Question

Assalamou Aleikum

 Thank you once again for answering my questions about Sheikh Mustafa Ismail. May Allah bless you all inshallah.

I have a few questions concerning the Quranic recitation by Qaris.

1. Is there a particular breath-control exercise that Qaris practice? The reason I ask is because, when I read the Qur’an with tapes, I am, sometimes, out of breath before the Qari (on the tape) finishes the ayat.

2. Why do Qaris bring their hands close to their ears while reading the Qur’an? (I saw Sheikh Abdul Basit do it, and the Sheikh in our Masdjid does it too.) 

3. Finally, do Muslims who desire to become professional readers (Qari) need to master the entire Qur’an? 

May Allah help you in finding the answers easily insha’ Allah.

Ma Salam  

Answer

Wa alaikum assalaam wa rahmatu Allahi wa barakatuh.
You are most welcome, and may Allah bless you as well.

1.  There are no particular exercises that we are aware of, but with time the breath control generally becomes better.  Having said that though, there is no requirement for us to complete an aayah in one breath.  If we run out of breath, we stop, and according to the place we stop, we either start up on the next word, or go back a few words to make the meaning complete.

 2.  Some, but certainly not all reciters do this to hear themselves better.  Cupping one or both hands over the ears helps focus the sound into the ear. 

 3.  The word “professional” seems quite strange before the word Qari.  Professional indicates that one is making their living off it, and that is not desired in recitation of the Qur’an.  Our recitation of the Qur’an should be for Allah Alone, and not for any worldly gain.  One can make the Qur’an their life, but not livelihood. Imam Ash-Shatibiyy said in his famous poem on the seven qira’aat:  “and there is no livelihood in his Qur’an.”

None of the early qurraa’ made their living off the Qur’an, but instead made their living off another means and listened to students at other times in the day.   Most likely you didn’t mean this, but there is a long hadeeth that we will mention part of as a reminder to us first, and all of the visitors to the site: Abu Hurayrah related that the Messenger of Allah, , said: “Indeed, Allah the Most Exalted will descend to His slaves on the Day of Judgment, and judge between them.  All the nations will humble to their knees.  The first people to be called to account on the Day of Judgment will be a reciter of the Qur’an, a martyr who was killed in the cause of Allah, and a rich person.  Allah will ask the reciter of the Qur’an, ‘Have I not taught you what was revealed to my Messenger?’  And he will answer, ‘Yes.”  So Allah will ask him, ‘What did you do with that which I taught you?’  He will respond, ‘I used to recite it day in and day out.’ Then Allah will answer him, ‘No you have lied!’ And the angels will say, ‘No you have lied!’  Allah will then say, ‘You only wished for people to say about you ‘He is a reciter of the Qur’an, and so it was said!’” 

At the end of this hadeeth, when all three kinds are described as those who showed off, the Prophet, , said to Abee Hurayrah, “O Abu Hurayrah, These are the first three people amongst the creation of Allah that the first will consumes on the Day of Judgment.” Authenticated in Saheeh At-Targheeb wat-Tarheeb, no. 20. 
We ask Allah to protect us from the Fire and to purify our intentions for Him Alone in all that we do.

It may be that you meant one devoted to learning the Qur’an, or one that wants to become a teacher of the Qur’an.  The teacher of the Qur’an should have at least studied the whole Qur’an with a teacher and read much of it to and corrected by the teacher.  It is always preferred to have memorized the whole Qur’an and have an ijaazah in it. 

 Wa alaikum assalaam wa rahmatu Allahi wa barakatuh