Question

salam 'alaykum warahmatullah wabarakaatuh,
A brother has been called upon to teach other brothers in his University how to recite the Qur’an properly. Firstly, this brother himself has only learnt all the basic rules of tajwid and its application but hasn't ijaza in it. Should he teach these brothers knowing that he may bidhnillah improve their recitation? Secondly, what methodology should he adopt and how will this vary from the methodology adopted by a qualified teacher of with a strong chain of transmission.

Hayakumullah

Answer

Wa alaikum assalaam wa rahmatu Allahi wa barakatuh,

May Allah bless this brother and make it easy for him.  There is no restriction that requires an ijaazah before teaching others, and as long it is as stated, that he reads correctly and knows and applies the rules of tajweed, he then should teach others. 

Most likely there will be no difference in methodology between one with an ijaazah and one without in teaching a group of students basic tajweed. The ijaazah perfects ones recitation, tajweed, and helps improve one’s ear, and in that it helps one become a better teacher, but in general, the methodology of teaching stays the same.  The difference would come in if one is giving an ijaazah.  When giving an ijaazah no mistake can be left uncorrected and high precision in applying the tajweed rules must be demanded.  When teaching a regular class or group of students, some mistakes in advanced rules that do not affect the meaning may be overlooked in order for the student to master the basic rules.   

The method used depends on the level of the students, but in general, the first step is correcting all mistakes that are , or obvious mistakes that change the Qur’an, such as reading with incorrect vowels, extending a harakah so that it is longer than it should be, shortening a medd letter, or changing a letter into another by using the wrong articulation point.  If these problems do not exist or only few in number, you can correct them and start teaching the regular tajweed theory and make sure these rules are applied during recitation.  If these mistakes are overwhelming in the recitation, then reading drills and practice need to be done first before tajweed rules are introduced. 

The theory of tajweed is generally given as outlined in the archived tidbit lesson link, from top to bottom, but it is not mandatory to follow the same outline. Corrections should be according to the level of the student.  A student which is unfamiliar with any of the rules of tajweed should be corrected on the very basic rules with focus on the rules being taught.  One can give a general idea of a yet untaught rule so they learn to use it, such as saying, “all wavy lines over a medd letter indicate that the medd letter is lengthened four counts unless I tell you otherwise”, then later they can study the theory and different mudood.  If a student or group of students is more advanced, the corrections can be more specific (such as characteristics of the letters and tafkheem and tarqeeq) and more precision in application demanded. 

The teacher may find the need to divide the students in to two or more groups if there is a wide variance in their level of recitation. This will enable the teacher to focus on specific areas with each group and allow each group to move at a pace reflective of their level.

The more a teacher corrects, the better the students become.  There should be no shyness in correcting the word of Allah. The higher the standards adopted by the teacher, the quicker and more dramatically the students will progress, by Allah’s Will. 

Wa assalaam alaikum wa rahmatu Allah.