Illustrated Tajwīd Made Easy – Book Three

Sūrat Al Qiyāmah 75:16–18 Move not thy tongue in haste [concerning the Qur’ān]. It is for Us to collect it and recite it. But when We have recited it, follow thou its recital.

Sūrat Al Muzzammil 73:4 Or add to it, and recite the Qur’ān in slow, measured, rhythmic tone.

The slow, measured, rhythmic tone has become an art of reading the Holy Book, characterized by what is now known as tajwīd, a set of rules for the correct pronunciation of the letters in the verses of the Qur’ān. Tajwīd literally means to improve or enhance something and render it excellent or exceptional. It is a means for beautifying the reading of the Qur’ān, fully deserving of the Source from where it emanated and was relayed to mankind through the Prophet Muhammad. Tajwīd, therefore, is a necessary knowledge and skill in learning to recite the Qur’ān, and this three-volume book on The Illustrated Tajwīd Made Easy: The Science of Reading the Holy Qur’ān by Alia Liza Zaldarriaga Sadain, is an excellent source of easy-to-understand-and-apply lessons in mastering tajwīd.

…In sum, these are books that seek to teach the pronunciation of Qur’ān verses in a simplified, illustrated manner that even children can take to heart. They demystify the rigorous one-on-one method of teaching Qur’ān reading in the mode of the traditional pag-guruh among the Muslims in the Philippines, where the various individual readings are never really explained, and the students merely play it by ear as they decipher and vocalize the diacritical marks over and below the Arabic letters, with the teacher listening to their recitation, and correcting erroneous pronunciations.

Our deep appreciation is due to the author and my sister-in-law Alia Liza, who spent much of her precious time learning Qur’ān reading and the method of tajwīd, and in painstakingly putting her knowledge into writing and coming up with these books….

This foreword tends to be personal because the dedicated writing of these books and the knowledge they are now imparting on their readers is, in the final analysis, a personal triumph for those who read the Qur’ān properly, and hence, reap the full benefits of such reading.

Indeed, it is Allāh (Glory to Him, The Exalted) that eventually explains the Qur’ān to its readers, and what better way for the explanation to reach us, than by the profound feel of its beauty in the way of tajwid.]