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This year we have the pleasure of presenting a FULL-RIDE scholarship to Saleemah I., Allaahumma baarik! The student’s submission speaks for itself, showing the student’s academic integrity and dedication to learning, beithnillaah.
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY
Name: Saleemah bint I.
Gender: Female
Age: 27
Marital Status: Married
Occupation: Full time housewife (plus a homeschooling mother)
Goals/Interests: To be able to fully memorise the Book of Allah, and understand it.
MY RESEARCH ON ONE OF THE TEN (10) QIRAA’AT RECITERS
There are ten (10) qiraa’aat or distinct ways for the recitation of the Quran, as transmitted by the well-known reciters. These ten (10) reciters are:
i. Naafi’i Al-Madani
ii. Ibn Kathir Al-Makki
iii. Abu ‘Amr Al-Basri
iv. Ibn ‘Aamir Ad-Dimashqi
v. ‘Aasim bn Abi An-Najud Al-Kufiy
vi. Hamza Az-ziyaat Al-Kufiy
vii. Al-Kisai Al-Kufiy
viii. Abu Ja’afar Al-Madani
ix. Ya’aqub Al-Hadrami
x. Khalaf bn Hisham
For each of these ten (10) reciters, are two (2) transmitters (raawi); for the recitation of ‘Aasim bn Abi Najud there are two transmitters: Shu’bah and Hafs; but this research will be based on the riwaayatu Hafs ‘An ‘Aasim bn Abi Najud.
RIWAAYATU HAFS ‘AN ‘AASIM BN ABI NAJUD AL-KUFIY.
He is Abu Bakr, ‘Aasim bn Abi Najud Al-Kufiy. He was one of the primary reciters out of the ten notable qiraa’aat. He was from Kufa and his method of reciting as transmitted by Hafs, is now generally regarded as the most common way of reciting the Quran. He was taught by his teacher Abu AbdirRahman As-Sulamiy. He died in the year 127 A.H
HAFS BN SULAIMAN
He was one of the students and primary transmitters of the qira’a of ‘Aasim. His method of recitation via his teacher has become a well-known and most popular method of reciting. Hafs’ recitation refers to the transmission of the Quran reading method perfected by Hafs from his teacher, ‘Aasim. This method involves precise adherence to the reading techniques taught by ‘Aasim, and Hafs excelled in mastering and pronouncing the letters meticulously. ‘Aasim is the primary teacher, while Hafs and Shuba are his two notable students, with Hafs’ method becoming more popular. This method has been standardized in printed masaahif and taught in schools across the globe, further facilitating its spread, beithnillaah. The majority of the copies of the mushaf printed today follow the recitation of Hafs.
HAFS’ CHAIN OF TRANSMISSION
The Rasul (solallahu alayhi wasallam) from Jibreel (alayhi salaam)
Uthman bn ‘Affan, Aliy bn Abi Talib, Ubay bn Ka’ab, Abdullah bn Mas’ud, Zayd bn Thabit
Abu AbdirRahman As-Sulamiy
‘Aasim bn Abi Najud
Hafs bin Sulaiman Al-Kufiy
i. THREE (3) TAJWEED RULES
i. Hafs ‘an ‘Aasim stands out among the ten recognized qiraa’aat that are widely practised and cherished globally. Its distinct tajweed principles shapes its clarity and fluency. Here is the madhab or way of Hafs for three(3) tajweed rules
i. Rule 1:
i. Basmalah Between Two Surahs: There are four(4) situations related to joining the Basmalah, i.e. saying bismillahi-Rahmani-Raheem between two surahs. Three of these four instances is permissible, while the fourth is forbidden.
i. The 1st Instance:- Cutting Off All:
i. This means the reciter stops at the end of the first surah, then says the basmalah, stops, then starts the second surah. Example: after reading the last ayah of Suratul Falaq (وَمِن شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ), he stops, recites the basmalah (بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ), stops again, and then recites the first ayah of the next surah (in this case, Suratun Naas).
i. The 2nd Instance:- Cutting Off The First and Linking The Second With The Third:
i. In this case, the reciter stops after completing the first surah, then he joins basmallah with the first ayah (verse) of the following surah.
i. The 3rd Instance:- Connecting All:
i. Using this case, the reciter joins together (without stopping) the last ayah of the first surah with the basmallah and the next surah; i.e. the first ayah(verse) of the intended surah.
i. The 4th (impermissible) Instance:- Connecting the First With the Second, then Cutting The Third:
i. This means that the reciter connects the last ayah/verse of the first surah with basmalah, stops, then starts with the first ayah of the second surah. This approach can confuse the listener, as he may think that basmalah is an ayah/verse the first surah ends with, hence this way is forbidden.
i. Example: he recites the last ayah of Suratul Falaq (وَمِن شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ), joining it with the basmalah (بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ). He stops then recites the first ayah of Suratun Naas (قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ).
i. Rule 2: The Connected Madd (Elongation)
i. In the recitation of Hafs, the Connected Madd (Maddul Muttasil) occurs when a Madd letter is followed by a hamza in the same word. In this case, the madd letter is elongated for four or five counts. Example of the Connected Madd is in the ayah: (إِذَا السَّمَاءُ انْشَقَّتْ) in the word (السَّمَاءُ), the hamza(ء) comes after the alif (ا) which is a Madd letter, in the same word; so alif (ا) wil be elongated for four or five counts.
i. Rule 3: the Disconnected Madd: the Disconnected Madd (Maddul Munfasil) occurs when the madd letter and hamza are in two different successive words
i.The example of the Disconnected Madd is in the ayah: (اتَّبِعُوا مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ) the word (أَنْزَلَ) contains a hamza (ء) where the Madd letter (ا) comes before it in a different word. Therefore, the Madd letter (ا) will likewise be elongated for four or five counts.
MY PERSONAL QURAN JOURNEY & WHY UMMI IS MY NEXT STEP
Allahul musta’an! I have been on the journey of Quran memorisation for roughly 8years now (since about 2017). While there were times I had a teacher to read to, there were other times I had no teacher and I had to memorise on my own (this is largely due to being careful as to the manhaj of the person I take knowledge from). I had likewise took up classes to learn the Quran both offline and online. Learning the Quran has been something I have been very passionate about, ever since I heard it being recited correctly (with correct pronunciation of the letters and the application of the rules of tajweed) for the very first time in school.
Around the year of 2022 or 2023, by Allah’s Rahma, I memorised all the suwar except for Suratul ‘Araaf and some pages in Suratu Aali ‘Imran. I was working towards completing it, but I had a divorce (while with a child) and hence had to care for myself and my child. I began work and school at the same time and eventually-qoddaralllahu wa maa shaa a fa’al- put my hifdh on hold as I could not go on with it, and I ended up not being able to stay consistent with review; Due to this, almost everything I memorized was forgotten. In 2024 I got married again and ever since, I have been trying to study by myself, but Allahul Musta’an, it has not been easy especially with no teacher to read to.
Then, at some point, I heard about UMMINSTITUTE from two dear salafi sisters (one teaches at UMMI and the other is a student). It was mentioned to be a salafi institute for learning the Quran so I made the necessary enquiry but -qoddarallahu wa maa shaa a fa’al- I could not afford the payment and was prevented from enrolling due to this, though I kept hoping for an opportunity. This year, I heard about a scholarship from one of the said sisters and I jumped right at it, hoping that -by Allah’s help and permission- maybe, this would be my time to enroll, beithnillaah.
WHY UMMI IS MY NEXT STEP
Umminstitute became my next step for three(3) main reasons:
It is a Salafi Institute: When taking knowledge, it is from the core principles of salafiyyah that a salafi look well into where he takes his knowledge from; although people usually think that learning the Quran is an exception, this is not the case. One must seek a teacher who is salafi, and understands the proper manhaj, even for hifdh and tajweed. Alhamdulillah, through inquiry, I saw the written recommendation of Abu Hafsah Kashiff Khan for this school, among others things.
Access to a Proficient Salafi Teacher: Being a student at UMMI will grant me an access to a proficient salafi teacher who I can walk this journey with, plus a consistent memorisation schedule bi’idnillah. Hence I will not study alone achieving no results. Moreso, the knowledge of the Quran is one that must be taken precisely from a teacher -page by page- up until completion.
Oppurtunity to Learn the Correct and Accurate Qira’a: Being a student at UMMI will not only help me to memorise, rather, it will likewise by the permission of Allah give me the oppurtunity to learn the correct and accurate method of reciting the Quran, how it was read by the Prophet (solallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all). At UMMI, I can also learn (if Allah wills) some other cahins of reciting (outside of Hafs), Allaahumma baarik.
Other Reasons Why UMMI became My Next Step Are:
i. It is a structured online learning space for students to meet their learning goals.
ii. It is a dedicated institute for women and mothers like me who wish to, and are intentional about memorising the Book of Allah.
iii. It has flexible schedules that allows me to make time for my educational goals.
Joining UMMI would really mean a whole lot; it would mean -among other things- an unquantifiable achievement towards learning and understanding the Deen of Allah; It is not just a commitment to my personal growth, but rather, it is a COMMITMENT TOWARDS MY AKHIIRAH.