The Role of Islamic Scholars in the Advancement and Expansion of Tajwīd

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 PhD student of Al-Mustafa Al-Alamiyah Society

2 Assistant Professor, Al-Mustafa International University, Qom, Iran

3 Lecturer in Qur’anic Recitation Sciences, Al-Mustafa International University, Qom, Iran:

Abstract

Objective: This study investigates the role of Muslim scholars in the development and expansion of Tajwīd. The main question is how Islamic scholars contributed to the codification, preservation, and transmission of Tajwīd rules, and how these efforts led to the independence of this discipline.
Method: The research follows a descriptive–analytical and historical–documentary approach. Data were collected through library research, including early and later works on Tajwīd, biographical studies of prominent scholars, and manuscript catalogues.
Results: In the early centuries, Tajwīd was transmitted orally through direct teaching, with the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his companions as the first instructors. With the spread of Islam among non-Arab peoples, the need for precise codification became apparent. Muslim scholars authored influential works such as Ḥirz al-Amānī by al-Shāṭibī, al-Nashr fī al-Qirāʾāt al-ʿAshr by Ibn al-Jazarī, and the treatises of Abū ʿAmr al-Dānī. Pioneers like Khalīl ibn Aḥmad al-Farāhīdī, Sībawayh, Abū Muzāḥim al-Khāqānī, and Ibn al-Jazarī played a decisive role in transforming Tajwīd from a linguistic and recitational subset into an independent science.
Conclusions: Tajwīd, which initially existed as an oral tradition, gradually evolved into a structured and independent discipline. This transformation owes much to the tireless efforts of Muslim scholars who, by codifying its rules, safeguarded not only the Qurʾān’s correct recitation but also the Arabic language and Islamic cultural heritage.  

Keywords

References

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History

  • Receive Date: 10 March 2025
  • Revise Date: 07 April 2025
  • Accept Date: 30 April 2025

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