Chapter: Reports on Rendering the Qur’an with Correct Grammatical Inflection, on Teaching It and Urging It, and on the Reward of the One Who Recites It Properly

Abū Bakr al-Anbari said:
“From the Prophet ﷺ, his Companions, and the Successors—may Allah be pleased with them all—there have come numerous statements that extol giving the Qur’an its proper grammatical inflection (iʿrāb), stress the importance of teaching it, and censure faulty pronunciation (laḥn). These texts make it incumbent upon Qur’an-reciters to apply themselves diligently to mastering this discipline.”

Among these reports is what Yahyā ibn Sulaymān al-Ḍabbī narrated to us. He said: Muḥammad—meaning Ibn Saʿīd—related to us; he said: Abū Muʿāwiyah narrated to us from ʿAbd Allāh ibn Saʿīd al-Maqburī, from his father, from his grandfather, from Abū Hurayrah, that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Render the Qur’an with correct grammatical inflection and seek out its subtleties.”

My father narrated to me. He said: Ibrāhīm ibn al-Haytham related to us; he said: Ādam—meaning Ibn Iyās—narrated to us. He said: Abū al-Ṭayyib al-Marwazī reported to us, saying: ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Abī Rawwād, from Nāfiʿ, from Ibn ʿUmar, stated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Whoever recites the Qur’an without applying its grammatical inflection will have one angel assigned to him who records, just as it was revealed, ten good deeds for every letter. If he applies the inflection to part of it, two angels are assigned who record twenty good deeds for every letter. If he recites it entirely with proper inflection, four angels are assigned who record seventy good deeds for every letter.”

Juwaybir transmitted from al-Ḍaḥḥāk that ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd said:
“Recite the Qur’an proficiently, adorn it with the finest voices, and give it its grammatical due, for it is Arabic and Allah loves that it be recited in Arabic.”

Mujāhid reports from Ibn ʿUmar who said:
“Apply grammatical inflection to the Qur’an.”

Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Zayd narrates that Abū Bakr and ʿUmar—may Allah be pleased with them both—said:
“Observing even some of the Qur’an’s grammatical inflection is dearer to us than merely memorizing its letters.”

Al-Shaʿbī relates that ʿUmar—may Allah have mercy on him—said:
“Whoever recites the Qur’an and gives it its grammatical inflection will have, with Allah, the reward of a martyr.”

Makḥūl said:
“It has reached me that one who recites with proper inflection receives twice the reward of one who recites without it.”

Ibn Jurayj narrated from ʿAṭāʾ, from Ibn ʿAbbās, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Love the Arabs for three reasons: I am Arab, the Qur’an is Arabic, and the speech of the people of Paradise is Arabic.”

Sufyān transmitted from Abū Ḥamzah that it was said to al-Ḥusayn regarding a group learning Arabic, and he replied:
“Excellent—let them learn the language of their Prophet ﷺ.”

It was said to al-Ḥasan: “We have an imam who makes grammatical mistakes.” He said, “Move him back.”