The Meaning of Tilawah, Its Levels, and Which Is Best

معاني التلاوة ومراتبها وأفضلها

The Meaning of Tilawah, Its Levels, and Which Is Best

Translated by: Reza Ervani bin Asmanu

This article, “The Meaning of Tilawah, Its Levels, and Which Is Best,” is included in the Islamic Questions and Answers Category

السؤال

Question:

ما الفرق بين تلاوة القرآن وترتيله، وأيهما مستحب؟

What is the difference between tilawah of the Qur’an and tartil, and which of the two is more recommended?

الإجابــة

Answer:

الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله، وعلى آله وصحبه، أما بعد:

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, and his Companions. To proceed:

فإن التلاوة معناها القراءة عموماً، وأما الترتيل فهو مرتبة من مراتب تلاوة القرآن الثلاثة المعروفة عند علماء التجويد وهي -بعد الترتيل-: الحدر، والتدوير،

Tilawah generally means recitation. Tartil, however, is one of the three recognized levels of Qur’an recitation among the scholars of tajwid. The three levels are tartil, hadr, and tadwir.

فالترتيل في اصطلاح القراء هو قراءة القرآن على مكث وتفهم من غير عجلة، وهو أفضل مراتب التلاوة، لأن القرآن نزل به، كما قال تعالى:

In the terminology of Qur’an reciters, tartil means reciting the Qur’an slowly and deliberately, with understanding and without haste. It is the best of the levels of recitation, because the Qur’an was revealed to be recited in this manner. Allah Most High says:

وَقُرْآناً فَرَقْنَاهُ لِتَقْرَأَهُ عَلَى النَّاسِ عَلَى مُكْثٍ [الإسراء:١٠٦]،

“And it is a Qur’an which We have divided into parts so that you may recite it to the people gradually.” (Surah al-Isra’, verse 106),

وقال تعالى:

and He Most High also says:

وَرَتِّلِ الْقُرْآنَ تَرْتِيلًا [المزمل:٤].

“And recite the Qur’an with measured recitation.” (Surah al-Muzzammil, verse 4).

وقد فسر علي رضي الله عنه الترتيل:

‘Ali bin Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, explained tartil as:

بأنه تجويد الحروف ومعرفة الوقوف،

“Perfecting the pronunciation of the letters and knowing the proper places to stop.”

ومعنى تجويد الحروف إخراجها من مخارجها، وإعطاؤها صفاتها من التفخيم والترقيق…

Perfecting the letters means pronouncing them from their proper points of articulation and giving them their correct characteristics, such as tafkhim, or heaviness, and tarqiq, or lightness.

وأما المرتبة الثانية من تلاوة القرآن فهي الحدر، وهو إدراج القراءة وسرعتها مع المحافظة على أحكام التجويد، ويجب الحذر من بتر الحروف وذهاب الغنة والمد.

The second level of Qur’an recitation is hadr, which is rapid and continuous recitation while still observing the rules of tajwid. Care must be taken not to cut short the letters or cause the ghunnah and madd to disappear.

وأما المرتبة الثالثة من مراتب تلاوة القرآن فهي التدوير، وهي حالة متوسطة بين الترتيل والحدر، ولقارئ القرآن الكريم أن يختار من هذه المراتب الثلاثة ما يناسب حاله أو يوافق طبعه ويخف على لسانه، ولا تجوز تلاوة القرآن بالهذرمة التي تبتر الحروف وتخل بمخارجها وتذهب بالغنة والمد…

The third level is tadwir, which is a middle pace between tartil and hadr. The reciter of the Noble Qur’an may choose whichever of these three levels best suits his circumstances, natural manner, and ease of pronunciation. However, it is not permissible to recite in the excessively hurried manner known as hadharmah, which cuts short the letters, compromises their points of articulation, and causes the ghunnah and madd to disappear.

وتأتي تلاوة القرآن بمعنى اتباعه، ومنه قول الله تبارك وتعالى:

Tilawah can also carry the meaning of following and acting upon the Qur’an. An example is the saying of Allah, Blessed and Most High:

الَّذِينَ آتَيْنَاهُمُ الْكِتَابَ يَتْلُونَهُ حَقَّ تِلاَوَتِهِ أُوْلَئِكَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِ [البقرة:١٢١]

“Those to whom We have given the Book recite it as it ought to be recited; they are the ones who truly believe in it.” (Surah al-Baqarah, verse 121).

وفي تفسير الطبري وابن كثير عن ابن مسعود أنه قال: والذي نفسي بيده؛ إن حق تلاوته أن يحل حلاله، ويحرم حرامه، ويقرأه كما أنزله الله عز وجل، ولا يحرفه عن مواضعه، ولا يتأول شيئاً منه على غير تأويله. ومثله رووه عن قتادة.

In the tafsir works of at-Tabari and Ibn Kathir, it is reported from Ibn Mas’ud that he said: “By the One in whose hand is my soul, to recite it as it ought to be recited means to regard as lawful what it declares lawful, regard as forbidden what it declares forbidden, recite it as Allah, Mighty and Majestic, revealed it, not distort its words from their proper places, and not interpret anything in it contrary to its proper interpretation.” A similar statement was also narrated from Qatadah.

وعلى هذا، فالتلاوة لفظ عام يشمل القراءة -كما ذكرنا- ويشمل الاتباع. أما الترتيل فهو مرتبة من مراتب التلاوة وهو أفضلها، وبهذا تعلم الفرق بين التلاوة والترتيل.

Accordingly, tilawah is a general term that includes both recitation, as mentioned above, and following what is recited. Tartil, on the other hand, is one of the levels of tilawah and is the best of them. This explains the difference between tilawah and tartil.

والله أعلم.

And Allah knows best.

Source: IslamWeb