Ebrahim Moosa – Cii Broadcasting (23-07-12)

A veteran South African Qari has made a passionate appeal to all Hufaaz and Mussallees to afford the Quraan the appropriate respect this Ramadaan. Qari Yousuf Noorbhai, a graduate of Al Azhar and former Imam of the Nurul Islam Masjid in Lenasia made the call in an interview with Channel Islam on the eve of the Blessed Month.

Whilst Ramadaan is the month of the Quraan, Qari Noorbhai said Muslims would only be able to obtain its full blessings if they appropriately discharged their responsibilities towards the Holy Book. Of particular concern, he said, was the culture of reciting the Quraan very quickly in Taraweeh. He urged all reciters of the Quraan to correct their intentions and appreciate the loftiness of the Book they are reciting. “Visualise that you are reading this Quraan like Jibraeel AS came and read it to Rasulullah SAW and he memorised it. Think like you are reading it to Allah; imagine you are reading in front of Rasulullah SAW in Madinah,” he urged.

The accomplished Qari explained that the Quraan itself indicates to its reader the required manner of recital. “There is in the Quraan, what to do where and where to do what. Tarteel is a special manner of recitation that is applicable to the Quraan and acceptable to Allah.” He said this required Hufaaz reciting the Quraan with Tajweed on a “middle course” – neither too fast nor too slow, out of consideration for the elderly. “Don’t read so slow like a goods train in India and not so fast like the Punjab Mail Express Train,” he joked.

The responsibility of appropriate recital of the Quraan in Taraweeh does not lie solely on Hufaaz. According to Qari Noorbhai, Mussalees and trustees of Masaajid should also shoulder some blame when the Quraan is recited too rapidly. “The greatest culprits in this particular arena are some of the trustees of mosques, they can kill me, they can shoot me -  they can do whatever. These are enemies of the Quraan, they tell Hufaaz ‘Buck up, Buck up’, ‘People are complaining.’  With the greatest humility I am saying to hell with all the people who are saying hurry up – This is the Word of Allah, when reciting it properly you are ascending in rank on a ladder towards Allah,” he pleaded.

He said he had personally been approached by Hufaaz who were in tears due to the pressure laid upon them by Musallees. “A few culprits come from the Mussallees and they come and shake up the Huffaaz, they threaten them saying ‘You won’t get a place next year in this masjid(if you continue reading like this), You take 7 minutes to read four Rakaats etc.’ “

Becoming emotional, he chided those who he alleged were making “fruit salad” of the Quraan by their inappropriate manner of recital. “In some Masjids people are reading the Quraan – I am saying with Allah present and Kiraaman Katibeen present – it is Haraam for them to read Taraweeh like that. They should leave the Musallah and be afraid of Allah! (They should ask themselves) Did my teacher teach me to read like this?, Did Allah command me to read like this?, Did Rasulullah SAW read like this?”

Qari Noorbhai said it would be difficult for South Africans to emulate the slow pace of recital in many Arab countries. However, he cautioned that this would not give reciters the license to disrespect the Quraan. “We are in South Africa, so we can read a bit faster, but not making Lataas, not eating the words up,” he added.

Regarding the tone of recital in Taraweeh, he suggested that having a melodious voice was not a requisite for leading the Salaah. “Even if it is plain and simple(that’s fine). If there’s melody, Allah has given that as a gift, read it that way But what is the use of reading like Shatri only for Suratul Fatiha, but when it comes to Surah Shuaraa, Surah Saffaaat etc. you don’t read like Shatri. There they just want to read Ya’lamoon/Ta’lamoon and finish off. Read Shatri everywhere, read the Quraan beautifully in its entirety.”

ebmoosa@ciibroadcasting.com