Question

Assalamu Aleikum wa rahmatu lilahi wa barakatu

 I have a question concerning the Mudood (lengthening). I have noticed that in the recitation of Hafs an Aasim some sheikhs that I listen to do not equally lengthen the vowels, and I know there may be an explanation for their doing so. For example when I listen to sheikh Abdel Basit (slow or fast recitation) reciting surat Al Insan verse 4: "Innaa a'tad naa...." he will for instance lenghten to 4 counts the "aa" in "innaa" (the "aa" has the medd symbol). However, when I listen to sheikh Mustafâ Ismâ'îl, or both sheikh Shuraim and Sudais (Taraweeh recordings) reciting the same verse, they will lengthen the "aa" in "innaa" to 2 counts only despite the medd sign above the "aa". They do so throughout the recitation. But I have also notice that they (isma'il, sudais and shuraim) will lenghten to 4 counts (4 as an example, for it could be 6) and never less than that letters such as: "aa" in "samaa" and "maa" (verse 32 in surat Ibrahim) or "shiin" in " ya shaa" in verse 30 of surat Al Insan. In other words, whenever there is the medd sign they will either lengthen the vowels to 2 counts and some to 4 or 6 while Abdel Basit lengthen those vowels equally.

My question is: Are they (the sheikhs mentioned in my questions) reciting in Hafs an Aasim but by another way? 

May Allah help you find an answer inshallah. And I hope I did not write too much.  Wa Salamu Aleikum

Answer

Wa alaikum assalaam wa rahmatu Allahi wa barakatuh,

In the recitation of Hafs ‘an ‘Aasim by the way of Ash-Shaatibiyyah, there is equality between and  both are either four vowel counts or five vowel counts.  In the different ways of tareeq At-Tayyibah, there can be variances between the two types of mudood.  There is a way with two vowel counts for  and four vowel counts for , there is more than one way that has two vowel counts for  and six vowel counts for .  The words , , and are all of  , which is when the medd letter is followed by a hamzah qata’ in the same word.  The medd in the question that you heard with two vowel counts are all of , meaning the medd letter is the last letter of one word and the hamzah qata’ the first letter of the next word.

The recitations then that you heard with two vowel counts for   are Hafs ‘An ‘Aasim but a way other than the way of Ash-Shatibiyyah.  

Do not worry, your question was clear.  Baarak Allah feek.
Wa assalaam alaikum.