Muslim students on campus are finding new ways to vocalize the text of the Quran outside of the classroom.
The Muslim Students Association now offers individual lessons in Tajwid, a method of reciting the Quran. For some Muslim students, such classes have been hard to find locally.
Individual feedback helps improve pronunciation and elongation of the recited Arabic, key tenets of the specific rules of Tajwid which Arabic speakers memorize along with the Quran.
“It’s basically a means of beautifying the language, such that it affects people’s hearts and helps one get closer to God. The idea is that you are making it with a good voice, not only something that extends from your mouth but also from your heart and involves your soul,” said Adel Elsohly, a chemistry Ph.D. student who attends. During the half-hour classes, he takes notes on where he failed to connect sounds or missed accents, which he says helps when he practices daily in the MSA Prayer Room.
Tajwid instructors can be difficult to find because teaching Tajwid
requires the memorization and proper recitation of the Quran. Students not native to the New York area and unfamiliar with the local Muslim community have difficulty finding an instructor, and many instructors only teach their own gender.
“These classes are a wonderful and very rare resource for Muslim students,” School of Social Work student Afshin Zilanawala said. “They add a spiritual element to the very limited resources we have.”
Offered last year in a classroom setting, the lessons are now one-on-one with instructor Fareez Ahmed, SIPA ’09. The MSA had been looking for possible Tajwid session leaders when it approached Ahmed, who studied Tajwid as an undergraduate and was willing to teach 10 to 15 students in the 2007-2008 school year.
The shift to individual instruction this semester is “more conducive to learning,” Elsohly said. “Getting instant feedback when you make an error is helpful because the recitation is so complex.”
Both Elsohly and Zilanawala said Tajwid is an integral part of their faith and religious duty, citing the numerous references the Quran makes to a particular way to recite.
“The most important aspect of learning Tajwid is that I’m building my Islamic learning,” Zilanawala said.
While Tajwid poses difficulties for both native and non-native Arabic speakers, some
students say performing it properly is akin to a spiritual experience. “When you hear someone reciting the Quran very well, it moves you even if you can’t understand because you can hear that something about it is special,” Elsohly said.
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