Qur'an Reciters in Competition in Kuala Lumpur

Abstract

he Qur'an being the cornerstone of Islam, it is constantly read or recited throughout the Muslim world, on special occasions (holidays, funerals), in everyday salat (formal worship), as well as for no reason other than its central place in the Muslim's everyday life. Indeed it is almost impossible not to hear some Qur'anic recitation from the mosques, the radio or television, during any one day in a Muslim country. Owing partly to its literary nature (a form of rhythmic poetical prose), and partly to the special care and attention given to the recitation of the holy words, the reading of the Qur'an was never a plain reading, but rather a or of its verses. This chanting started as early as the seventh century, and with time, became subject to rigorous musical rules. It is always improvised by the reader, so that recitations vary from reader to reader-or rather from reading to reading. The reader usually knows the Qur'an by heart. He/she has to follow the order of the verses and chapters, but can start and stop at whichever verse he/she likes. Although the reading is subject to some major rules validated by Muslim jurists and musicologists, the fact that different cultures adopted Islam and the improvisational nature of the cantillation allow for some regional variations. It can be shown that the Qur'anic chanting is the model for other forms of musical art in an Islamic culture so that it carries at the same time a great religious and a great esthetic value. Yet at some point the latter was overlooked because of the attention given to new musical forms revealed by the encounter with Western civilisation, and there was a tendency to merely imitate past performances. More recently, however, a widening and deepening interest among Muslims in the artful recitation of their scripture is evidenced in the competitions which take place each year during the fasting month (Ramadan) in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. Malaysia, one of some forty countries in the world in which more than 50% of the population describe themselves as Muslim, is not the only Muslim country to stage recitation competitions. Egypt and Saudi Arabia provide other notable examples. Annual competitions have been held in North America for the past three years. Even in Malaysia itself, it is not only in Kuala Lumpur that contests are held. The Ministry of Education also organizes competitions in Qur'an recitation among students of primary and