The Qur’an is the Holiest Book in Islam.
It is a divine book, which was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ by Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى through the Angel Gabriel.
The Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in parts. It was completed in 23 years. It started with the first verses revealed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in a cave on Mount Hira, near Makkah, Saudi Arabia. This was, in fact, a very special occasion.
It was the beginning of the revelation of the Qur’an as well as the Prophethood of Muhammad ﷺ. The Quran is in Arabic whereas the Muslims belong to almost every part of the world.
The majority of Muslims outside the Arab Countries don’t understand Arabic. Hence it is difficult for them to recite the Quran correctly.
There are certain symbols and signs to make it easy for Muslims to recite the Qur’an correctly. These symbols provide the guidelines to recite the Qur’an in its true sense.
Before we understand the meaning and purpose of various symbols in the Qur’an, let’s quickly look at some important facts about it:
Quran was revealed in Arabic. This was the native language of the people living in Makkah and Medina. So, it was easy for them to understand and recite it correctly, as was taught to them directly by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
In the 22nd verse of Surah Al-Qamar of Quran, Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى says, وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْنَا ٱلْقُرْءَانَ لِلذِّكْرِ فَهَلْ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍۢ
Translation:
“And We have certainly made the Quran easy to remember. So is there anyone who will be mindful?”
In the 97th verse of Sura Al-Mariyam, it is said, فَإِنَّمَا يَسَّرْنَـٰهُ بِلِسَانِكَ لِتُبَشِّرَ بِهِ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ وَتُنذِرَ بِهِۦ قَوْمًۭا لُّدًّۭا
Translation:
“Indeed, We have made this ˹Quran˺ easy in your own language ˹O Prophet˺ so with it you may give good news to the righteous and warn those who are contentious.”
However, over the years, Islam and Qur’an spread throughout the world, most non-Arabic. Hence, they couldn’t read it with “Tajweed.” Simply put, Tajweed is a set of instructions and rules that guide us to recite the Quran perfectly.
Apart from it, recitation of the Qur’an also depends on stopping or continuation at certain points in a verse. Wrong stoppage or continuation may lead to entirely different meanings of that verse. To avoid such a mistake, various symbols are added to the Quran.
These symbols guide the reader on where to stop and where not to. Other symbols have different meanings and purposes. But the main purpose of all these symbols is to facilitate the reciter.
Hence, for the flawless recitation of the Qur’an, one has to understand the concept of Tajweed and the symbols added at different points of the Qur’an.
Symbols in Quran help us read it with ease and without mistakes. Here’s a list of these symbols with their purpose and meaning.
Qur’an is a sacred divine book in Islam, which was revealed on Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. It was revealed in Arabic, the native language of the people of Makkah and Medina. However, Islam reached out to almost every part of the world, most of whom don’t speak and understand Arabic.
Various symbols and signs are added to the required points to make it easy to understand how to recite the Qur’an. These symbols facilitate the reader in errorless reading of the Qur’an. Mostly these symbols indicate where the reader can take a pause.
Some symbols command that the reader must not pause at this point. It is very important to understand these symbols and follow them strictly. Any mistake in observing these symbols may result in a change in the meanings of the verses.
So, try to understand and learn how to observe these symbols for flawless reading of the Qur’an.
Rafia Tahir is a Qur’an scholar and an Islamic blogger, dedicated to sharing the message of Islam. Her work enlightens and connects, making Islamic teachings accessible to a wide audience. She occasionally writes articles for Muslim And Quran.
Main image credit – RDNE, pexels.
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