What Is the Ruling on Reciting the Quran with Scales (Maqamat)?

Answered by Shaykh Anas Al-Musa

Question

What is the ruling on reciting the Quran with Maqamat?

Answer

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all worlds, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger sent as a mercy to the worlds, our Master and Prophet, Muhammad, and his Family and Companions.

It is permissible to recite the Quran using known musical scales such as Saba, Bayat, Nahawand, and Siga. This is because it falls under enhancing the recitation of the Quran, which is not only permissible but also recommended due to the reverence and spiritual attraction it can inspire in the heart towards the words of Allah (Most High). However, there are conditions:

First Condition

The musical scales must not alter the structure of the Quran or distort its recitation. The scales and melodies should not overpower the rules of Tajwid, such as changing the position of a word or causing the elongation of a letter to the extent that it becomes equivalent to two letters or reaches a pronunciation that no known reciter has uttered.

Excessive embellishment in Tajwid to the point of extravagance and artificiality is forbidden due to its potential to lead to adding or dropping letters, turning movements into letters, shortening a prolongation that should be elongated, elongating a letter that should be shortened, moving a static letter, and quieting a moving one, and similar actions that align with the tunes of enchanting songs.

This would deviate the Quran from its rightful, straightforward path, as Allah (Most High) states:

“(It is) a Quran (revealed) in Arabic without any crookedness, so perhaps they will be conscious (of Allah).” [Quran, 39:28]

Second Condition

Gatherings for Quran recitation using these scales must not resemble those primarily engaged in entertainment through music, where the focus is on the voice of the reciter rather than on the recitation of the words of Allah (Most High).

In such settings, you might find people exclaiming in admiration of the reciter’s voice or his ability to recite a chapter in a single breath, which detracts from the Quran’s status as a holy book filled with divine decrees and guidance for humanity, confirming what Allah (Most High) has said:

“There certainly has come to you from Allah a light and a clear Book through which Allah guides those who seek His pleasure to the ways of peace, brings them out of darkness and into light by His Will, and guides them to the Straight Path.” [Quran, 5:15-16]

Permission

There is scholarly disagreement regarding the permissibility of reciting the Quran with musical scales, with opinions divided between allowing and forbidding it. I will limit the discussion to the views of those who permit it, as this is the position most scholars uphold, provided the conditions are met.

Hadiths

Those who advocate for the permissibility of using maqamat in Quranic recitation cite several prophetic traditions emphasizing the Prophet’s (Allah bless him and give him peace) appreciation for a beautiful voice and graceful recitation. Examples include:

1. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “He is not one of us who does not recite the Quran melodiously.” [Bukhari; Ahmad; Abu Dawud]
2. He (Allah bless him and give him peace) also stated, “Allah has not granted permission for anything like He has for the Prophet to recite the Quran melodiously.” [Bukhari]This means that Allah appreciates nothing as much as He appreciates a Prophet who beautifies his voice with the Quran. The term “permission” here refers to listening.
3. He (Allah bless him and give him peace) mentioned, “Allah listens more attentively to a man with a beautiful voice reciting the Quran than the owner of a singing girl listens to her singing.” [Ibn Hibban; Ibn Maja]
4. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) told Abu Musa al-Ash‘ari, “Had you seen me listening to your recitation last night, you were indeed given a flute from the flutes of the family of David.” [Muslim]In another narration, Abu Musa said, “Had I known, O Messenger of Allah, I would have beautified it even more for you.” [Bayhaqi, Sunan al-Kubra]
5. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) also said, “Beautify the Quran with your voices.” [Ahmad; Bukhari]This means improving one’s voice during recitation, as a good speech becomes even more beautiful with a good voice. This is a well-observed fact, and one should not heed those who interpret it as “beautifying your voices with the Quran.”
6. ‘Aisha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that she was delayed in joining the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), who asked, “What kept you, ‘Aisha?” She replied, “O Messenger of Allah, there is a man in the mosque whose recitation I have never heard anyone surpass.” The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) went to see and found it was Salim, the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfa, to whom he said, “Praise be to Allah who has such people in my Umma.” [Ahmad; Abu Nuaym, Hilyat al-Awliya]
7. Bara’ Ibn Azib (Allah be pleased with him) narrated, “I heard the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) reciting ‘Wat-tini wa z-zaytun’ (Sura Tin) during the ‘Isha prayer, and I have never heard anyone with a better voice or recitation than his.” [Bukhari]Ibn Hajar, in his commentary, explained that this statement illustrates the variation in voices in recitation, which includes musical tonality. [Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari]

Imam Shafi‘i’s Opinion

Imam Shafi‘i clarified the ruling on reciting the Quran with musical scales after discussing the ruling on listening to the Huda’ (the camel drivers’ chant) and the Arab folk songs. He stated:

“The Huda’ is like speech, and like speech that is beautified in expression. If this is the case with poetry, then beautifying the voice in the remembrance of Allah and the Quran is even more deserving of being loved. It has been reported from the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) that he said: ‘Nothing has been permitted by Allah like a Prophet who beautifies his recitation of the Quran.’ And that he heard Abdullah Ibn Qays reciting and said, ‘Indeed, this one has been given one of the musical wind instruments of the family of David.’” [Shafi‘i, al-Umm; Ahmad]

Shirazi, the author of al-Muhadhab, discusses the reading with tunes, stating that Imam Shafi‘i expressed dislike in one instance and did not in another. This is not contradictory but dependent on the circumstances:

• When he expressed dislike, he meant when it exceeded the limit in lengthening and merging words improperly.
• When he did not express dislike, it was when the limit was not exceeded. [Shirazi, al-Muhadhab; Nawawi, al-Tibyan]

Imam Bayhaqi transmitted from Imam Shafi‘i, “There is no harm in reciting with tunes and beautifying the voice in any way possible, and the recitation I love most is that which is quick and sad.” [Bayhaqi, Manaqib al-Shafi‘i]

Imam Nawawi’s Opinion

Imam Nawawi, in al-Tibyan, under the chapter “Etiquette of Carrying the Quran,” summarized what Mawardi mentioned in al-Hawi al-Kabir about the topic. He stated, “Recitation with imposed tunes that take the words of the Quran out of their form by introducing or removing vowel movements, shortening a prolongation, or lengthening a shortening, or stretching that obscures part of the wording and confuses the meaning, is forbidden and makes the reciter sinful, and the listener sinful because it deviates from the straight path to crookedness. However, if the tune does not alter the wording and the recitation is melodious, it is permissible because it adds beauty to the tunes.” [Nawawi, al-Tibyan; Mawardi, al-Hawi al-Kabir]

Hanafi School

In the Hanafi Fatawa, known as Fatawa al-Hindiya, it is mentioned that “If one recites with tunes outside of prayer, changing the words, stopping at places of joining or separating at places of stopping is disliked. Otherwise, it is not disliked.” [al-Fatawa al-Hindiya]

Companions

The early Muslims appreciated a beautiful voice because it resonated more deeply in their hearts, and when the Quran descends into the heart, it becomes humble. Abu Uthman al-Nahdi said:

“I have never heard a flute, a lute, or cymbals more beautiful than the voice of Abu Musa al-Ash‘ari; indeed, he would lead us in prayer and we wished he would recite Sura Baqara (the longest sura in the Quran) due to the beauty of his voice.” [Dhahabi, Siyar A‘lam al-Nubala]

‘Umar Ibn al-Khattab (Allah be pleased with him) would say to Abu Musa while sitting in a gathering,

“O Abu Musa, remind us of our Lord,” and Abu Musa would recite while sitting in the gathering and modulate his voice melodiously. [Ibn Hibban; Ibn Sa‘d, al-Tabaqat al-Kubra; Dhahabi, Siyar A‘lam al-Nubala]

Emotional Connection

Muslims universally value weeping and heartfelt humility when hearing the Quran recited beautifully with melodious tones. As our Lord describes,

“Whenever the revelations of the Most Compassionate were recited to them, they fell down, prostrating and weeping.” [Quran, 19:58]

He (Most High) also says,

“Say, (O Prophet,) ‘Believe in this (Quran), or do not. Indeed, when it is recited to those who were gifted with knowledge before it (was revealed), they fall upon their faces in prostration,” [Quran, 17:107]

Imam Bukhari has specifically dedicated a section in his Sahih to weeping during Quran recitation.

Imam Ghazali states,

“It is recommended to weep while reading or listening to the Quran. The way to achieve this is by preparing one’s heart with sadness and fear, contemplating the threats, warnings, and covenants mentioned in the Quran, and then considering one’s shortcomings in following His commands and prohibitions, which will inevitably lead to sorrow and tears.” [Ghazali, Ihya ‘Ulum al-Din]

Imam Nawawi remarked, “Weeping during the recitation of the Quran is a characteristic of those who truly understand and a hallmark of the righteous.”

Hafiz Ibn Hajar asserts, “Souls are undoubtedly more inclined to listen to recitation that is melodiously rendered because melodiousness softens the heart and brings tears.” [Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari]

Observations

Scholars differ on the permissibility of reciting the Quran with musical tunes. However, there is no dispute that improving the quality of vocal recitation is commendable.

While scholars agree on the authenticity of the hadith, “He is not one of us who does not recite the Quran melodiously,” they differ on whether this implies the permissibility of reciting the Quran with tunes. There are two interpretations:

1. One interpretation suggests that the Quran should suffice over anything else, implying that through the Quran, one attains great reward in the hereafter and immediate goodness from Allah in this life. [Ibn Battal, Sharh Bukhari; Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari]
2. Another interpretation relates it to enhancing and beautifying the voice in recitation. Those who oppose the first interpretation argue, “If that was the intended meaning, the Prophet would have said, ‘Those who do not find sufficiency in the Quran are not from us.’” [Mawardi, al-hawi al-Kabir; Tahtawi, Sharh Mushkil al-Athar]

Rabi‘ Ibn Sulayman said he heard Imam Shafi‘i’s remark about the hadith “He is not one of us who does not recite the Quran melodiously,” and when someone asked if it meant to be content with it, he clarified, “No, it means to recite it melodiously and sadly.” [Bayhaqi, al-Sunan al-Kubra]

If the melody in recitation is natural and effortless, it is universally deemed permissible, and it may even be adorned and improved, as Abu Musa al-Ash‘ari told the Prophet, “Had I known, I would have beautified it greatly for you.” However, if recitation becomes artificial, resembling the preparation and performance of professional singers, it has been disliked and criticized by the early generations, known for their natural and emotive style of recitation. This natural tendency to enhance the voice in various emotional tones is ingrained within human nature.

Reciting the Quran with a melodious tone that resembles musical instruments or musical rhythm is prohibited. Rafi‘i states in, “Innovations in recitation and performance include melodic singing that remains widespread among those captivated by such styles, performed in ways that resemble musical rhythms, equating to singing.” [Rafi‘i, A‘jaz al-Quran; Suyuti, al-Itqan; Qattan, Mabahith fi ‘Ulum al-Quran; Bagha, al-Wadih fi ‘Ulum al-Quran]

Scholars have criticized certain hadiths used by those opposing recitation in musical tones. One such hadith from Hudhayfa reports the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) saying, “Recite the Quran in the tones of the Arabs and beware of the tones of the People of the Book and the sinful, for there will come people after me who will sing the Quran in the manner of monasticism and lamentation, which will not go beyond their throats; their hearts and the hearts of those enamored by them are deluded.” [Ibn Jawzi, al-Ilal al-Mutanahiya; Ibn ‘Adi, al-Kamil]

Summary and Recommendations

The essence of improving Quranic recitation is to enhance its beauty within the limits of dignified and proper performance, not by altering its nature or imitating musical or song-like qualities. Improving one’s voice for the Quran increases its beauty, but should not divert from the proper articulation of its letters and words. If enhancements cause deviation from the established norms of recitation known to the scholars of Quranic readings, they become unacceptable. [Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari]

There are specialized books discussing the ruling on reciting the Quran with musical tones, such as “Aqwal al-Thiqat fī Ḥukm Qira‘at al-Quran bi al-Maqamat” by Dr. Ahmad Ibn Fathi al-Bakiri, and “al-Bayan li Ḥukm Qira‘at al-Quran al-Karim bi al-Alhan” by Dr. Ayman Rushdi Swayd.

The true beautification of the Quran involves frequent recitation, mastering its memorization, acting upon its verses, adhering to its commands and prohibitions, respecting its limits, behaving according to its ethics, and using it as a criterion in acceptance and rejection, love and disdain, encompassing knowledge, literature, belief, action, methodology, and conduct.

May Allah bless the Prophet Muhammad and give him peace, and his Family and Companions.

And Allah knows best