Question

Salam.

You have mentioned the importance of having a qualified teacher in Tajweed. I would like to study Tajweed as a full time student, but I do not know where to go. 

Could you please recommend some places where I could go to study under a qualified teacher.

Jazakallah Khairan.

Wasalam.

 Answer

Wa alaikum assalaam wa rahmatu Allahi wa barakatuh. 

The first thing to do is learn as much as possible from local Qur'an teachers if there are any, to give your self a good basis of knowledge before traveling to another location, or finding a scholar. This can be done part time or full time.  After you have learned as much as possible from a local teacher then you should look for a known accomplished reader.  This may be found close by or you may need to travel, it depends on many factors.  Do not assume if you live in a non-Muslim majority country that you cannot find a good teacher near you, unless you are in a remote area with few Muslims.  Many times there are very good teachers in non-Muslim countries.  You also should set a program for yourself to memorize the Qur'an, after learning and applying the basic rules of tajweed; this way you can set out to travel seeking an ijaazah, or certification of authenticity of recitation, and contact a sheikh beforehand and set up a schedule for obtaining the ijaazah. 

Once you are ready to obtain the ijaazah, meaning you have memorized the Qur'an and have studied and applied all the tajweed rules, you may seek the ijaazah from many locations, but the places with the most qualified shuyookh to give out ijaazaat are: Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Syria.

May Allah grant you the best of plans and make you of "ahl al-Qur'aan".

Wa iyyaakum wa-l-muslimeen. Wa assalaam alaikum wa rahmatu Allah.