Recitation | April 2021

We all have that collection of special moments that, through Allāh's help, inspired us to become more practicing, recite more of the Qurʾān, or take a path towards our Generous Lord... May Allāh keep us all steadfast upon what pleases Him.

I heard from a student that a pivotal moment in her journey was hearing a woman recite the Qurʾān.

Our hearts are certainly affected and softened by the recitation of the Qurʾān, but the reciter is nearly always a man. Those moments are pivotal for us and perhaps we grew up listening to them, or visited a masjid and heard the beautiful qirāʾah of the Imam... These moments are impactful and cannot be undervalued.

Personally, I had never heard a woman recite. I learned the Qurʾān exclusively with men until my mid 20s. I didn't even have peers who were women. I had never realised the impact a woman's recitation could have, as I had not thought of recitation in this manner. Ultimately, it is the Qurʾān itself that causes physical and emotional effects on the one who recites it, and those who hear it — whether that reciter is male or female.

What the student said surprised me.

But then I thought of my Qurʾān teacher, may Allāh preserve her and her parents, and how her recitation is easily my favourite sound in the whole entire world.... and I understood what the student was conveying.

For context, a public recitation is defined simply as someone else being able to tell you are reciting the Qurʾān. So, for example, you're sitting in a quiet masjid and reciting audibly whilst others are listening. Note: The meaning of ʿpublicʾ here is not social media.

In a recent class*, Ustādha Abeer Sadary (Allāh preserve her) was explaining the importance of public recitation. She explained that the Prophet ﷺ loved to hear the Qurʾān from others and would ask them to recite to him, despite the fact it was revealed unto him. He loved to listen to it. ﷺ

The circumstances of 2020 forced many of us to re-evaluate what spaces we value. With the closure of mosques in many areas, we turned to online spaces to fulfil what our hearts were seeking. We filled our homes with the recitation of the Qurʾān, and gathered together via Zoom to simply recite a few āyāt with friends, family, members of the community... The impact of this public recitation is tangible. Many mosques remain closed to women; some have not set foot in one since March 2020. We ask Allāh to lift this balāʾ from the worldwide community.

I often prompt students just before they are about to recite by saying, ʿremember, big voice....ʾ

It turns out, it not only enhances the makhārij but also fills the home with light.

Although men do generally recite publicly, through leading prayers for example, it is not necessarily the case that their recitations will be available readily for us to listen to at our leisure.

Some of my favourite reciters, who are men, do not post their recitation online. I have waited six years to study with one of them, to hear him recite, and to have the blessed opportunity to recite to him in turn. Posting recitations online is a completely different discussion to reciting audibly so that others can hear.

An extremely pivotal and dear moment in my life also involved overhearing someone recite the Qurʾān (a man), but that is a story perhaps for another time, if at all...

*accessible for women only, free of charge, via the teacher's website: www.QuranicReflections.com > ḥadīth.