Tilāwah: Sūrah al-Zumar Verses 53 to 75

Riwāyah: Ḥafṣ ʿan ʿĀṣim (Shāṭibiyyah)

The resting place of the great companion who was among the notable shīʿah of Amīrul Muʿminīn AS, Ṣaʿṣaʿah b. Ṣawḥān RA, was abound with auspiciousness and divine blessings that accompanied the visit of Syedna Aaliqadr Mufaddal Saifuddin to Bahrain marking the occasion of
the Yawm-e-Shahādat of Imām Ḥasan (AS). As is customary, the waʿẓ mubārak was preceded by Shehzada Husain Bhaisaheb Burhanuddin Saheb’s recitation of the Qurʾān. The audience was blessed with a recitation that still bore the vestiges of Yawm-e-ʿĀshūrāʾ when Shehzada Saheb had recited these very same verses albeit in a different riwāyah. This time, the recitation contained notable traces of the maqām ʿajam, as though in consideration of the influence of that maqām in those parts of the Gulf region.

Coming to the technical aspect of the recitation and in continuation of the previous article where the concept of turuq was briefly touched upon, this article will explore the specific differences between the tarīq al-ṭayyibah and the tarīq al-shāṭibiyyah of the riwāyah of Ḥafṣ ʿan ʿĀṣim. The reader may devote some time comprehending and memorizing these differences which, if neglected, often results in the mixing of qirāʾāt which is not a desirable practice.

Mostly, the differences pertain to the uṣūl aspect of the riwāyah and can be easily recalled once memorized. The following table lists some of these differences:

Now this is where it gets interesting. The previous article had mentioned the ṭarīq of al-Miṣbāḥ. The reader should know that Ibn al-Jazarī, the compiler of Ṭayyibah has narrated a total of fifty-two ṭuruq for the riwāyah of Ḥafṣ ʿan Āṣim in his compilation, Ṭayyibah al-Nashr. Five additional ṭuruq attributed to Ibn al-Jazarī have also been narrated by al-Azmīrī which are not part of the original Ṭayyibah but are nonetheless added to Ibn al-Jazari’s fifty-two ṭuruq. One of these five is the ṭarīq of Ibn al-Muʿaddal sourced from his book: Rawḍat al-Ḥuffāẓ. This is the ṭarīq most commonly used by those who memorize the Qurʾān among our brethren. The column under Ṭayyibah in the above table, therefore, contains the differences from the Rawḍah of Ibn al-Muʿaddal.

There are some differences between the ṭarīq of al-Miṣbāḥ and that of Ibn al-Muʿddal too. For example, al-Miṣbāḥ mandates the application of saktah when a reciter does not intend to stop at the four designated places. Similarly, the above chart does not contain all the differences between the ṭuruq of al-Ṭayyibah and the ṭarīq of al-Shāṭibiyyah. This article is therefore cut short in order to not exceed a reasonable length, enough to hold the reader’s attention. 

InshaAllah, forthcoming articles will discuss the ṭuruq of Ḥafṣ in more detail. Stay tuned.

Note: The material in this article is primarily sourced from the books mentioned therein.