Phonetically Motivated and Phonetically Unmotivated Assimilation in Quran Tajweed Rules
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Journal of Philosophy, Culture and Religion www.iiste.org ISSN 2422-8443 An International Peer-reviewed Journal Vol.17, 2016 Phonetically Motivated and Phonetically Unmotivated Assimilation in Quran Tajweed Rules Zakaria Ahmad Abuhamdia Middle East University, Amman, Jordan Abstract The recitation style of Quran known as "tajweed" follows certain age-old practice embodied in phonetic specifications. Over the past millennium, explications of the principles (or rules) of tajweed have been recycled again and again in literally hundreds of publications of varied length and detail. However, and probably out of obvious veneration for Quran, the phonetic rules of the tajweed enterprise have never been subjected to academically-based phonetic scrutiny, let alone critique. This has been the state despite the fact that tajweed :;<=>? ?The term tarteel E;F?G .أas a term does not occur in 1uran itself or in the te5ts of the Prophet 's tradition A<:;BC , 6careful reading7 and few other terms of similar meaning are used. The purpose of this essay is to problematiHe ادJ;Kم the need for such scrutiny. This article focuses only on one set of ta3weed rules subsumed under idghaam 6consonantal regressive assimilation7. The study has culled relevant data and propositions of received wisdom from the sources and has also identified sub-types of assimilation which are not in consonance with current 6twenty-first7 phonetic scholarship. Keywords: 1uran, Ta3weed rules, phonetics, 6un7motivated assimilation rules 1. Introduction: Recitation of the Holy Word N Scripture A desire to vocally immortaliHe the holy word without relin9uishing or compromising the status of the written word can be observed among followers of the various faiths. 6Oelber, 2007P27 Furthermore, 'Recitation or reading aloud of scripture is a common feature of piety in virtually every scriptural tradition', so Rraham emphasiHes 61S87P6T7. Evidence to this effect comes from the tradition of 8ellenistic pagan cults 6such as that of Isis7, (oroastrian traditions, 8indu and Buddhist traditions, Chinese and Japanese traditions, and Judeo-Christian traditions 6idemP 6T-667, besides the ,uslim tradition, which is the focal point of this research pro3ect. For e5ample, no e5tant te5t antedates Panini's 6ca. T00 BCE7 on the phonetics of the pronunciation of some Vedic te5ts. The Vedu 6plural of vedah V meaning what is )nown or )nowledge7 are oral te5ts and they are also preserved in writing. They have been orally transmitted from generation to generation over the centuries by Brahmanic recitersW in fact some consider committing them to writing comes close to 3eopardiHing their sanctity. 6Rraham, 1S87P 72 and 1017 According to Lannoy 61S71P1S27, 'Vedic chanting is a ,eta science of sound, mystical prayer, scriptural recitation in Sans)rit Y Zwhich is[ performed in tempo.' Rraham 61S87P 6S7 gives some detailed description of Vedic chanting in terms of tempo 6the unit is laya 7 and the speed 6 vrtti 7 in three degrees. Learning the various elements for the 'proper' rendition of the Vedic hymns fulfills the Buddhist tradition of 'evam me sutan' meaning, 'thus I have heard'. Furthermore, the Judeo-Christian tradition used to have a similar orientation concerning the oral status of the holy writ, but widespread oral recitation has now waned. The written word has surpassed the vocal aspect of the scripture. 'It's in the Bible' is used more fre9uently than 'Rod says' 6idemP 4S and 120-12T7. For the ,uslims, the 1uran stands as 'Rod's ipsissima vox ' 6Oelber, 2007P47 2. Tajweed Ta3weed 6chanting or cantillation7 is a special style of reading 1uran with the intent of 6?7 'upgrading the 9uality of the recitation ac'. Two points may be appropriate at this point in the paper. First, the word :;<=>? DOES NOT ر?;G;b , c;? , Eأ The words . اA<:;BC أو أoccur in any form or shape in either the 1uran or the Prophet's tradition ^_;`C do occur in different forms and shapes in both 1uran and the te5ts of the Prophet's tradition. Second, although the word 'readings' is used to refer to those alternative ways of changing written symbols 6letters7 into sounds G;b also has a similar fluidityاءة ,G;b W it is also used to the general process of reading. In the literature in Arabicاءات of reference. Nonetheless, the literature distinguishes between ta3weed and reading. The science of 1iraa'aat h;ij deals with the variation in word and phrase reading. For e5ample, whether the word is malik i l;im or اG;kCاءات maalik i l;CJm in Suurat Al-Faatiha relates to 9iraa'ah. Similarly, whether the sub3ect of the present tense verbs in Gop;? E;qون اJ;FBCة the following phrases is a second or third person plural relates to 'readings' but not to ta3weedW . أGop< Eq , JFv:Cون اJFBCة اJFv:C , وJs? Jmءون إt أن >Jsء أr , وJs< Jmءون إt أن >Jsء أr hij deals with the processes of the vocaliHation of the أOn the other hand, the science of ta3weed :<=>wC individual word sounds, regardless of the 'reading' in the technical sense above. That is, how a person vocaliHes is a ta3weed point . On some points, the two overlap, as in the أن >Jsء the initial sound in the second word in G>m Jy<G>m a variation which shows differences inاھimaalah or vowel raising – mujraahaa or mujraehao , , J Jz{j , 20047 The various readings areن 9iraa'ah and entails following the relevant rule of ta3weed. 6Page 6 in seen by the ,uslims as blessings, not impediments. 6Oelber, 2007P 47 18 Journal of Philosophy, Culture and Religion www.iiste.org ISSN 2422-844 An International Peer-reviewed Journal Vol.17, 2016 To ,uslims, the term 'ta3weed' is almost a household term, since ta3weed is an element in school curricula and in . •JF€zت اij ^~•JBzC{ اGkCان اthe activities of mos9ues and 1uran-related organiHations and societies, h<G|C To most non-,uslims familiar with its e5istence, the 1uran has for long been presented and read as a written te5t 6Nelson, 2001P 5vii7. It has been the sub3ect of investigation from varied discipline orientations, presentation focus, interpretation, te5tual structure, and point of argumentation. 8owever, this research article is not about the 1uran as a written te5t. Rather it focuses on certain phonetic processes of vocaliHation which are specified in sources on the ta3weed. Within the general area of 1uranic studies, ta3weed is subsumed under the rubric of the recitative sciences or sciences of 'readings' 6Rade, 2001P 67 and 200SP48T7 Ta3weed studies and practices focus onP 17 the appropriate sound description for proper pronunciation with reference to the points of J…m . 6Leading authors in this respect are, in ascending historical orderPرج اGBCوف articulation, which are called F , 27 whether and which contiguous=> , اq •_ , أq= اBC` أF€`C:ي , اq |m , J_F q أq طCJ• , أC:اv , أGkCط6 consonants can undergo assimilation, 7 the relative duration of vowels, and 47 the types of open and closed 3uncture.6 }=m200 P 11, Rraham and Oermani, 2006P 118 and Rade, 200SP 48T7 After the relative standardiHation of the written form of the 1uran on the orders of the third Calif of Islam, Othmaan Bin 'Affaan, certain styles of reading became more popular among the ,uslims of particular regions than other stylesW still other styles became popular in other regions. Some individuals with strong feelings about maintaining the original oral form of the readings began the process on encoding the description of the readings in writing. The first published wor) on the authentication of accepted readings is believed to have been done by Ahmad Bin Jubayr Al-Ouufi 6died 6henceforth d.7 2T8 8i3ra. Please note that the dates given are in this calendar, not the solar Rregorian calendar.7. Bin Jubayr canoniHed five styles of reading, representing the reading styles that eventually evolved in the five cities which received the five Othmaanic codicesP ,ecca, ,edina, Oufa 6Ira97, Basra 6Ira97, and Damascus 6Syria7. 8owever that boo) only charted the road and alerted the protectors 6?7 of the 1uran te5t to the need for such wor)s. It was followed by the wor) of Bin ,u3aahid 6d. 247, who described the reading styles of seven reciters, and named two associates for each whom he called the transmitters or describers of that style. 8is choice of those seven readers has always been upheld, with no 2001P TT7 Inadvertently or otherwise, he perpetuated the idea that there are only seven ways of , ﺣchallenges.6 reciting 1uran. This number, seven, happens to parallel the number 'seven' in a saying attributed to the Prophet to the effect that revelation of the 1uran had been in seven styles, commonly referred to as 'ahruf', i.e., 'letters'. zBm .7=د أJ‘>Cل 6For details on this issue, please see the research by Writing on the sub3ect flourished over the ne5t few centuries and matured by the ninth century of the ,uslim calendar. Since then, publications on ta3weed have been mere annotations and e5planations mostly of the canoniHed readings. Despite the e5istence of many other sources, the overwhelming ma3ority of the writings have been recycling the ta3weed rules described by Al-Shaatibi, Al-1urtubi, Bin Al-JaHari, and Al- The names of those seven readers are listed below, following the their .7 7ﺣ , Sa)haawi.6 286 V 28T P 2001 respective cities of association. 17 ,edinaP Naafi' Bin 'Abd Al-Rahmaan 6Al-,adany7 6d.16S7, transmittersP Warsh 6d.1S77 and 1aaloun 6d. 2207 j q ”•Jv: اGCﺣz 7أ6v:zC راو>Jه P ورش , CJb=ن 27 ,eccaP 'Abdullah Bin Oatheer 6d.1207, transmittersP Al-BaHHii 6d. 2T07 and 1unbul 6d.2S17 j: أGF{– q r 7أzC|6 راو>Jه P أC•ي , E_b 7 DamascusP 'Abdullah Bin 'Aamer 6d.1187, transmittersP 8ishaam Bin 'Ammaar 6d.