Shariah Limits and Guidance on Reciting the Qur’an with a Pleasant VoiceSource: Fatāwā Arkān-e-Islām
❖ Limits of Reciting the Qur’an in a Beautiful Voice
Question:
To what extent can the Qur’an be recited in a beautiful voice? Some imams in Taraweeh prayers change their tone of voice to soften the hearts of the listeners. I have heard some people opposing this practice. What is the Shariah guidance regarding this?
Answer:
Alḥamdulillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
In my opinion, if reciting the Qur’an in a beautiful voice is done without excess and within the Shariah boundaries, there is no harm in it.
Ḥaḍrat Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī (رضي الله عنه) said to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:
«لَوْ عَلِمْت أعلم أنک تستمع الی قراء تیُ لَحَبَّرْتُهُ لَکَ تَحْبِيْرًا»
(Sunan al-Bayhaqī, Kitāb al-Shahādāt, Bāb Taḥsīn al-Ṣawt bil-Qur’ān: 10/231, and Musnad Abī Yaʿlā: 13/266, 7279)
“If I had known that you were listening to my recitation, I would have beautified it for you with even more adornment.”
This ḥadīth is proof that reciting the Qur’an with a pleasant voice is permissible and even a commendable act — provided that Shariah limits are observed.
❖ Softness and Tenderness in Qur’anic Recitation
✿ If some people recite the Qur’an in a good voice or in a manner that softens the hearts of the listeners and causes them to feel tenderness, then this is correct and praiseworthy.
✿ However, if excess is found in this practice — as is sometimes observed — then such an approach becomes blameworthy.
✿ The reciter should avoid a style of recitation that crosses the limits or gives the impression that the purpose is ostentation or to create an un-Islamic emotional effect.
ھٰذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
This is what I hold, and Allah knows best what is correct.
