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<\/a><\/p>\nFor my first project, Recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha<\/em>, I perform the first chapter and one of the most recited verses of the Qur\u2019an. \u00a0For this recitation, I was inspired primarily by Weeks 2 and 3 of lectures and course readings, which included Ziauddin Sardar, (\u201cReading the Quran: The Contemporary Relevance of the Sacred Text of Islam\u201d), Osman El-Tom (\u201cDrinking the Koran: The Meaning of Koranic Verses in Berti Erasure\u201d), Al-Ghazali (\u201cExternal Rules of Qur\u2019an Recitation\u201d), and K. Nelson (\u201cThe Sound of the Divine in Daily Life\u201d).\u00a0 These readings and discussions emphasize Qur\u2019anic recitation as a critical component of understanding and experiencing Islam, as well as creating a connection with God. The seven verses of Surah Al-Fatiha are as follows:<\/p>\n In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful<\/em><\/p>\n \u2028Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds <\/em><\/p>\n The Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful <\/em><\/p>\n Owner of the Day of Judgement<\/em><\/p>\n Thee (alone) we worship; Thee (alone) was ask for help<\/em><\/p>\n Show us the straight path <\/em><\/p>\n The path of those whom Thou hast favoured; Not (the path) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who go astray<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em>Specifically, these verses of Al-Fatiha are a prayer for Allah\u2019s guidance and have a critical role in the Salaat, or daily prayer.\u00a0 Typically, Muslims recite the Surah Al-Fatiha seventeen times a day, at the beginning of each prayer.\u00a0\u00a0 As Islam and teachings of the Qur\u2019an historically began as an oral tradition, the sacredness of Qur\u2019anic recitation is one that has remained symbolic throughout the Islamic world.<\/p>\n Critically, Qur\u2019anic recitation is one of the main forms of dhikir<\/em>, or remembrance of God.\u00a0 Just as Qur\u2019anic text is considered a sacred component of Islam, so is its actual recitation and the sounds, motions, and sentiments that are associated with its performance.\u00a0 Sardar, Osman El-Tom, Al-Ghazali, and K. Nelson contribute to this understanding of Qur\u2019anic recitation and emphasize that experiencing recitation allows Muslims to achieve a higher level of spiritual connection with God.\u00a0 As noted, the 40th<\/sup> Hadith says \u201cRecite the Quran as long as your hearts are united with it, and when you differ then arise from it\u2019 is a command to this reciting, for it calls for reciting as long as the heart is accepting and the mind alert, and the soul responsive, and if not, postponement is best\u201d (Renard, 26).<\/p>\n Important to the practice of recitation is tajwid, <\/em>the science of reading the Qur\u2019an in order to reach such a high level of spiritualty.\u00a0 Tajwid encompasses rules for proper recitation, including those on pronunciation and pausing between words and\/or phrases.\u00a0 There are two styles of recitation\u2014murattal and mujawwad. Murattal is a simpler form of recitation preferred amongst conservative Muslims, used during private occasions and the five daily prayers. Mujawwad is a more elaborate recitation, with dramatic silences between phrases.\u00a0\u00a0 Within my recitation, I perform the former, murattal, as I view melodic expression to be an integral part of recitation.\u00a0 Specifically, I employ maqam<\/em>\u2014which is the Arabic term associated with different \u201cmoods\u201d of recitation.\u00a0 By applying maqam to my vocal techniques, I am able to emphasize certain components of the verse and emphasize the feelings associated with particular words.\u00a0 Additionally, I\u00a0 use techniques of huzn,<\/em> or sadness, in my voice to show the longing for God and maad<\/em>, or the elongation of vowels to emphasize verse rhyme as well as heightened spiritual feeling during certain points of the verse.<\/p>\n For my first project, Recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha, I perform the first chapter and one of the most recited verses of the Qur\u2019an. \u00a0For this recitation, I was inspired primarily by Weeks 2 and 3 of lectures and course readings, which included Ziauddin Sardar, (\u201cReading the Quran: The Contemporary Relevance of the Sacred Text […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4532,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/sabinaceric\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/sabinaceric\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/sabinaceric\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/sabinaceric\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4532"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/sabinaceric\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=213"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/sabinaceric\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":216,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/sabinaceric\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213\/revisions\/216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/sabinaceric\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/sabinaceric\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/sabinaceric\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"