Question

Asalaam aleykum

First of all jazakumullahu kheyran jaza for your effort teaching millions of Muslims tajweed and this great website; I say jazakumullahu kheyran jaza.

My question is I am interested in riwayatu Warsh in the style of Asbihaan, what I want to know is some of its usool if not all.  Alhamdulillah I know the usool of riwayatu Warsh an naafi3 an Tariiq Azraq, I heard that there are many difference between Asbihaan and Azraq like the mudood, tarqeeq, taqleel, and taghleedh harfu laam, please could you provide me with some detail about Asbihaan, any website where I can listen or download Asbihaan?, and why is it not famous like the style of Azraq?

insha Allaah i would be looking forward to your reply.  jazakumullahu kheyran jaza. 

wassalaam aleykum

Answer

Wa alaikum assalaam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

Jazakum Allahu khairan for your  dua’. 

Imam Ibn Al-Jazaree outlined the different turuq  meaning “ways” and it is the plural of  , in his book An-Nashr fi-l-qira’aat al-‘ashr of each of the ten qira’aat and their riwaayaat.  Each of these ways ( ) is part of tareeq at-tayyibah.  The recitation of Warsh ‘an Nafi’ has two riwaayah in an-Nashr, and from these two riwaayah are all the different turuq for Warsh.  Al-Azraq is one of the two riwaayah and Al-Asbahaani the other; each of these has many turuq.  The riwaayah of Warsh min tareeq ash-Shatibiyyah is one of the turuq under Al-Azraq, and this is the way of Warsh that is well known and read in different parts of the world today, mainly in parts of North Africa.  This is most likely the tareeq that you are familiar with and have learned. 

You are correct; there are differences between the different turuq under Al-Azraq and the others under Al-Asbahaan.  The ways under Al-Asbahaan have different lengths for the mudood, different rules of tafkheem/tarqeeq of the letter , etc.  To find out details, we suggest you look at An-Nashr and the different ways and rules that are outlined there for each of the various turuq of Warsh.  Very few students of the Qur’an learn the ways of Tareeq at-Tayyibyah, so it would be unlikely to find a recording of one of the ways of Asbahan. 

The ways outlined by Imam Ash-Shatibiyy are the ways that are most popular for all the seven qira’aat.  They were the most popular over 900 years ago, and by Allah’s will, are still the ones known by those who study the qira’aat today.  Only Allah knows the divine wisdom in this.

Wa iyyaakum wa-l-muslimeen.

Wa assalaam alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuah.