Their entire endeavor will therefore amount to nothing but the alteration of the Book of Allah. They will make light of brazenly adding to His revelation what it does not contain—out of ignorance of their religion, defection from the Sunnah of their Prophet, refusal to follow the course of the righteous forebears, and attraction to the deeds that Satan has adorned for them—while imagining all the while that they are doing good. They wander about in their misguidance and play with the Book of Allah. To Allah we belong, and to Him we shall return!

Yet the Truthful One informed us that this would take place, and it has occurred exactly as he—peace and blessings be upon him—foretold. Imām Ḥāfiẓ Abū al-Ḥusayn Razīn and Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Tirmidhī al-Ḥakīm relate in Nawādir al-Uṣūl, on the authority of Ḥudhayfah, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

“Recite the Qur’an with the melodies of the Arabs and their natural voices. Beware the melodies of the devotees of passion and the melodies of the People of the Two Scriptures. A people will come after me who will trill the Qur’an with the trilling of song and of lamentation; it will not pass beyond their throats. Their hearts—and the hearts of those who are taken by their performance—are afflicted with temptation.”

Laḥūn (melodies) is the plural of laḥn; it means to make the voice melodious and modulate it, beautifying it in recitation, poetry, or song.

Our scholars have said: What the reciters of our day do before preachers and in assemblies—employing foreign melodies as they read—appears to be precisely what the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, forbade.

As for tarjīʿ in recitation, it is the repetition of a single sound in the manner of the Christians. Tartīl, by contrast, is to recite calmly and unhurriedly, clearly articulating letters and vowels—likened to orderly teeth whose whiteness is compared to chrysanthemums; this is what is required in the recitation of the Qur’an. Allah the Exalted says:

“Recite the Qur’an slowly and distinctly.” (73:4)

Umm Salamah was asked about the Messenger of Allah’s recitation and his prayer. She replied, “As for his prayer…”—he would pray, then sleep for a period equal to his prayer, then pray for the same span, then sleep for the same span, until dawn—then she described his recitation, portraying it as measured, explained letter by letter.

This ḥadīth was reported by al-Nasāʾī, Abū Dāwūd, and al-Tirmidhī, who said: “This is a sound, fair, and uncommon report.”

Chapter: A warning to the people of the Qur’an and knowledge against ostentation and other faults.

Allah the Exalted says, “Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him.” (4:36)

And He says, “So whoever hopes to meet his Lord, let him do righteous deeds and associate none in the worship of his Lord.” (18:110)

Muslim narrated on the authority of Abū Hurayrah