Question

Assalamu Aleikum 

1-In all the places that I have been praying, especially in my country (West Africa) and in some mosques in the U.S. , I have noticed that when praying aloud (such as the isha prayer for example) the Basmallah is often read in a low voice and the Fatihat aloud. Why is it so? Is this method part of a type of recitation (Warsh-Hafs or As Soosy)? 

2- What does it mean when someone has ijaazah in recitation? And how can I have ijaazah in recitation? 

May Allah reward you inshallah.

Ma Salam

Answer

Wa alaikum assalaam wa rahmatu Allahi wa barakatuh.

1. The difference on whether the basmalah at the beginning of Al-Faatihah is read out loud or silently in the prayers that are read out loud is a difference in the fiqh schools of thought, and not linked to the qira’aat. 

2.  The word ijaazah means permit.  When applying this word to the recitation of the Qur’an it means there is an authentic chain of transmission from the person back to the Prophet, peace, and this person now is permitted to listen to others and give them an ijaazah.  The ijaazah from the early days was always with memorization of the Qur’an, meaning the one who has ijaazah listens to the student recite the whole complete Qur’an from Al-Faatihah until An-Nas, and testifies to the accuracy of their recitation and complete mastery of tajweed.  To obtain an ijaazah you need to find someone with an ijaazah, be accepted as a student, then proceed to recite the whole Qur’an over a period of time to them.  Although some in this day give ijaazah in tilaawah (reading from the open Qur’an), this is not the original concept of the ijaazah. 

May Allah reward you, increase you in knowledge and enable you to achieve this lofty goal.

Wa assalaam alaikum.