Names
of Surahs:the names of the Surahs of
the Glorious Qur’an are well known. However,
we mention here some Surahs which have more than
one name:
At-Taubah: it is also called “Bara’ah”
Al-Isra’: it is also called “Bani Isra’il”
Fatir: it is also called “Al-Mala’ikah”
Ghafir: it is also called “Al-Mu’min”
Fussilat: it is also called “Ha Mim As-Sajdah”
Al-Insan: it is also called “Ad-Dahr”
Ishmâm: means
merging the two lips like the state of pronouncing
Dammah [i.e. the short vowel (u)] without any noticeable
effect of this in pronunciation. Ishmâm does
not occur amidst a single word in the method of recitation
according to Hafs except in the word Ta’manna « تأمنا» [i.e.
trust us] in the following verse from Surat Yusuf.
Allah [Exalted and Sublime be He] said: -Why do you
not trust us with Yûsuf (Joseph) though we are
indeed his well-wishers? (12:11)
The two lips are rounded when pronouncing the doubled
Nûn as a sign of the assimilation of the Dammah
[i.e. the short vowel (u)] of the first Nûn with
the second Nûn, as the word ‘Ta’manna’«تأمنا» was
originally ‘Ta’manuna’«تأمننا ».
The sign of Ishmâm is to put a certain centre-effaced
point ()
above the last part of the letter Mîm, a little
bit before the doubled Nûn. Thus, the word Ta’mannah «تأمنا » is
written in this way ()
Ishmâm made before a pause is to round
the two lips when pronouncing the letter having Dammah at
which the pause is made. An example of this kind of Ishmam is
found in the word « نستعين » (nasta’în)
(we ask for help) in this verse from Surat Al-Fatihah.
Allah [Exalted and Sublime be He] said:
Al-Juz’ (The
Part): the Glorious Qur’an is divided
into thirty parts nearly equal in size. In order
to facilitate its recitation once each month, each
part is also divided into two sections.
Following are the beginnings of the thirty parts
of the Glorious Qur’an:
Al-Hurûf
Al-Muqatta‘ah (Separated Letters): they
constitute half of the alphabets with which twenty-nine
Surahs of the Glorious Qur’an begin. Examples
of Al-Hurûf Al-Muqatta‘ah are: Alif
Lâm Mîm, Kâf Ha-ya ‘Ain
Sâd, Tâha etc. These
abbreviations point out the miraculous style
of the Glorious Qur’an, as the Messenger
of Allah (peace be upon him) challenged the polytheists
to produce the like of it, but they could not,
even though it (the Glorious Qur'an) consists
of the same letters that constitute their language
(Arabic).
‘Uthmanic
Calligraphy: it is a system of writing
with which the Mushafs are written, which is different
in some aspects from the conventional method of
writing.
Ar-Rukû‘: in
the Indian sub-continent’s Mushafs the Surahs
of the Glorious Qur’an are divided into parts
called “Ruku‘ât”.
The Rukû‘ is a number of verses
recommended for reading in each Rak‘ah of
Prayer. The sign for Rukû‘ is
the letter ‘Ain (ع) placed
on the right and left margins of the Mushaf.
The
Seven Long Surahs: they are Al-Baqarah,
Al-‘Imran, An-Nisâ’, Al-Ma’idah,
Al-An‘âm, Al-A‘râf, and
the seventh is either Al-Anfâl and At-Taubah
together or Yunus.
The
Prostration for Recitation: it is
a recommended prostration performed after reciting
or listening to specific verses of the Glorious
Qur’an. These verses are fifteen in number,
and they are as follows:
It is worth noting that the second prostration for
recitation in Surat Al-Hajj and the prostrations for
recitation in Surahs Sad, An-Najm, Al-Inshiqaq and
Al-‘Alaq are not unanimously agreed upon. The
character representing the prostration for recitation,
i.e. a mihrab, is placed at the end of the relevant
verse, while the word «سجدة» is
written on the margin of the Mushaf.
Vowelization: it
is the branch of Qur’anic science with which
the vowel marks placed on the letters [i.e. Fath, Damm, Kasr, Sukun, Shadd, Madd and
other vowels] are recognised. Vowelization is synonymous
with diacritization.
Pause
Marks: they are special marks placed
in the Mushaf in order to show a person who recites
the Glorious Qur’an when he can pause and
when he can recite consecutively. There are six
types of Pause Marks as follows:
The
Compulsory Pause, as in the verse (6:36)
The
Impermissible Pause, as in the verse (16:32)
The
Permissible Pause (It is equally permissible to make
pause or not), as in the verse (18:13)
The
Permissible Pause (though continuation is preferable),
as in the verse (6:17)
The
Permissible Pause (pause is preferable), as in the
verse (18:22)
The
Interchangeable Pause, where two pause marks are found;
a reciter may pause on either of them, but not on the
two, as in the verse (2:2)
Methods
of Recitation: they are related to
the dissimilarities of the words of the Glorious
Qur’an in terms of pronunciation, performance,
linguistic rules and inflection reported from the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) through
a recurrent chain of transmission.
The
Well-Known Methods of Recitation : are
ten; each of which is attributed to a respected
scholar, on behalf of whom at least two famous
narrators reported such a method of recitation.
Following are the names of the well-known Imams of
the ten methods of recitation and their narrators;
Nafi‘ul-Madani; his narrators are Qalun
and Warsh.
Ibn Kathir Al-Makki; his narrators are Al-Bazi
and Qunbul.
Abu ‘Amr Al-Basri; his narrators are Hafs
Ad-Dûriyy and As-Susi.
Ibn ‘Amir Ash-Shami; his narrators are Hisham
and Ibn Dhakwan.
‘Asim Al-Kufi; his narrators are Shu‘bah
and Hafs.
Hamzah Al-Kufi; his narrators are Khalaf and Khallad.
Al-Kisa’i Al-Kufi; his narrators are Abul-Harith
and Hafs Ad-Dûriyy.
Abu Ja‘far Al-Madani; his narrators are Ibn
Wardan and Ibn Jimaz.
Ya‘qub Al-Hadrami; his narrators are Ruwais
and Ruh.
Khalaf Al-‘Ashir; his narrators are Ishaq
and Idris.
Al-Mu‘awwidhatân: they
are the last two Surahs of the Glorious Qur’an
[i.e. Al-Falaq and An-Nâs]
Al-Mufassal: according
to the correct opinion Al-Mufassal is that
part of the Glorious Qur’an starting from Surat
Qâf and ending with Surat An-Nâs. It is
divided into three parts;
Long Surahs of Al-Mufassal: which begin
with Surat Qâf and end with Surat Al-Mursalât.
Middle-Sized Surahs of Al-Mufassal: which
begin with Surat An-Naba’and end with Surat
Al-Lail.
Short Surahs of Al-Mufassal: which begin
with Surat Ad-Duha and end with Surat An-Nas.
Al-Manzil: in
the Indian sub-continent the Glorious Qur’an
is divided into seven parts almost equal in length,
in order to enable the reciter to conclude the recitation
of the entire Qur’an in one week, one portion
every day. Each part is called Manzil.
)
above the last part of the letter Mîm, a little
bit before the doubled Nûn. Thus, the word Ta’mannah «تأمنا » is
written in this way (
)
). 
The
Compulsory Pause, as in the verse (6:36)
The
Impermissible Pause, as in the verse (16:32) 
The
Permissible Pause (pause is preferable), as in the
verse (18:22) 
The
Interchangeable Pause, where two pause marks are found;
a reciter may pause on either of them, but not on the
two, as in the verse (2:2)
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