Tilawah

What is Tilawah?

Tilawah is the act of reciting the Quran — an act of worship in which the believer speaks aloud the words of Allah, following one word after another with care and reverence. Unlike ordinary reading, tilawah is done with the tongue, mind, and heart together: the tongue giving each letter its right, the mind following the meaning, and the heart softening before its Lord.

Its Command and Reward in Islam

Allah says: "Recite what has been revealed to you of the Book, and establish prayer..." (Quran 29:45). And: "Those who recite the Book of Allah, and establish prayer, and spend from what We have provided them secretly and openly, hope for a transaction that will never lose" (Quran 35:29). The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: "Whoever recites a letter of the Book of Allah has one hasanah (good deed), and a hasanah is multiplied by ten. I do not say 'Alif-Lam-Mim' is one letter, but Alif is a letter, Lam is a letter, and Mim is a letter" (Tirmidhi 2910).

Modes of Tilawah

The scholars of qiraat describe three principal speeds of recitation, all authentic and Sunnah:

• Tartil — slow, careful recitation, with full attention to tajwid and meaning. This is what the Quran itself commands: "...and recite the Quran with tartil" (Quran 73:4).
• Tadwir — a medium pace, between slow and fast.
• Hadr — fast recitation without losing tajwid; used when a reciter is completing large portions.

Etiquettes of Tilawah

• Ritual purity (wudu) before touching the mushaf.
• Facing the Qibla when possible, in a clean place.
• Beginning with the ta'awwudh (Quran 16:98: "When you recite the Quran, seek refuge with Allah from Satan the outcast") and the basmala (except at the start of Surah al-Tawbah).
• Reflecting on the meaning; the Prophet ﷺ used to weep when he recited (Muslim 800).
• Prostrating at the verses of prostration (sajdat at-tilawah) — the fifteen or fourteen verses marked in the mushaf.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between tilawah and qiraah?

Both mean recitation. "Tilawah" carries an emphasis on continuous, worshipful recitation with meaning and following, while "qiraah" is a broader term for reading the Quran and also refers to the ten canonical modes of recitation (qiraat).

Is tilawah in a language other than Arabic valid?

The reward and Sunnah of tilawah are for reciting the Arabic Quran. Translations are of the meaning of the Quran and do not carry the ruling or the reward of the recitation itself. Learning to recite even a small portion of the Arabic Quran is greatly rewarded.