After observing the level of recitation in Indo-Pak
communities we have come to know the mispronounced words in Quranic recitation.
As we all know the majority of madrasa’s teach what I call
urdu-bic which is a hybrid of Urdu and Arabic. That’s to put things gently but
if I was to be blunt then I would say that Quran is taught in Urdu not Arabic.
Is this problem? Yes it is a major problem when words are not recited properly
they can change the meaning. For example the word then ثم
becomes سمsumma
which means poison. The meaning is changed from then to poison Whenever meaning is changed it can never be good. It generally renders the ayah pronounced as unrecognizable from its
Arabic counterpart.
So here we wish to list the words that are commonly
mispronounced in the hope that people correct their recitation or seek a
teacher to assist them to do this. It is an individual obligation to recite the Quran correctly and if you cannot do this then you are sinful. Although if you are trying your upmost and still making mistakes then you have an excuse but others who have the opportunity and choose not to learn do not have an excuse.
So here we can see
that despite all these madrasa’s that are open only a few are actually doing
their job correctly.
Here is the list:
ت ta is said far too strongly is very
lightly pronounced as ta – the tongue should be above the front two teeth
ث it
should be pronounced tha not sa which is the common mistake – try put your
tongue between your teeth and articulate the letter.
ح Ha
must be said by blowing air out of the middle of the throat similar to how you
blow on a mirror – this one is difficult and needs practice.
خ Kha
is a throaty sound which is almost the same sound you hear when old people draw
phlegm into their mouths and spit.
ذ this
is common mistake and pronounced as zha which is not Arabic it should be pronounced
as dha – your tongue should come out of your mouth. It is very similar to da; only difference is the place that the sound is
made.
ص this is another mistake
it is pronounced as sawad which is not correct at all. It should be pronounced
as Saad. The tongue should move upwards in an almost whistling manner.
ضthis
is said as dawad which is another mistake – it should be pronounced as Daad
ط tawwii
which is its common pronouncement but the correct one is Taaw – the tongue
should move upward towards the roof of the mouth.
ظ zawwai
is mispronounced it should be pronounced as Zaa – and the tongue should
be similar to the ط
عayn
is how it should be pronounced – it should come from the middle of the
throat
and if you are doing it
correctly it should hurt to begin with.
غ ghayn
is how it should be pronounced another throat letter and it is very similar to the
ق this
one is more about emphasis that misreading the letter qaaf – the sound should
come from the back of the throat
ه this is not said deep
enough as it should come from the bottom of the throat. A throaty ha
ء this is similar to the ه this is
deeper. Aa.
ل Laam is said too deeply in all words. It should be said thinly or lightly and only be heavy when pronouncing the majestic name.
I
do realise that this list is effectively half the alphabet but these are the
mistakes that we have found.
Please try to find someone qualified to teach you
and correct these errors. Its not easy because it’s like uprooting a tree and
putting a sapling in its place. You have to re-programme yourself but the
rewards are there for you and you will feel a difference in your prayer. Start
slowly one letter at a time, master it move on then so forth. Its not easy but
it is possible as Imam Al-Jazzari said in his commentary on Tajweed all it
needs is practice of the mouth.
Other problems
This is a recent problem that I have noticed. When these verses come together what is pronouced is something that resembles the name of Allah added to this. So its a major error. Instead of being pronounced as Kharulu is said as Kharullla which changes the meaning. See example
خَيْرٌ للَّهُ is changed خَيْرٌ لَّهُ
So you can see what a big mistake it is so the below is how to correctly pronounce it. So if you cannot say them correctly then separate them for the time being until you can correctly say them.
خَيْرٌ لَّهُ رُلْ + لَ
وَايَةٌ لَّهُم ةُ لْ + لَ
مَتَاعًا لَّكُم عَا لْ + لَ
Confusion between the Alif and Hamza
In many books that alif and the Hamza are said to be
pronounced the same but they are different. The alif is pronounced in the mouth
and the Hamza is pronounced at the bottom of the throat. They are two different
letters and cannot be read the same.
Is it too late for me?
You might find a lot of difficulty trying to correct
your pronunciation but that should not stop you. If you cannot do this for
yourself then try to get a teacher who knows Quranic Arabic for your kids. At
least then they do not grow up with the correct pronunciation.
The Hanafi madhab states that if two words are
pronounced correctly then the prayer is valid. The Shafi madhab is stricter, if
Sura Fatihah is not pronounced correctly then the prayer is not valid. Please
check your schools opinion on this issue. The Shia prayer that I witnessed has
no Sura Fatihah or any sura, as far as I could tell, if this is correct the
whole prayer is invalid.
Find an Arab
Finding a teacher might prove difficult and it might
prove impossible for some. But you have to try. There are some online courses
so bear that in mind. Not being able to pronounce the words correctly means a
barrier to learning Arabic, if you choose to do so.
Why is Tajweed important?
Please see the following link and it will explain what why tajweed needs to be correct.
