Tajweed means to improve or to do better. It is the knowledge of the rules of the recitation of the Quran so it is as recited the way it was by the Holy Prophet. Tajweed means to pronounce every word correctly and make it sound beautiful and soothing to ears. It is stated in the Holy Quran itself that one should recite the Quran slowly and should make the letters clear. One must recite the Quran with Tajweed.
Why Did we need Tajweed?
After the death of the Holy Prophet(PBUH), Islam expanded rapidly to non-Arab countries. The way these people recited the Quran was quite different from the way taught by the Prophet (PBUH). This made Muslims fear that this could corrupt the language of Arabs and the way the Quran is recited. So new rules were made that would preserve the way the Quran was recited.
How to learn Tajweed?
In the time of the Holy Prophet(PBUH), they spoke with tajweed, So there was no need to learn tajweed. But now the Arabic has changed. Now the Arabs also have to learn Tajweed the same as non-Arabs. You cannot learn tajweed by yourself.
It is easy to just learn rules by yourself but it is not to use tajweed correctly by yourself. You need an instructor that can regularly correct you. You need to join an institution or hire a tutor to learn Tajweed. Many schools offer online Tajweed courses.
Online Quran tuition
You can also learn tajweed online. Many websites offer an online Tajweed course. The network of online Quran tuition has expanded rapidly and it is growing day by day. They have become quite popular because of their reliability and flexibility. Online Quran tutors will give you maximum attention and will help you to work on your mistakes.
They will improve your pronunciation. These schools are quite affordable as they offer discounts on various packages. You also save travelling costs as you can take classes at home. These schools offer female teachers to female students as they may feel uncomfortable with male teachers.
Practice
Many of us have this mindset that if you are making mistakes in learning the Quran you are doing a sin and its haram. That is not only false but also quite harmful as it resists you from learning the Quran. No matter what you are doing, keep practising whether you are doing your homework or watching television. Do not overthink that you are mispronouncing them. You are learning a new language, mistakes are bound to happen. Of course, avoid mistakes as much as you can but do not let it stop you from practising. How can you learn the Quran if you do not try? Listen to the recording of the Quran and try to imitate them. This will help you in improving your accent.
Motivate yourself
When you are learning a new language it may become tiresome. Do not let that discourage you. You would need a lot of motivation and determination. Once you get demotivated and miss some days it will be quite difficult to get back on track. So do not lose focus. Keep motivating yourself and reminding yourself of your goal.
Do not burden yourself
Learn one rule at a time. Understand it properly and learn how to use it properly. Once you get used to it you can move to the next one. Don’t burden yourself by trying to learn too many rules at once. This will confuse you and you may give up or feel demotivated. So take it slow and make it easy for yourself.
Conclusion
It is quite challenging for non-Arabs to learn Tajweed. It needs a lot of practice but once you get a hang of it you will realise that it’s not that difficult. You just need to work hard and be sincere. Do not put these worldly works before the Quran.
Make it your priority because if you give importance to something you will never give anything else priority over it. You should not look for shortcuts as it is the word of Allah. Follow all of those tips explained above and you will find it easy to learn tajweed.
