التَّجْوِيدُ وَآدَابُ التِّلَاوَةِ

With "I read Arabic", you learned to read vowelled Arabic: long vowels, tanwin, shadda, "al", hamza. So you can read the words of the Qur'an. This course teaches you to recite them as they were passed down: that is tajwid.

The word تَجْوِيد comes from a root that means "doing well". Allah says: وَرَتِّلِ الْقُرْآنَ تَرْتِيلًا wa rattili l-qur'aana tartiilaa "And recite the Qur'an slowly and distinctly." (meaning of verse 73:4)

The Qur'an was not only written down: it was recited. The angel Jibril recited it to the Prophet ﷺ, who went over it with him every Ramadan (Bukhari 6). The Prophet ﷺ recited it to his companions, who recited it to their students… all the way to your teacher today. Tajwid is the way the sound of the Qur'an is kept intact, just as writing keeps its words.

Scholars define it like this: giving each letter its right (ḥaqq: its point of articulation and its qualities) and what is due to it (mustaḥaqq: the rules that apply depending on the letters around it). The first two lessons are about the "right" of the letters, the next ones about "what is due" to them.

The etiquette (aadaab) of recitation: • The intention: I recite for Allah, not to impress anyone. • Purity: to touch the mushaf, most scholars require wudu; reciting from memory is allowed without wudu. [À VÉRIFIER : avis à présenter aux ados (grande impureté, Coran sur téléphone)] • A clean, quiet place, sitting properly; facing the qibla when possible. • Begin by asking Allah for protection: أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ (a'uudhu billaahi mina sh-shayṭaani r-rajiim). Allah says: "When you recite the Qur'an, seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the outcast." (meaning of verse 16:98) • Say بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ at the start of every surah, except surah 9 (At-Tawba). • Do not rush, do not break off to chat, put your phone on silent. • Lower your voice if someone is praying or sleeping nearby. • Think about the meaning: the Qur'an is "a blessed Book which We have sent down to you, so that they may reflect on its verses" (meaning of verse 38:29).

How to work through this course: read the lesson, find the rule in the examples, listen to it on the site's Qur'an page, then have a teacher listen to you. A rule you have read but never heard stays fragile.

Challenge of the week: pick a short surah you know. Recite it every day following the etiquette on this list, from أَعُوذُ to the end.

Understanding the lesson

Explanation Why rules, if we can already read? Because in Arabic, a sound in the wrong place can change a word. Scholars distinguish two kinds of mistakes: the obvious mistake (laḥn jalii), which changes a letter or a vowel and can change the meaning, and which must be avoided at all costs; and the subtle mistake (laḥn khafii), which concerns the rules of this course (a missed ghunnah, a madd too short), and which we correct little by little with a teacher. Tajwid is like the technique of a sport or an instrument: you can read the rules, but you mostly improve with a "coach" who listens and corrects. That is why the Qur'an has been passed down from teacher to student since the Prophet ﷺ. Etiquette is not a detail: it prepares the heart. We do not recite the Word of Allah the way we read a message on our phone.

Lessons to draw from it • Reciting as it should be recited is part of the respect owed to the Qur'an: Allah praises those who recite it "as it should be recited" (meaning of verse 2:121). • Ten minutes every day are better than an hour once a week. • Record yourself from time to time: you hear your mistakes better when you listen back. • Always begin with "a'uudhu billaah": it is a protection and a reminder of your intention.

Key points to remember • Tajwid = "doing well": giving each letter its right and what is due to it. • Obvious mistakes (avoid at all costs) and subtle mistakes (correct little by little). • Before reciting: intention, purity, calm, isti'aadha (أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ…), basmala. • "Recite the Qur'an slowly and distinctly" (73:4).

The main message Tajwid means reciting the Qur'an as it was received from the Prophet ﷺ: with care in the sounds, and with respect in the heart.