Nasal voice) and so on.
He is also known for his great ability to demonstrate the best way of pronouncing letters from their place of articulation in a powerful and good way as well as for the sweetness of his voice. Thus, he has gained acceptance among Muslims and mass-media.
If the dear inquirer is asking about imitating some reciter of the Qur'an, we state to him that, for sure, if one imitates some reciter, he will lose concentration on understanding the verses being read. In fact, Qur'an was sent down for Muslims to meditate its meaning and put it into practice, and to fear Allah, Who Says: {Do they not then consider the Qur'ân carefully? …} [4: 82].
In addition, while imitating one cannot observe the rules of Tajweed. This means that such imitation may constitute a sin instead of reward due to lack of true adherence to the rules of Tajweed.
According to Ibn al-Jazzri , one who does not observe the rules of Tajweed is a sinner. al-Qurtubi said: 'al-Tarjee' (repeating some words or verses each time in a different manner) and al-Tatreeb (beautifying the sound through al-Tarjee and so on) may lead to some addition to the intonation and stress of the Qur'an. some letters get repeated unreasonably and all this is an addition to the Qur'an which is forbidden. This might even get exaggerated making the meaning ambiguous which is forbidden as well' .
Briefly, it is allowed to imitate some reciter of the Qur'an if you can observe the rules of Tajweed and can understand the meanings of the verses being read; otherwise, it is not permitted.
Allah knows best.
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