such a reciter is spontaneous rather than contrived, innately drawn to it rather than forcing himself. This, then, is what the early generations (the salaf) practiced and listened to; it is the laudable, praiseworthy taghanni (song-like intonation) that moves both the listener and the reciter, and all the proofs cited by those who allow it pertain to this very form. The second category is that which is treated as an art or craft, for which the natural disposition feels no ease; it can only be achieved through deliberate training, affectation, and rehearsal—exactly like learning the various simple and compound melodies of secular singing, set to particular rhythms and invented meters that are mastered only by study and effort. This is what the salaf disliked, censured, and forbade, denouncing anyone who recited the Quran in that way. All the evidences adduced by the prohibitive camp address this second form alone. With this distinction the confusion is removed and the correct view becomes clear. Anyone acquainted with the practice of the salaf knows with certainty that they were free of the contrived musical modes of formal music—measured, finite beats and choreographed vocal movements—and that their fear of Allah was far too great for them to recite in such a manner or deem it permissible. One also knows with equal certainty that they did recite with tahzin (evoking sadness) and tatrib (melodious modulation), beautifying their voices with the Quran and chanting it at times with sorrow, at times with rapture, and at times with longing. This is something embedded in human nature; the Lawgiver did not forbid it, despite the strong innate pull toward it. On the contrary, he guided and encouraged it and informed us that Allah listens to whoever recites in this way. They further said: The soul inevitably craves delight and yearns for song, so it has been compensated with the delight of the Quran instead of the delight of music—just as it has been compensated for every prohibited or disliked practice with something better: for divination by arrows with istikhara (the prayer of seeking guidance), which is pure tawhid and reliance on Allah; for fornication with lawful marriage; for gambling with wagering on archery contests and horse races; for satanic music with the merciful, Quranic audition. The parallels of this principle are many indeed.