A Study of the Qur ānic Musical Modes (Maqāmāt) in the Recitation of Several Qārīs (Reciters)

Talking about music in the Qur’ān is one of the controversial discourses that have always had many proponents and opponents, to the extent that as a result of these discourses two groups of totally different intellectual approaches have emerged. Many research studies have so far been carried out concerning the Qur’ān and Qur’ānic sciences; however, what has received less attention so far is the Qur’ānic musical modes and their relation to the concepts of the verses of the Qur’ān. In this research, it is attempted to specify the relation of the musical modes to the meanings and concepts of the verses and their impact on recitation with a new glance at and a study of the recitation methods of three eminent masters of recitation techniques (Shahhāt Anwar, Muḥammad Ṣiddīq Minshāwī, and ‘Abd al-Bāsiṭ). It is worth mentioning that the chamber ercitations of the above-mentioned masters underlie the study in this research, which is delved into in the following six sections: 1. The necessity to deal with the Qur’ānic musical modes; 2. Introducing the musical modes; 3. Introducing each reciter’s recitation method; 4. Mentioning the verse and its translation; 5. Examining the concept of the verse; and 6. The relation of the musical mode to the concept of the verse.