Journal of Islamic Studies (May 2013)
Technical Classification of the Qur’an Qurrā’: Qā ri’, Rāwi and Tariq
Abstract
This research explains how one can be described as one of al-qurra’ alasharah” (the ten Qur’an reciters,, as a “rāwi” (transmitter of a recitation version, or as a “tariq” (transmission path,. The description is based on the specialists’ concepts of recitation, transmission and path. This classification is a very complex issue known only to a few specialists, as most of related material is taken from original sources of Qur’an recitation, some of which are still in hand-written manuscripts. In addition, the research tracks the uninterrupted transmission chains. The research has adopted descriptive and comparative approaches. The most important of its findings are the following: - The basis of classifications (a recitation or version or path, is the dependable chain through which they were related, as defined in Ibn Al-Jazary book An-Nashr fi Al-Qirā’āt Al-‘Ashr. - This research falls within the field of “dirāyah” (learning, and not of “riwāyah”(transmission,. Since recitation, transmission and path are specifically technical terms of Qur’an recitations, they must be taken into account so that confusion of concepts can be avoided. The research recommends that the topic be further investigated in such a broader way that the reliable original sources of Qur’an recitations are exhausted.
