Scholarship Winner Semester 2026-27

This year we have the pleasure of presenting a FULL-RIDE scholarship to Hamidah Adenike for the year of 2026-27, Allaahumma baarik! The student’s submission speaks for itself, showing the student’s academic integrity and dedication to learning, beithnillaah.

The Journey from Recitation to Precision: Reflections on Al-Jazariyyah 29–33.

29

-وَهُوَ أَيْضاً حِلْـَيةُ الـتِّلاَوَةِ
وَزِينَـةُ الأَدَاءِ وَالْقِــرَاءَةِ

Tajweed is also the ornament of recitation, and the beauty of proper performance and reading of the Qur’an. Ibn al-Jazarī begins his definition by describing tajwīd as “ حِلْـَيةُ الـتِّلاَوَةِ ” and ” وَزِينَـةُ الأَدَاءِ وَالْقِــرَاءَةِ“. The pairing of ḥilyah and zīnah indicates that tajwīd is not an extraneous decoration imposed upon Qur’anic recitation; rather it indicates the essentiality of naturally embellishing the recitation while preserving the distinct characteristics and proper articulation of the Qur’anic text. It is neither an additional or optional activity, but an integral discipline that requires mastery of the necessary rules and skills to attain excellence and authenticity in recitation. There is a similar narration which was later explicitly noted from al-Salsabīl al-Shāfī of ʿUthmān Sulaymān Murād. In defining tajwīd, the author writes:
وَهْوَ يَزيدُ القارئِين حُسْنَا … ولا يُعوِّدُ اللِّسانَ اللَّحْنا

Thus, tajwīd perfects the beauty of recitation while preventing errors of the tongue.

The commentary on al-Salsabīl likewise defines tajwīd as giving every letter its right and its due “بلطف “وسهولة دون تكلف, closely symbolising Ibn al-Jazarī’s definition.

It is important to know that “حسن الأداء”in tajwīd is not exclusively possessing a melodious voice. Ibn al-Jazarī defines beauty as accuracy in articulation and attributes, moderation in rule application, avoiding both too little and too much.

30وَهُوَ إِعطْاءُ الْحُرُوفِ حَقَّهَا

مِنْ صِـفَةٍ لَـهَا وَمُستَحَقَّهَـا

Tajweed means giving each letter its due right — its inherent characteristic (sifah)
and everything it is entitled to. Ḥaqq al-ḥarf and mustaḥaqq al-ḥarf became an important technical distinction in the later literature of tajwīd, which has assisted in enlightening major attributions in the
concept of tajwīd. The ḥaqq of the letter refers to those characteristics that belong to it permanently and distinguish it from other letters, such as jahr, hams, shiddah, rikhāwah, istiʿlāʾ, isti fāl, iṭbāq and infitāḥ. The mustaḥaqq, on the other hand, concerns those characteristics or
rules which arise from the letter’s interaction with other letters or from its other
peculiar context. This concept is also reflected in the explanation of al-Salsabīl al- Shāfī, where the author’s definition identifies the letter’s essential characteristics
separately from what becomes due to it in other peculiar circumstances. Another notable scholar named Mullā ʿAlī al-Qārī gave the same distinction in al- Minaḥ al-Fikriyyah, explaining that the right of the letter relates to its unchanging attributes, while its mustaḥaqq is what proceeds from those attributes. The
relationship can be illustrated through Shiddah and Qalqalah: the first is an inherent
characteristic of the relevant letters like daal, whereas the latter is an effect arising from it. This realization demonstrates the accuracy of Ibn al-Jazarī’s definition. Tajwīd is not
merely the mastery of isolated rules; it is the preservation of the complete phonetic
identity of each letter and the protection of everything associated with it in other contexts.
31
وَرَدُّ كُلِّ وَاحِـدٍ لأَصلِـهِ

وَاللَّفْـظُ فِي نَظِيرِهِ كَمِثـْلهِ

It means returning every letter to its correct point of articulation, and pronouncing it
the same way whenever a similar instance of it occurs. In this expression of Ibn al-Jazarī: “ ِوَرَدُّ كُلِّ وَاحِـدٍ لأَصلِـهِ is generally understood as
returning each letter to its makhraj, its proper point of articulation. Thus, mere
knowledge of the place of articulation of each letter does not automatically equal the ability to practice it. It is important to match the knowledge with action. A contemporary academic study examining Ibn al-Jazarī’s treatment of the phonetics of
Qur’anic recitation likewise explainsوَرَدُّ كُلِّ وَاحِـدٍ لأَصلِـهِas returning every letter back to its proper makhraj and articulating it according to its established phonetic identity. This phrase therefore establishes a crucial ranking to be followed: the makhraj
establishes the identity of the letter, while its ṣifāt establishes the manner in which that identity is realized. A defect in either of these two concepts results in a failure in both or misalignment. That could have resulted in Ibn al-Jazarī making the preceding section of the poem the makhārij and ṣifāt before arriving at this definition of tajwīd. This creates an important link that must never be overlooked: the letter must be
returned to its origin and then assigned its complete attributes.

وَاللَّفْـظُ فِي نَظِيرِهِ كَمِثـْلهِ

The next step in achieving precision and accuracy in applying tajweed in its whole
essence is consistency in performance. Taḥsīn of the recitation without laḥn and
returning each letter to its makraj while preserving its ṣifāt needs an additional
element of natural consistency. One interpretation of this phrase is that corresponding occurrences of a letter or rule should be pronounced consistently when their
circumstances are alike. Simply put, the reciter shouldn’t be inconsistent with
comparable instances. This producesنسقا واتساقا في الأداء, rather than a recitation where identical phonetic situations are inconsistently rendered without any legitimate basis
for the variation. Various explanations of the Jazariyyah accordingly describe the principle as making the pronunciation of a corresponding occurrence like its counterpart. This is
emphasizing that sound realization must be governed by the established phonetic
context rather than by impulse preference. Thus, the phrase may be understood as establishing consistency and proportionalityinَلَلأ: what is alike in its phonetic circumstances should receive alike treatment. 32
مُكَمِّلاً مِنْ غَيْرِ مَا تَكَلُـفِ

بِاللُطْفِ فِي النُّطْقِ بِلاَ تَعَسُّف

Done fully and properly, without artificial exaggeration —pronounced gently and smoothly, without strain or forcing it. The following lines clarifies the intended manner of performance: بِاللُطْفِ فِي النُّطْقِ بِلاَ تَعَسُّف
The words اللطف and التعسف establish a principle of moderation. Correct tajwīd requires precision, but precision should not result in exaggeration. The two words shows a great distinction between doing things with care and unreasonably, the results of both instances would be very obvious. The reader should give the letter its full right
without forcing the organs of speech beyond what the letter naturally requires. Various explanations of the Jazariyyah explicitly apply Ibn al-Jazarī’s wording to this
balance, describing the correct reciter as one who avoids both excessive elongation
and excessive compression of the letters and rules. This principle can also be
understood through the contrast betweenالإفراط والتفريط. Excessive lengthening, exaggerated ghunnah, overdone qalqalah, artificial tafkhīm, or affected pronunciation constitute an excess in performance; conversely, shortening what requires length, weakening an established characteristic, or merging letters improperly constitutes
deficiency. Consequently,التجويد ليس تمطيطا ولا تعقيدا . Its objective is the faithful realization of the
revealed pronunciation in a manner that is accurate, measured, and natural. The second part here looks through a technical realization having understood the
essential ingredients of tajwīd. مُكَمِّلاً مِنْ غَيْرِ مَا تَكَلُـفِ The word مُكَمِّلاً indicates that the preceding requirements are to be brought to
completion: the letter’s makhraj, inherent characteristics, and contextual requirements
must all be fully realized. However, this perfection in recitation should not be pursued through تَكَلُـفِ—that is, artificiality, forced pronunciation, or excessive effort. A reader can theoretically attempt to apply every rule while nevertheless producing an unnatural or distorted sound. This point is particlarly reinforced by Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ṣafāqisī, who describes the
proficient practitioners of tajwīd as producing the letters “بلا تعسف ولاتكلف “and emphasizes that attaining this manner of performance requires serious
practice, patience and receiving the pronunciation from qualified reciters.
33
-وَلَيْـسَ بَيْنَـهُ وَبَيْنَ تَرْكِهِ

إِلاَّ رِيَـاضَةُ امْـرِئٍ بِفَكِّـه

The only thing separating correct application of tajweed from neglecting it is a
person’s practice and training of the mouth/jaw. Ibn al-Jazarī concludes this definition with one of the most profound observations
concerning the acquisition of tajwīd:
The wordرِيَـاضَةُ denotes exercise, training, and repeated practice. Ibn al-Jazarī
therefore distinguishes between theoretical knowledge of tajwīd and its actual
realization as a recitational skill. The latter cannot be attained through intellectual
understanding alone; rather, it requires sustained practice of the speech organs until
correct articulation becomes natural and habitual. Ibn al-Jazarī gives this principle an especially authoritative expression in al-Nashr fī
al-Qirāʾāt al-ʿAshr, where he observes that he knows of no more effective means of
attaining the highest degree of mastery and precision in tajwīd than مِثْلَ رِيَاضَةِ الْأَلْسُنِ، وَالتَّكْرَارِ عَلَى اللَّفْظِ الْمُتَلَقَّى مِنْ فَمِ الْمُحْسِنِ. “He reinforces this point by citing the closely
related statement of Abū ʿAmr al-Dānī:
 لَيْسَ بَيْنَ التَّجْوِيدِ وَتَرْكِهِ إِلَّا رِيَاضَةٌ لِمَنْ تَدَبَّرَهُ بِفَكِّهِ
Ibn al-Jazarī himself praises al-Dānī’s formulation for its precision and
comprehensiveness. The same pedagogical principle is expressed in al-Salsabīl al- Shāfī:
ومالَهُ ضبطٌ سِوى التكرارِ … بالفمِّ واستماعِهِ مِن قاريْ

It cannot be mastered except through repetition with the mouth, and through listening to it from a reciter. The passage identifies two complementary practices as fundamental to the acquisition of accurate Qur’anic recitation: repeated oral practice and attentive listening to a
proficient reciter. Mastery of tajwīd, therefore, is not secured by theoretical
knowledge alone, but through sustained practical training in which correct
pronunciation is repeatedly heard, reproduced, and refined until it becomes firmly established in the reciter’s performance. BismilLaahir Rahmaani Ar-Raheem
The Qur’an has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. For nearly two decades, I have lived with its recitation, memorisation, study, and teaching in different
stages of my life. My journey began in childhood and continued through my years at afull-boarding Islamic school, where Qur’an and Arabic were an integral part of our
education. Since then, I have continued studying Tajweed, striving to pursue an
Ijaazah journey, and eventually teaching the Qur’an to students virtually. Yet, interestingly, the more I have studied the Qur’an, the more aware I have become of how much there is still to refine. My greatest struggle has not been simply learning the rules of Tajweed or retaining what I have memorised. It has been the refinement of my tilāwah: striving to reach a level of precision where even the smallest mistakes are identified and corrected. I
have often found myself wishing for someone who would listen to my recitation
closely enough to catch the mistakes I may not even realise I am making.
It is for this reason that the words of Imam Ibn al-Jazari رحمه الله in stanzas 29–33 of
Al-Jazariyyah resonate so deeply with me. In stanza 29, he describes Tajweed as the adornment of recitation and the beauty of its
performance. This immediately reminds me that the beauty of Qur’anic recitation is
not merely about having a beautiful voice. The Qur’an deserves a beauty that comes
from giving it its due: pronouncing its letters correctly, observing their characteristics, and allowing the rules of recitation to be reflected naturally in one’s tilāwah. A beautiful voice may attract the ear, but precision honors the words being recited. This distinction has become increasingly important to me throughout my own journey. I have encountered reciters whose voices are naturally beautiful, but I have also
learned that beautiful recitation cannot be separated from correctness. Tajweed gives
structure to that beauty. It teaches the reciter to approach every letter with care rather
than becoming satisfied simply because the recitation sounds pleasant. This is developed further in stanza 30, where Ibn al-Jazari explains Tajweed as giving the letters their rights and their due characteristics. These words have particular
significance for me because they describe exactly what I have been trying to achieve:
not merely reciting the Qur’an, but giving every letter the attention it deserves. Over the years, I have learned the principles of Tajweed and have had opportunities to study with different teachers. My high school provided a strong foundation in Qur’anand Arabic, and I have continued building upon that foundation through subsequent
studies and my burning desire to begin my Ijaazah journey. More so, I have
discovered an important difference between knowing Tajweed and having one’s
recitation refined to a high level of precision. Knowing that a letter has a particular makhraj and specific ṣifāt is one thing. Producing that letter correctly and consistently while reciting is another. It is in this gap between knowledge and practical application that I have found my greatest challenge. During my Itqaan journey, the teachers I worked with listened to my recitation and helped me progress, particularly in my retention and overall recitation. However, what
I have continued to seek is a more intensive focus on refining the tilāwah itself—having someone listen carefully enough to identify subtle weaknesses and correct
them, even when they are not immediately obvious to the reciter. That desire for correction has never been because I consider myself to have learnt nothing. Quite the opposite. It is because years of studying the Qur’an have made me increasingly conscious of the responsibility of reciting it correctly. Stanza 31 therefore speaks directly to this part of my journey. The reciter must return each letter to its proper origin and pronounce it with the characteristics that belong to it. To me, this is a reminder that precision in Qur’anic recitation begins with the
smallest details. A mistake that may seem insignificant to the listener may still be
something worth correcting when the goal is to give the words of Allah their full due.
I have come to appreciate that this pursuit requires humility. One must be willing to hear, “You made a mistake here,” even when that mistake is something one has
repeated for years. One must be willing to slow down, repeat, listen again, and correct
what has become habitual. And perhaps most importantly, one must be willing to
accept that years of experience do not remove the need for a teacher. Stanza 32 adds another beautiful dimension to this pursuit. Precision in recitation
should not result in artificiality or unnecessary strain. The goal is not to force one’s
pronunciation until the recitation becomes unnatural. Rather, through sufficient
knowledge, correction, and practice, correct pronunciation should eventually become natural. This is particularly meaningful to me because the kind of precision I seek is not
simply the ability to pronounce something correctly when concentrating intensely on it. I want correct pronunciation to become part of my natural tilāwah. I want to reach the point where the corrections I receive are no longer corrections I have to
consciously remember with every verse, but improvements that have become
established through practice. This brings me to stanza 33 and its emphasis on practice. For me, this may be the
most practical lesson of all five stanzas. Knowledge alone does not produce mastery. Recitation must be exercised. Mistakes must be identified. Corrections must be
repeated. The mouth must be trained until what once required conscious effort
becomes natural.
This is the stage of my journey at which I currently find myself. I teach the Qur’an virtually, and teaching has made this desire for improvement even stronger. When I sit with my own students and help them identify their mistakes, I am reminded of the responsibility that comes with teaching the Book of Allah. I do not
want my journey to stop at being able to explain Tajweed rules to others. I want my own recitation to continue improving as well. Teaching has taught me that being a Qur’an teacher does not mean that one stops
being a student. In fact, I believe that teaching should increase one’s humility and
one’s desire to keep learning. The Qur’an is too مَِْ a trust for a person to become
complacent about their own recitation. This is one of the main reasons I am applying to UMMI Institute. My interest in UMMI is very personal. My sister-in-law currently works and studies
at UMMI in the Ijaazah ‘Āṣim program, and through her experience, I have heard her
repeatedly praise her teacher’s carefulness and strictness in correcting her recitation. What particularly caught my attention was not simply that she was studying for an Ijaazah, but that her teacher was attentive to the details of her tilāwah and would
correct her mistakes. That is exactly what I have been searching for.
Throughout my journey, I have moved from one teacher to another, always hoping to find someone who would help me take my recitation beyond general correctness and into genuine precision. Hearing about my sister-in-law’s experience at UMMI made
me feel that I may have finally found the kind of learning environment I have been looking for. I am not applying because I am at the beginning of my Qur’anic journey. I am applying because I have been on this journey for many years and have reached a point
where I understand more clearly what I need. I need correction. I need consistency. I need someone who will listen beyond the obvious mistakes and challenge me to refine what I may have become accustomed to. And I need the discipline of repeated practice that will allow those corrections to
become part of my natural recitation. This is also why I believe now is the right time for me to pursue this opportunity. After years of studying, reciting, memorising, and teaching the Qur’an, I do not want
to become comfortable with “good enough.” I want to continue striving for ihsān in my recitation. I want to identify the weaknesses that remain and work deliberately to overcome them.
The verses of Al-Jazariyyah have reminded me that Tajweed is not simply a
theoretical subject. It is an amanah that is reflected in the way the Qur’an leaves our
tongues. Every letter has a right. Every characteristic has a place. And reaching a
level where these rights are consistently fulfilled requires more than knowledge—it
requires correction, discipline, repetition, patience, and humility. That is the journey I want to continue. For me, this scholarship would therefore mean much more than receiving financial
support for an academic programme. It would give me an opportunity to invest in a
part of my Qur’anic journey that I have been seeking to strengthen for years. It would bring me closer to the level of precision I have long desired, while also strengthening my ability to serve my own students through better recitation and a deeper
understanding of what I teach. Nearly two decades after beginning this journey, I have come to understand that being close to the Qur’an for many years does not mean that there is nothing left to correct. Rather, the longer one remains with the Qur’an, the more one appreciates its depth and the greater one’s desire should become to recite it correctly. I want to continue that journey with humility. I want to be corrected, even in the smallest details.
I want to practise until the correction becomes natural. And I want my pursuit of precision to be an expression of my love and respect for the Book of Allah. The journey began in childhood, but I do not believe it has an endpoint. I am simply at another stage of it now—one in which I am seeking to move from knowing the
principles of correct recitation to embodying them consistently in my tilāwah. And I
pray that this opportunity at UMMI Institute will, by Allah’s permission, help me take that next step.