The history of Tajweed begins with the revelation of the Quran itself. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ recited it with perfect pronunciation, and his companions learned directly from him through oral transmission. At this early stage, Tajweed wasn’t a written science—it was practiced naturally by native Arabic speakers.
As Islam spread beyond Arabia, non-Arabs entered the religion, and pronunciation errors began to appear. To preserve the correct recitation of the Quran, the companions and early scholars started developing the science of Tajweed, eventually documenting its rules to prevent mistakes and ensure consistency.
So, Tajweed Originating from the need to preserve the Quran’s purity amidst linguistic variations, Tajweed evolved into a comprehensive discipline during the early Islamic era.
1. Oral Tajweed Phase:
The Quran was revealed in Arabic with Tajweed, meaning it was recited with its proper rules. The independent composition of the science of Tajweed began in the fourth century of the Hijri calendar. Before that, Tajweed was taught orally alongside the Quran.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to recite the Quran with Tajweed naturally, without needing rules because he was a pure Arab, and so were his companions.
2. Islam Spread Lead to Tajweed Science:
However, as non-Arabs began to enter Islam, errors in the Arabic language and thus in Quranic recitation began to appear. The companions noticed this and feared the loss of correct Quranic recitation.
The companions started to establish rules for the science of Tajweed. It is the science that explains the rules and regulations that must be adhered to when reciting the Quran, according to what Muslims received from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), by giving each letter its due, in terms of articulation, characteristics, and movement, without affectation or excessiveness.
A student would recite the Quran to their teacher repeatedly until they mastered the recitation and perfected the performance.
The first to establish the scientific rules of Tajweed were the scholars of recitation and language at the beginning of the era of written works.
It is said that the one who established these rules was (الخليل بن أحمد الفراهيدي) (Khalil ibn Ahmad al-Farahidi), and some say it was (أبو الأسود الدؤلي) (Abu al-Aswad al-Du’ali), while others mention (أبو عبيد القاسم بن سلام) (Abu Ubaid al-Qasim ibn Sallam).
3. Introduction of dots and diacritical marks
This need arose after the numerous Islamic conquests brought many non-Arabs into Islam, leading to a mix of non-Arabic and Arabic tongues, causing pronunciation errors to become widespread.
The Muslim leaders feared that this would lead to distortions in the Quran, so they worked to prevent this and its causes. They introduced dots and diacritical marks to the Quran, which had been absent in the Uthmanic script, and then established the rules of Tajweed to ensure that every reader adheres to them when reciting any part of the Quran.
The earliest authors in the science of Tajweed:
The first person to author a work on Tajweed was (أبا مزاحم الخاقاني) (Abu Muzahim al-Khaqani), who passed away in 325 AH, at the end of the third century Hijri.
Subsequent compositions followed, such as:
- (السعيدي علي بن جعفر) (Al-Sa’idi Ali ibn Ja’far) (d. circa 410 AH), authored “التنبيه على اللحن الجلي واللحن الخفي” (“The Warning on Clear and Hidden Mistakes”).
- (مكي بن أبي طالب القيسي) (Maki ibn Abi Talib al-Qaisi) (d. 437 AH), wrote “الرعاية لتجويد القراءة وتحقيق لفظ التلاوة” (“The Care for Perfecting Recitation and Realizing the Pronunciation of Recitation”).
- (الداني) (Al-Dani) (d. 444 AH) authored “التحديد في الإتقان والتجويد” (“The Specification in Perfection and Tajweed”).
By the thirteenth century Hijri, more than 100 books and manuscripts on the science of Quranic Tajweed had been recorded.
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Conclusion
Tajweed evolved from an oral tradition into a formal science as a response to the growing need for preserving Quranic recitation among non-native speakers. This included the introduction of diacritical marks to the Quranic script, which helped clarify pronunciation.
Early scholars like Abu Muzahim al-Khaqani and Al-Dani authored foundational texts on Tajweed, marking the beginning of its written history. By the 13th century Hijri, over a hundred works had been compiled, solidifying Tajweed as an essential discipline for protecting the Quran’s accurate and beautiful recitation.
