As a non-Arabic speaker, how can we teach our children the correct method for reciting the Quran? What are the important rules to keep in mind? What should be considered when selecting the best kids Qaidah?
Allah Almighty has revealed the Quran for the growth and guidance of His servants. Its the word revealed by Allah Almighty and it has ten rewards in the recitation of each letter. This can only be possible when it is read with the rules and principles of etiquette. Allah Almighty has commanded the recitation of the Holy Quran in accordance with its proper rules.
The Arabic word Tajweed linguistically means “proficiency” or “doing something well”. It comes from the same root letters as the word Jayyid, which means “good”. When applied to the Quran, it means giving every letter of the Quran its rights and due characteristics during recitation and observing the rules that apply to those letters in different situations. These rules are usually taught to children from a young age through Qurani Qaidahs.
The Quran was revealed with Tajweed rules applied to it. In other words, when the angel Jibreel (Gabriel) عليه السلام recited the words of Allah to the Prophet Muhammad, ﷺ, he recited them in a certain way and he showed the Prophet ﷺ the ways in which it was permissible to recite the Quran. So it is obligatory upon us to observe those rules so that we recite it in the way it was revealed.
At the time of the Prophet ﷺ there was no need for people to study Tajweed because they talked with what is now known as Tajweed, so it was natural for them. When the Arabs started mixing with the non-Arabs and as Islam spread, mistakes in the Quranic recitation began to appear, so the scholars had to record the rules. Now, because the everyday Arabic that Arabs speak has changed so much from the Classical Arabic with which the Quran was revealed, even the Arabs have to study the Tajweed with the help of books and Qaidahs.
The purpose of Tajweed is that the Quran is the word of Allah, and every syllable of it is from Allah. Its recitation must be taken very seriously. The purpose of the science of Tajweed, in essence, is to make the reciter proficient in reciting the Quran, observe the correct pronunciation of every letter with the rulings and characteristics which apply to it, without any exaggeration or deficiency. Through this, the reciter can recite the Quran according to the way of the Prophet ﷺ, who received it from Jibreel who received it from Almighty Allah in the Classical Arabic language.
Each Arabic letter has a Makhraj (an exit or articulation point from which it originates) and Sifaat (attributes or characteristics). Knowing the Makhraj and Sifaat of each letter is an important part of Tajweed. Sometimes two letters have very similar exits, which makes mixing them up easy. So, if a person does not know the attributes of each letter, he may change the meaning of the words in the Quranic recitation. Awareness of the rules of Tajweed prevents such mistakes. These rules are clearly explained in various tajweed books and Qaidahs.
Without any doubt, the practice of reciting Quran according to the rules of Tajweed should be in the age in which the vocals are easy to accept so that every “Makhraj” is remembered for life. According to the senior teachers of the Quran, This period is from the age a child starts uttering their first words till the age of 20 years at least. Afterwards, the human articulatory system doesn’t accept the more accurate practice of “Makharij”. So, it is necessary to teach the Qurani Qaidah to children from a young age.
The “Qurani Qaidah” is the best solution to teach the young children the rules of Tajweed as it has especially been written for young children and easy to understand compared to tajweed books that are often geared towards adults.
The Holy Quran is the only book in the world that has rules and regulations for reciting. No book in the world has this honour. Young Muslim children are practice to recite the Quran with rules and regulations from an early age and that’s exactly how it should be.
This is because the Quran is the word of Allah Almighty and He Himself has pronounced these words and has also commanded us to recite this Quran in the same way. If anyone does not recite the Quran with its rules and regulations, it is very possible that the pronunciation of his words will change and he will start uttering the words with his tongue which will change the meaning of Allah Almighty. In this way, this person can commit a sin and receive torment instead of a reward.
There are a number of “Qurani Qaidahs” with different titles like as “Norani Qaida”, “Qurani Qaida”, “Raheemi Qurani Qaida” “Muallim-ul-Quran”, “Mukammal Qurani Qaida” etc available across Pakistan that are largely fulfilling this goal and are helping children to recite the Quran correctly but in all these Qaidahs there was a lack of recognition of the basic principles of Tajweed, guidance for teachers, the method of memorizing and conducting lessons, the audio-visual composition, the visual map of the rules of Tajweed, colour coded words, etc., which need to be taught to each child.
Darussalam has tried to put all these important tools together in the “Qurani Qaidah” with the help of the famous Pakistani scholar and Quran teacher “Sheikh Qari Muhammad Idrees Al-Asim” حفظه الله who is one of the top dependable Quran teachers in Pakistan.
Sheikh Idrees حفظه الله is a renowned teacher of Tajweed-ul-Quran and has more or less fifty years of teaching experience in Tajweed-ul-Quran. He serves as an examiner in religious schools and Madaris across Pakistan and has taught thousands of students in Pakistan and abroad. He learned the Quran and its sciences from Egypt. He is a graduate of the Islamic University of Madina and is a renowned religious scholar. He is also the author of dozens of books on the subject of Quranic sciences and Tajweed-ul-Quran. The importance and authenticity of these books are so great that they are part of the syllabus of religious schools and Madaris across Pakistan. Among his writings is this “Qurani Qaidah” published by Darussalam.
The team of Darussalam Research Center has developed this “Qaidah” with some important qualities which are summarized below.
- At the beginning of the lessons, necessary instructions are given to teachers and students.
- The lessons are highlighted in the form of exercises through different colours.
- Full guidance on how to spell and combine the words together has been provided.
- Quranic examples are carefully explained in the lessons and non-Quranic words are avoided.
- Important rules about Tajweed and Makharij al-Huruf have been explained.
- The difference between reading and written words has been explained as well as the method of diction.
- There are some words in the Holy Quran which are difficult to pronounce, their pronunciation has been highlighted.
- “Waqf” (stopping) and “Waqf” codes are explained in detail.
- In the end, Masnoon prayers like Ayat-ul-Kursi, Qunoot Witr, Masnoon Dua of Sajda Tilawat and Masnoon Dua of Funeral Prayers have also been added.
As parents and teachers, it’s our responsibility to teach our children the recitation of the Quran. This Qurani Qaidah alone will serve as the complete guidance on all matters related to Quranic recitation. Get your own copy from Darusslam by clicking here.
Read Our Blog Post on Arabic Course Grade 1, 2 & 3
Interested in similar books? Take a look at our suggestions below.
