What is Qiraat? Qiraat really important to understand the difference between Qiraat al Quran and Tajweed, Tajweed refers to the rules of recitation to read it correctly. While Qiraat is the method of recitation, and there are ten of them that we will learn everything about shortly.
Qiraat meaning
The word Al Qiraat refers to the method of recitation, and in Arabic, it is called Tilawah, the word Tilawah means to read aloud from memory.
How many Qiraat are there in Quran?
There are 10 types of Qiraat to recite the Quran, however the most famous of them that all scholars agree on are 7 Qiraat.
What are the 7 types of Qiraat?
We understand now that the word Qiraat refers to the method of recitation used to recite the holy Quran, then we said there are 10 Qiraat types, but the most famous of them are seven, we hear the names of qiraat ar Rashida, Qiraat Hafs, and we will learn everything about them. But what are they named after? Each one is named after the renowned Rawis, they are the ones who narrated it with an established chain.
The 7 types of Qirat Quran
The types of the qiraat come from the class of Mutawatir, the seven Qiraat was chosen by Abu Bakr ibn Mujahid, who is a leading scholar in the field. Here are the seven types:
1) Qirat Naafi’ Al-Madani (Madinah).
This method was used by the two imams Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Imam Malik while reading the holey Quran. and their method of reading was kept by the two Qaris Qaloon and Warsh. Sometimes you might hear it by the name Qiraat warsh because here’s how it was preserved:
This type has the riwaya of Imam Warsh from Nafi’ al-Madini from Abu Jafar Yazid ibn Al-Qa’qa from Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas from Ubayy ibn Ka’b from Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) from Jibril (AS) from Allah SWT.
2) Qirat Ibn Katheer Al-Makki (Makkah)
The three imams Qunbul, Al-Buzzi, and Imam Shafi used this method to recite the Quran, and it was preserved by the two Qaris Al-Buzzi and Qunbul.
3) Qirat Abu Amr al-Basri (Basra).
This method of recitation was preserved by the two Qaris Ad-Doori and As-Soosi.
4) Qirat Ibn Aamir ash-Shami (Syria)
This method was used by the two imams Hisham and Ibn Dhakwan to recite the holy Quran, and they were the two who preserved this method.
5) Qirat Asim Al-Kufi (Kufa)
This method of Quran recitation was used by Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and it was preserved by the two Qaris Hafs and Shuba. It is most known as Hafs Qiraat, or qiraat has an asim, here is why:
The riwaya of Hafs ibn Sulayman ibn Al Mughira Al Asadi Al Kufi of the qirah of Asim ibn Abi’n-Nujud Al-Kufi from Abu Abdur Rehman Abdullah ibn Habib as Sulami from Uthman ibn Affan, Ali ibn Abi Talib, and Zaid ibn Thabit, and Ubayy ibn Ka’b from Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). As it can be seen, all these go back to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH).
6) Qirat Hamzah al-Kufi (Kufa).
This method was preserved by the two Qaris Khallad and Khalaf.
7) Qirat Al-Kisaa’i (Kufa)
This method was preserved by the two Qaris Al-Layth and Ad-Doori.
How many types of Qiraat are there?
There are mainly 10 different Qiraat types, but the most famous of them are seven because the imams who used them didn’t travel, they stayed in a specific place with their students. While the other three imams traveled around the world, and those methods were found by Ibn el Jazerry when he traveled around the world to find rest of the methods. Therefore, the three lefts are not considered authentic methods of recitation.
How to learn proper Qiraat?
To learn the science of Qiraat there are five steps to follow that we will guide you through right now, here we go:
1-Don’t learn from anyone.
The ones who are allowed to teach the different types of Qiraat have what is called Ijazah, which is permission taken to teach the method of recitation that the person masters. Being granted Ijazah means that you get to be a part of the chain of transmission of the Qiraat.
2-Follow the 70-30 Rule.
This rule divides your time into 70% revising what you have learned and memorized, and only 30% learning something new. This way your brain will memorize what you learn faster and you will ensure that you will never forget a thing.
3- Stay motivated and don’t lose hope.
I know how hard it gets, it’s normal to be slow while learning Qiraat, don’t put bad ideas in your head, keep reminding yourself that you’re doing this for Allah, and ask Allah to help you keep going.
4-Learn Tajweed.
One important step is learning the Tajweed rules that will teach you the correct recitation of the holy Quran.
5-Learn Arabic.
It’s a good idea to learn the language of the Quran, which is Arabic, reading the original form of the Quran will make you feel better and closer to Allah.
What are the 10 Qiraats of the Quran?
The ten types of Qiraat of the Quran are named after the following Imams:
1) Nafie Ibn abd al-Rahman Ibn Abi Naim Al-Madani
2) Abdullah Ibn Kathir Al-Dary Al-Makki.
3) Abu Amr Ibn Alaa Al-Bassri.
4) Abdullah Ibn Amr Al-Yahsbi Al-Shami.
5) Asim Ibn Abi Al-Najood Al-Asadi Al-Kufi.
6) Hamza Ibn Habib Al-Zayat Al-Kufi.
7) Abu Al-Hassan Ibn Ali Ibn Hamza Al- Qasaiy Al-Nahawi Al-Kufi.
8) Abu Jaafar Yazid Ibn Al-qaqaa Al-Madani.
9) Yaqoub Ibn Ishaq Al-Hadrami Al- Basri.
10) Khalaf Ibn Hisham.
We discussed above that there are only seven authentic methods and the other three are complementary methods. And each method is preserved by two narrators.
Where is each Qiraat most known?
The most famous method is Warsh Qiraat, it is preserved by imam Warsh, and was preserved as follows: This type has the riwaya of Imam Warsh from Nafi’ al-Madini from Abu Jafar Yazid ibn Al-Qa’qa from Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas from Ubayy ibn Ka’b from Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) from Jibril (AS) from Allah SWT.
Warsh Qiraat of the Quran is one of the two common methods used, it is used in Africa outside of Egypt and it is also famous in Yemen and Darfur.
Another popular method is Hafs Qiraat, it’s commonly used in Egypt and Sudan. Why is it commonly used and do people like to learn this method especially? Because it’s easy to learn, it was first spread in the House of the Caliphate in Kufa, then it moved to Baghdad because Hafs moved there, and he also used it in Mecca which made it spread even faster.
Conclusion
The word Al Qiraat refers to the method of recitation, and in Arabic, it is called Tilawah, the word Tilawah means to read aloud from memory.
There is a difference between Qiraat al Quran and Tajweed, Tajweed refers to the rules of recitation to read it correctly, While Qiraat is the method of recitation.
There are mainly 10 different Qiraat types, but the most famous of them are seven because the imams who used them didn’t travel, they stayed in a specific place with their students. While the other three imams traveled around the world, and those methods were found by Ibn el Jazerry when he traveled the world to find the rest the methods. Therefore, the three lefts are not considered authentic methods of recitation.
Warsh Qiraat of the Quran is one of the two common methods used, it is used in Africa outside of Egypt and it is also famous in Yemen and Darfur.
Another popular method is Hafs Qiraat, it’s commonly used in Egypt and Sudan. Why is it commonly used and do people like to learn this method especially? Because it’s easy to learn, it was first spread in the House of the Caliphate in Kufa, then it moved to Baghdad because Hafs moved there, and he also used it in Mecca which made it spread even faster.
The ten types of Qiraat of the Quran are named after the following Imams:
1) Nafie Ibn abd al-Rahman Ibn Abi Naim Al-Madani
2) Abdullah Ibn Kathir Al-Dary Al-Makki.
3) Abu Amr Ibn Alaa Al-Bassri.
4) Abdullah Ibn Amr Al-Yahsbi Al-Shami.
5) Asim Ibn Abi Al-Najood Al-Asadi Al-Kufi.
6) Hamza Ibn Habib Al-Zayat Al-Kufi.
7) Abu Al-Hassan Ibn Ali Ibn Hamza Al- Qasaiy Al-Nahawi Al-Kufi.
8) Abu Jaafar Yazid Ibn Al-qaqaa Al-Madani.
9) Yaqoub Ibn Ishaq Al-Hadrami Al- Basri.
10) Khalaf Ibn Hisham.
