Back to search

How are the hadiths indicating the permissibility of chanting the Qur'an to be understood?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

"Taghannī" (chanting/melodious recitation) in reading is the beautification of one's voice during recitation, accompanied by humility, tenderness, and sorrow, without affectation. This is what the hadith means: "Allah does not listen to anything as He listens to a Prophet chanting the Qur'an aloud with a melodious voice." The intention, therefore, is to recite aloud and beautify the voice instinctively, not artificially, unlike that which resembles entertainment and seeks to impress others without contemplation. The Salaf (pious predecessors) disliked the taghannī that involved artificiality, practice, and strict rhythms. The meaning of the reprehensible taghannī differs from the praiseworthy one. The prohibited form is that which deviates from the limits of recitation and correct performance by violating the rules of tajwid or the principles of melody. In contrast, the commendable form is the beautification of the voice in a way that conforms to the correctness of recitation and brings about humility and contemplation, without compromising the meaning or structure.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

Read the full answer on Ftawy