MUSICOLOGY IN ISLAM AND
QUR’ANIC CHANTING ( TARANNUM )
A THESIS SUBMITTED TO GRADUATE SCHOOL IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR M.A. DEGREE INTERDISCIPLINARY ISLAMIC
STUDIES
By:
Saidah Haris @Harith
07.2.00.0.05.01.0025
UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF
Dr. Yusuf Rahman M.A
INTERDISCIPLINARY ISLAMIC STUDIES (IIS) PROGRAM
GRADUATE SCHOOL
SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY
JAKARTA
MUSICOLOGY IN ISLAM AND
QUR’ANIC CHANTING (
TARANNUM
)
A thesis submitted to Graduate School in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for M.A. Degree under Interdisciplinary Islamic Studies
By:
Saidah binti Haris @Harith
07.2.00.0.05.01.0025
Under the supervision of
Dr. Yusuf Rahman M.A
INTERDISCIPLINARY ISLAMIC STUDIES (IIS) PROGRAM
GRADUATE SCHOOL
SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY
JAKARTA
ABSTRACT
This research will prove that the musicology of sacred text focus in Qur’anic chanting has its own concept that differs from other disciplines such as exegesis, variant readings and sciences of Qur’an. This study deals with Muslim scholars and non Muslim scholars accomplishment to the musicology in Islam and Qur’anic chanting (tarannum).
The aim of this study is to disagree with the statement by Frederick Mathewson Denny in his writing; Qur’an Recitation : A Tradition of Oral Tradition of Oral Performance and Transmisson. He claims that tajwîd is the quamusical activity which relates to the musical artistry in Qur’anic recitation, thus similarly to the activity of Qur’anic chanting (tarannum).
To come out with the thesis statement and conclusion, the writer will use the theory of (The Art of Sound) or Handasah as-Sawt. The primary source that being used is the Al-Safa, Ikhwân, Rasâil Ikhwân al-Safa wa Khullân al Wafa. Another secondary sources are, Perfection Makes Practice, Learning, Emotion and the Recited Qur’an in Indonesia (2004) by Anne M. Gade. The Cultural Atlas of Islam ( 1986) by Isma’il al-Faruqi and Louis Lamya al-al-Faruqi, Nik Ja’afar Nik Isma’il with his book, Qawa’id al Tarannum ( 2004) and all related referrences of musicology in Islam and Qur’anic chanting(tarannum). In doing this research, the writer uses interpretive approach together with the comparative analysis methods.
ABSTRAK
Penelitian ini akan membuktikan bahwa seni lagu Alquran memiliki konsep yang berbeda dari disiplin lain. Studi ini berkaitan dengan cendekiawan muslim dan non muslim terhadap keilmuan seni lagu Alquran (tarannum).
Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah membantah pernyataan Frederick Mathewson Denny dalam tulisannya; Qur’an Recitation : A Tradition of Oral Tradition of Oral Performance and Transmisson. Ia mengatakan bahwa tajwid “quamusical” adalah kegiatan yang berkaitan dengan seni musik dalam pembacaan Alquran, sehingga mirip dengan aktivitas melantunkan Alquran (tarannum).
Penulis akan menggunakan teori (The Art of Sound) atau Handasah al Sawt. Sumber utama yang digunakan adalah Al-Safa, Ikhwân, Rasâil Ikhwân al-Safa wa Khullân al Wafa. Sumber-sumber sekunder lainnya adalah Perfection Makes Practice, Learning, Emotion and the Recited Qur’an in Indonesia (2004) oleh Anne M. Gade,
Atlas Kebudayaan Islam (1986) oleh Ismail Al Faruqi dan Louis Lamya Al Faruqi, Ismail Nik Nik Ja'afar dengan bukunya, Qawa'id al Tarannum (2004) dan semua yang terkait dari referrensi musikologi dalam Islam dan Al Quran tarannum.
Dalam melakukan penelitian ini, penulis akan menggunakan pendekatan sejarah
bersama-sama dengan metode analisis komparatif.
Singkatnya, penulis berpendapat bahwa pernyataan Frederick M. Denny mengenai tajwid
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to extend my deep gratitude to all those without whose assistance this
thesis chould not have been completed. I am able here to mention but a representative
sample of them, although my debts of gratitude certainly encompass a larger number of
people. Chief among them is my beloved supervisor, Dr. Yusuf Rahman, who has given a
lot of feedback as well as criticisms. Without his invaluable contribution, this thesis
perhaps would not have appeared in its present form.
I also owe an incalculable debt to some other people who have been involved in
one way. Among them are all my honorable and beloved lecturers; Prof.Dr. Suwito.M.A,
Dr. Fuad Jabali,M.A, Prof. Dr. Azyumardi Azra,M.A, Dr.Udjang Talib,M.A, Prof.
M.Bambang Pranowo,M.A, Dr. Hj.Faizah Ali Syibromalisi,M.A, Prof.Dr.Amany
Lubis,M.A, Prof. Muhaimin A.G,M.A, Dr. Ahmad Lutfi Fathullah,M.A, Dr. Muchlis
Hanafi,M.A, Dr. Ikhwan ,M.A, Prof.Dr.Mathna M.A, Dr. Asep Saepuddin Jahar, M.A
and Dr. Jajat Burhanuddin,M.A. I should also thank them for their advisable and
meaningful lectures. I would like to convey my gratitude to some lecturers from other
institutions from Institut Ilmu Al Qur’an; Prof. Dr. Akhsin Sakho,M.A, Dra. Maria
Ulfa,M.A and Prof. Syed Agil Munawar,M.A, on their helps in giving plenty of
information in tarannum as my primary discussion in the thesis, other than that, Dr
Muhaimin Zen,M.A from PTIQ, Prof. Dr. Quraish Shihab M.A, from Pusat Studi Al
Qur’an for providing useful library to the students.
Particular thanks are also due to the Ministry of Education especially the
State Islamic University, Jakarta. I must also further thanks to the officials who
successfully managed our program, and all the staff of UIN library, secretariat and IIS
office for their cooperation and help. They always help me with a smiling face and to the
best of their abilities.
Special thanks again for the head of Interdisciplinary Islamic Studies, Dr. Yusuf
Rahman and also his wife, for being wonderful advisors, keen and passionate persons to
encourage me to finish up my research. There are many great members that I have during
my study in IIS and other classes; they are Innayatillah, Yurni, Samin, Wahdi, Yousef,
Fatima, Khalid and from the other classes, Islahuddin, Musolli, Satra, Dewi, Yulia, Nefi,
Ineng, Bil Mu’izah, Zulhafnani, Rian, Sakinah Zahadi, Ibu Lam’ah, Ibu Diyana and
other. Your support, encouragement, and understanding made me feel better and
confident about finishing this work. I also wish to thank staff members of IIS office,
especially Ervan Nurtawab, Windy, Winny, Noor Haula, Hidayat, Adam, Eva, Ikhsan
Ibrahim and other for the great support and advice assistance throughout my study.
I dedicated this work to the whole members of my beloved family in Malaysia
and Indonesia for their support in the study I carried out. This journey could not have
been completed without my beloved and thoughtful husband, Ahmad Sholihin, my
adored sons, Muhammad Ahsanul Fikri and Muhammad Harith Murtadho, my dearly
loved mother, Hjh Sepiah Kasin, all my indulgent, supportive sisters and brothers,
Zaimah, Shamilah, Zahiah, Sakinah, Zulfah, Zuhairah and Muhammad Salahuddin
together with their spouses, Abdul Qaiyum, Mokhtar al Athorid, Ahmad Mustapha
Kamal, Ahmad Perdous, Zainal dan Ahmad Khairul Nizam for all supports, commitment
step of the way. Special thanks again to Zahiah, Mustapha Kamal, Zulfah, Sakinah and
Zuhaira for their advices and helps especially in improving the data of this thesis. I have
to express my gratitude and send Fatiha to my beloved late father, Haji Harith bin Haji
Abu Bakar, my late brother Abdul Kahar Muzakir and my late grandmother, Hjh Che’
Mah bt Sa’ad and other. They were persons who really care, encourage and support me
since childhood until I managed to further my study in this level.
Thank you so much to all who have worked with me and especially those who
might not have been mentioned here, and whose contributions are heartily acknowledged
by me. Finally, all praise and glory to God whose enabling power and grace have been a
ABBREVIATION & GLOSSARY
MTQ : Musabaqah Tilawah Al-Qur’an
KKQ : Kelas Kemahiran Al-Qur’an
PTIQ : Perguruan Tinggi Ilmu Al-Qur’an
IIQ : Institut Ilmu Al Qur’an
LBIQ : Lembaga Bahasa Ilmu al Qur’an
Syafawi : Oral
Tarannum/Nagham : Qur’anic chanting
Qirâ’atus Sab’ah : Seven variant readings of the Qur’anic verses
Tahfîz : Memorization
Tafsîr : Exegesis
Tawshîh : Religious poem and recite it with tone
Adhân : Call to prayer
Qasidah : Group of poem to praise the Prophet Muhammad
Syi’ir : Poem
Barzanji : Almost the same like Qasidah but different melodies
Marhâban : Poem or lyrics to welcoming the Prophet Muhammad and people
together to praise someone
Nasyîd : Religious songs in Islam
Ghazal : Religious song and followed with instruments
Mawlid : To celebrate the Prophet’s birthday
CONTENT OF THESIS
Content Page
Letter Of Statement... iii
Letter Of Approval... iv
Abstract...v
Mulakhash...vii
Acknowledgements...viii
Abbreviation...xi
Transliteration Table...xii
CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION………..……… ……….1
A. Background………...1
B. Problem Identification……….……….7
C. Literature Review………..………...10
D. Objectives………14
E. Significance of the Study……….…15
F. Research Methodology……….…………. .15
G. Structure of the Writing………..………….18
CHAPTER 2 : THE IMPACT OF MUSICOLOGY IN ISLAM………...………21
A. The Origin of Music ……….…..21
B. Music Literature and Contributors in Islam………...23
C. Muslim Devotional Recitation and Music According to Sufi………..….31
D. Handasah al Sawt or the Art of Sound………….…..……..33
CHAPTER 3 : FRAMING THE LARGER CONTEXT OF CHANTING……...41
A. The Encounter of Chanting in Civilization...41
C. Qur'anic Chanting...51
1. The Oral Origin of Quranic Chanting... 53
2. History of Qur’anic Chanting...55
3. Two Types of Songs in Tarannum...59
D. The Problems of Music Civilization in the World………...60
CHAPTER 4 : DISCOURSES OF QUR’ANIC CHANTING (TARANNUM) AND TAJWÎD...62
A. Debates on Tajwîd and Tarannum... 62
B. Aspects in Tarannum and Tajwîd...70
1. The Difference in Types of Qur’anic Recitation...72
2. The Difference in principles...79
C. Differences in Requirement in learning…………..….…..102
D. The Difference in Types of Qur’anic Recitation…...72
CHAPTER 5 : PROCESSES OF LEARNING AND TEACHING IN TARANNUM AND TAJWÎD………...104
A. Continuing Differences in the Aspects of Tarannum and Tajwîd……….……104
B. Implication Of Learning Tajwid and Tarannum……….…..139
CHAPTER 6 : Conclusion………...…147
A. Suggestions……….……149
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
A. Background
The success and failure in understanding the Qur’anic chanting’s perception stem from various interpretation made by scholars either Muslim or non Muslim all over the world.1 Being the sacred text of God, the Qur’an was the object of the greatest reverence among Muslim.2 The Qur’an means recitation in Arabic is a Muslim scripture. It contains the revelations received by the prophet Muhammad from God. Verse ‘iqra’, means, read and recite. It is the first source of Islam and continues to be so in the present day. 3
Frederick Denny has pointed out that the word “Qur’an” itself means “reading”, in both the senses of “reading aloud” and “reading for discursive content”.4 The Prophet Muhammad is thus the first – chronologically and authoritatively – in reciting the Qur’an in Islamic tradition.5
As the worshipper, learn to recite is the first and foremost compulsory. Therefore, the first discipline to develop in regard was the science of reading or the
1 Ismail R. Al Faruqi and Lois Lamya Al -Faruqi, The Cultural Atlas of Islam, (New York;
MacMillan Publishing Company, 1986), p. 240.
2 Thomsan Gale, Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practises, Religions and Denominations,
(United States of America, Thomas Rigg,),vol.1,p-363, see John L.Esposito, The Oxford Encyclopedia of the World Modern Islamic, (New York; Oxford University Press, 1995) vol.1,p-313 ,see also, Huston Smith, Ensiklopedi Islam Ringkas Cyril Glasse, (Jakarta: PT RajaGrafindo Persada, 1999),p-331-334
3 A.D Ahmad Isa Al Ma’sharawi, Al-Qirâ`at Al-Wâridah fî al-Sunnah, (Cairo:Darussalam,
2006),p-25, see Manna Al-Qahthan, Mabâhith Fi Ulum al Qur’an, ( Riyadh; Maktab al Ma’arif,1988), p 20
4 Frederick M.Denny, “Qur’an Recitation : A Tradition of Oral Tradition of Oral Performance and Transmission .”Oral Tradition 4, no. 1-2 ( 1989),p-10-17
recitation. But in Arab, it famously known as maqâmat or maqâm means mode, lahn
means melody and nagham, talhin, tarannum means song.6
The science of Qur’anic chanting is complex and technically demanding. Even though, it is part of tilâwah, it is differ from other sciences in tilâwah and
Ulûmul Qur’an, Other sciences related to recitation is tajwîd, tartîl, variant readings (Qirâ’atus Sab’ah) and memorization of Qur’an (tahfîz).Before learning other sciences related to Qur’an ( ‘ulumul Qur’an, qirâat, tarannum, tahfiz, translation) generally Muslims have to learn and practice tajwîd which is understood to be the way that the Prophet Muhammad repeated the revealed Message as he received it.7
The study of Qur’anic recitation and its sciences are essential aspects of religious learning throughout the Islamic world, including Southeast Asia. The widespread phenomenon of Qur’anic learning and engagement was not limited to Muslim community in Indonesia in 1990’s, 8 but also included Muslims in Asia
6 According to Indonesian Qari ( Group of Dzawil Ashwat – qari with beautiful voice), there are
Abduh Al-Shu’udi, Azra’i Abd. Rauf dan Mukhtar Lutfi al Anshary distinguish the definitions of each word, nagham, talhin and tarannum;
1) Nagham: ( is a way of chanting the Qur’an , with a beautiful voice ( without accompanying musics equipments) and far from the guidelines of the musical notes, specifically use for ‘Tazyin al Shaut bi Tilawah Al-Qur’an To chant the qur’an beautifully),
2) Talhîn : is a way of chanting the Qur’an with a beautiful voice and rely on musical notes, and it is applied to the various activities of chanting such as Qasidah, Nasyid and Barzanji, 3) Tarannum : is a nice and beautiful voice used in chanting the Qur’an ,sometimes
accompanying with musical equipments or Syi’ir called Tausyikh which is related with chanting according to musical notes.
See .Ahmad Syahid, M.A, Sejarah dan Pengantar Ilmu Nagham; Bunga Rampai Mutiara Al Qur’an, (Jakarta: PP Jam’iyyatul Qurra’ Wal Huffazh, 2006), p-18-19, different definitions of tarannum and
nagham found in several books such as in Qawâ’idh At-Tarannum, written by Nik Ja’afar Nik Ismail, 1997, see also Misbahul Munir, Ilmu dan Seni Qiro’atil Qur’an dalam MTQ, (Semarang:Penerbit Binawan, 2005)p 69-71, another book written by him, Pedoman Lagu-lagu Tilawatil Qur’an dilengkapi dengan Tajwid dan Qasidah, (Surabaya:Apollo, 1997),p 26-28, see also Mohd.Yusuf Ahmad, Sejarah dan Kaedah Pendidikan Al-Qur’an,( Kuala Lumpur:Penerbit Universiti Malaya, 2000) p 165-168.
7 Muhammad Sholih bin Zainal Abidin, Sirâju al- Qâri, (Kota Bharu:Percetakan Al-Mua’rif
Sdn.Bhd, ), p-3-5, see Anna M.Gade, Perfection Makes Practice,Learning,Emotion, and the Recited Qur’an in Indonesia, (Honolulu:University of Hawai’I Press, 2004) , see also Haji Abdul Qadir Leong Al Azhari , Tajwid Al Qur’an, Rasm Uthmani (Kuala Lumpur: Pustaka Salam Sdn.Bhd,1998)
countries which received their initial religious training at the young age from local teacher from whom they learned to chant and memorize the Qur’an.9
While the history of music in Islam covers at least fifteen centuries, with orally transmitted repertoire and no significant notation system, its geography and distinct musical cultures include many diverse regions in the world. The rules of
tajwîd have been transmitted orally generation after generation throughout centuries. The sound and rhythm are clearly articulated in the rules of tajwîd.
The system of Quranic chanting (tarannum ) that developed in Asia in the 1970 s was based on styles from Egypt, a pattern also found throughout the Islamic world. This musicology of Qur’an derived from maqâmat ( lagu) which divided into two types: “Misri” and “ Makawi”/”Hijâzi”.10
Song of “Misri” included Bayyati song, Nahwand, Hijaz, Shaba, Rast, Sikah
and Jiharkah. Where as the song of “Makawi/Hijâzi” included Dukkah
song,Banjâkah, Rakbi, Husaini, Mayah, Sikah and Jiharkah. In Malaysia, Indonesia and Asia, most qari and qari’ah practice song of Misri rather than song of Makawi.11 The recitation of the Qur’an (qirâ’ah, tilâwah) is actually divided into various discipline of recitation starting with tajwîd12- tartîl13 , seni baca Qur’an or Tarannum
(Qur’anic Chanting) , and Qirâ’atus Sab’ah (variant readings of Qur’an recitation).14
9 John L. Esposito, Islam In Asia ,Religion, Politics & Society, (New York: Oxford University
Press, 1987 ), p-191
10 Anna M.Gade, Perfection Makes Practice, Learning, Emotion, and the Recited Qur’an in Indonesia, p-183 ,
11 ‘Abdullah al-Qâri Sholeh, Kursus Qari and Qari’ah, (Kelantan:Pustaka Aman Press,
1981),p-174-179
12Tajwîd means correct recitation of the Qur’an follows rules of othoprax vocalization. Beginning
from the knowledge of Makhraj Huruf ( vocalization of letters), to Hukum Nun Mati and Tanwin, Hukum Mim Mati and Tanwin, Hukum Mad and many other specific law of pronouncing the letters and words in the Qur’anic verses. See Hassan Mahmud Al-Hafiz, Pelajaran Ilmu Tajwid Al-Qur’an, Rasm Uthmani, (Kuala Lumpur: Dinie Publisher, 1986)p-4-6
13Tartîl is a systematic readings of Qur’an including its proper understanding of tajwid. There are
four levels of readings, starting with tartîl, tahqîq, tadwîr, hadr.See Hassan Mahmud Al Hafiz,Pelajaran Ilmu Tajwid,p-4-6
14 Hassan Mahmud Al-Hafiz, Pelajaran Ilmu Tajwid Al-Qur’an, Rasm Uthmani, (Kuala Lumpur:
However, Denny and Esposito place (nagham/ tarannum/ seni lagu Qur’an) under the roof of tajwîd. Therefore,this study will determine their ideas, and against that the tajwîd and tarannum are different to each other. Even though, these aspects look closely the same, however each refers to different contexts of definition, concept and skills. These misinterpretations, misunderstanding and different explanations of many scholars bring complication in upgrading Qur’anic recitation to its appropriate position among academician, scholars and communities.15
Most of the ulama’s, kiyai’s and scholars in Qur’anic chanting have the similar opinions for the definitions and concepts. However, when it comes to literature and writings, they become puzzled with terminologies of Qur’anic chanting, recitation, vocalization and variant recitation. Anne K.Rasmussen claimed that Maria Ulfa has concurred in a conversations with her, saying that sometimes in Indonesian publications the distinctions between the seven maqâmat (lagu) or chanting used for recitation and the seven qirâ’at or styles of narration are unclear. Of course in practice these aspects of recitation are perfectly distinct.16.
Furthermore, Anne K Rasmussen17 and Anne M. Gade, show the different meanings and practices of the word chanting as seni lagu Qur’an and recitation as
tartîl. In conjunction, Nik Ja’afar Nik Ismail18, explains tarannum in details,
15 Ahmad Nuruddin Mat Yunoh, Seni Lagu Qur’an:Kajian Terhadap Sumbangan Hj Nik Ja’afar bin Nik Ismail, Tesis, Jabatan Al-Qur’an dan Hadith, Akademi Pengajian Islam, (Kuala Lumpur:Universiti Malaya, 2008),p-8,see also Khadijatus Shalihah, Perkembangan Seni Baca Al Qur’an dan Qira’at Tujuh di Indonesia, ( Jakarta:Pustaka Al Husna,1983),read.Bahroin, Panduan Praktis Mempelajari Nagham ( Seni Baca Qur’an), (Jakarta:Lembaga Pengajaran Privat SMFT IAIN Syarif Hidayatullah, 1993),p-5
16 Anne K.Rasmussen, The Qur’an in Indonesian daily life: The public project of musical oratory,
Ethnomusicology Champaign: (Winter, 2001), vol.45,Iss.1,p.30-57
17 Anne K Rasmussen is associate professor of music and ethnomusicology at The College of
William and Mary in Williamsburg,Virginia where she also directs a Middle Eastern Music Ensemble.She is co-editor of and contributor to the book Musics of Multicultural America ( Schirmer Books,1997), the author of a number of articles on the music and culture of the Arab American Community, and producer of the documentary compact disc “ The Music of Arab Americans. A retrospective Collection”( Rounder CD 1122).
18 Nik Ja’afar Nik Ismail, born in May,1936, in Pasir Mas,Kelantan, Malaysia. He learned to
according to the real practices relate to this activities as well as its methodology of learning and teaching. Another brilliant concepts for the Qur’anic chanting were written by Ismail R.Al Faruqi and Lois Lamya Al Faruqi, entitled The Cultural Atlas on Islam,saying that Qur’anic chanting is the highest part of Handasah al Sawt (the Artof Sound) . 19
What is tajwîd? The word tajweêd or tajwîd means to improve, make better.
Tajwîd of the holy Qur’an is the knowledge and application of the rules of recitation so the reading of the Qur’an is as the Prophet Muhammad recited. Tajwîd is the term for techniques of recitation, and assessed in terms of how accessible the recitation is to those intent on concentrating on the words.
The arguments are based on the stage of voices related to tajwîd and
tarannum, and also , the differences in the learning and teaching of both aspects. To elaborate more on the implications of these aspects, I will bring examples of learning and teaching of these aspects in institutions such as primary, secondary schools and college or “Ma’ahad”. In advance, the implementation will be discussed on the practices of Qur’anic chanting and recitation in Musabaqah Tilawah Al Qur’an
(MTQ). The reason to discover the differences through the competition is because it is the first and foremost famous activities related to Qur’anic chanting and tajwîd.
Based on these findings, I need to investigate the subject in order to clarify the meaning, terminology and practice of Quranic chanting. It is really important to clarify the word chanting and recitation in order to enhance the understanding of
Tilawah Al Qur’an for the district and national competition. In 1990, he became one of the famous judges in the International Musabaqah Tilawah Al Qur’an. Among them are judges from Asia : Fadhilah As Sheikh Drs.H.Moersjied Qorie Indra (Indonesia), Fadhilah Sheikh Galal Fu’ad Hassan Hamam ( Mesir), Fadhilah Sheikh Mahmud Amin Thantawi (Republic Arab Mesir) and others. Hj Nik Ja’afar contributes a lot in Qur’anic Chanting especially in Malaysia,Thailand and Singapura. His books are :1) Qawa’id al Tarannum, 2) Al-Qawa’id Qabla al-Tilâwah, 3) Panduan Tartil al-Qur’an – 3 volumes. He has spent almost everyday of his life to teach the community about Quranic recitation and chanting activities. Students and qari or qariah from many places, spend a week,month,half month or even year at his home to learn directly from him. Refer toAhmad Nuruddin Mat Yunoh, Seni Lagu Qur’an:Kajian Terhadap Sumbangan Hj Nik Ja’afar bin Nik Ismail, Tesis, Jabatan Al-Qur’an dan Hadith, Akademi Pengajian Islam, (Kuala Lumpur:Universiti Malaya, 2008),p-80-90
19 Ismail R. Al Faruqi and Lois Lamya Al-Faruqi, The Cultural Atlas of Islam, (New
knowledge in the world. Moreover, giving real meaning to the right activities will upgrade and differentiate between chanting and recitation activities.
B. Problem Identification
Due to the above explanation, so that this study will prove that the concept of
nagham is differ from other Qur’anic reading aspects. In the Muslim world, the word chanting is rarely being use in Qur’an because the way to chant Qur’an is differ from singing a song. However, year by year, Muslim communities being trained to learn, practise and exercise the beautiful ways20 of chanting Qur’an all over the world. The real meaning of recitation just brings the meaning of read with systematic vocalization and understanding the verse of Qur’an21.Whereas, chanting means to recite Qur’an with melodies.22
Most of the people might say that they already know the answer to the topic, some might think the answer is obvious, common sense even, but until the interpretation and study have subjected our problem to rigorous scientific scrutiny, our ‘knowledge’ remains little more than guesswork or at best, intuition23.
Therefore, through this study, I will investigate; do research, to distinguish the problems happen among scholars in identifying chanting and recitation of Qur’an. The writer will emphasize on the ideas written by Ismail R.Al Faruqi and Lois Lamya Al-Faruqi, Nik Ja’afar Nik Ismail, Anne M.Gade, Anne K. Rasmussen, Frederick M.
20 Abu Abd Allâh Muhammad b. Idris al Syafi’I, Kitab al-Umm, bi Riwayah al Rabi’ b. Sulaymân,( Kairo,:Bulaq,1906), vol. VI p-215,66-70
21 Muhammad Nur Lubis, Sejarah Penulisan Mushaf Al- Syarîf, (Brunei Shell Marketing
Company Sdn.Bhd, 2002) p-32, see Yusuf Al-Qardhawi, Al- Islâmu wa al- Fannu, ( Beirut; Daru al-Fikri, 2002), p-23-25, see Sidang Pengarang Pustaka Muda, Pelajaran Tajwid, (Perak :Pustaka Muda,),p 1-5
22 The chanting of the Quran is regulated not by ekphonetic signs or neumes but by oral
tradition,which varies from place to place.The word is paramount and no ornamentation is permitted. See John L.Esposito, The Oxford Encyclopedia of the World Modern Islamic, New York: (Oxford University Press), 1995, p-396-399,see Yusuf Al-Qardhawi, Al-Islâmu wa al- Fannu, (Beirut; Daru al-Fikri 2002) , p-23-25 ,
23 Chua Yan Piaw, Kaedah Penyelidikan, Buku 1, (Kuala Lumpur: Mc Graw Hill, 2006), pg-1-10,
Denny, John L. Esposito and other scholars who actively study the process of learning and practicing activities of Quranic recitation (tilâwah, tartîl), chanting (nagham, tarannum, seni lagu Qur’an), variant readings (qirâ’at) and skills of voice (handasah al-sawt). 24
1. Problem Statement
In arguing this, I will employ ideas and knowledge of Qur’anic chanting and
tajwîd. In a research, scholar or writer will investigate into a subject in order to discover facts, to establish or revise theory, or to develop a plan of action based on the facts discovered. In this thesis, the writer will resolve the problem25 of misinterpretation and misleading of the definition, concept, practice of Qur’anic chanting and vocalization. There are many good reasons why this study should be done. They are clarifying the real interpretation of Qur’anic chanting, no specific study on this subject helps to elaborate more about the arguments of scholars and upgrading the practices of chanting with Qur’an in literature and writings activities.
By using the theory of handasah al sawt, by Ismail al-Faruqi and Loius Lamya al-Faruqi, this study will disagree with the writing of Frederick M. Denny26, when he stressed that tajwîd a musical artistry elements and a quamusical activities. Whereas, generally, for us as Muslims, perfectly understand that there are many differences between the definition, concept and practices of chanting (tarannum) and vocalization ( tajwîd).
24 Eva F.Amrullah, Transendensi al Qur’an dan Musik, Jurnal Studi Al Qur’an, Vol.1,No.3,(
Jakarta: Pusat Studi Qur’an, ,2006) p 591- 614,
25 Alexander L.George and Andrew Bennett, Case Studies and Theory Development in the Social Sciences, (London : Cambridge ,2005), p-8-9 , see Robert C. Bogdan and Sari Knopp Biklen, Qualitative Research for Education, An Introduction to Theory and Methods, ( Allyn and Bacon,1998), p-4
26
Frederick M.Denny, “Qur’an Recitation : A Tradition of Oral Tradition of Oral Performance and Transmission .”Oral Tradition, Vol.4, p-3-6
26 John L.Esposito, The Oxford Encyclopedia of the World Modern Islamic, (New York: Oxford University Press, 1995)
He stated that the rules of tajwîd apply to all Qur’an recitation. Tajwîd according to him, strictly speaking, is not particular style, although some reciters use the term in two senses. One is the generic sense just mentioned, namely related to recitation. Second, the is quasi-musical chanting, or cantillation of the Qur’an which sometimes reaches extremes of florid, emotionally exciting musicality, displaying the virtuosity of performers as much as the inherent beuties of the Qur’an. Therefore, I will clarify the different between the second sense stated by Denny with the activities of chanting with certain melodies ( tarannum) in the Qur’an.
Consequently, the writer comes out with structured questions to help in understanding the interpretation of this study
1. What does it means by Qur’anic chanting (tarannum) and vocalization (tajwîd) ?
2. What are the similarities and differences of these subjects among scholars?
The writer will focus more on the definition, terminology and practices of the activities. To show these differences, the writers will specific the study to selected scholars such as Ismail R. Al- Faruqi, Frederick M. Denny, Nik Ja’afar Nik Ismail, Anne K. Rasmussen, Anne M. Gade and John L. Esposito. Then, the writer choose several International Qâri and Qâriah, academician in this field from Indonesia to get data through interviews.
1. KEY RESEARCH QUESTION
To be specific in studying the problem, the writer limit the discussion into this matter :
C. Literature Review
There are plenty of books, journals, magazines and arguments about sciences of Qur’an including Qur’anic recitation (tilâwah), system of vocalization (tajwîd) and variant readings (al-qirâ’at al-sab’ah). However, when it comes to discuss about Qur’anic chanting, there a only a few references discuss specifically in this subject. Why is this happen? One of the reasons is because of the misinterpretation of this subject into another discipline in Qur’anic recitation ( tilâwah). 27
To begin with, the writer will divide the sources into three main concepts of Qur’anic chanting, the theory of Qur’anic chanting is the highest part of handasah as- sawt, second Qur’anic chanting as nagham, tarannum or seni lagu Qur’an. Third, which is differ from the above, claim that Qur’anic chanting is part of tajwîd.
1. Concept of Qur’anic Chanting Interpreted as Tajwîd
The writer will argue for the interpretations of chanting Qur’an, Frederick M. Denny uses tajwîd term to define the concept of melodic recitation or Qur’anic chanting which is far from the correct concept of it and the practices. The referred books are:
a) Frederick M. Denny , “Qur’an Recitation : A Tradition of Oral Tradition of Oral Performance and Transmission .”Oral Tradition.
A parallel idea with Denny stated in :
b) John L. Esposito, The Oxford Encyclopedia of the World Modern Islamic.
27 Mohd Ali bin Abu Bakar, Seni Lagu al-Qur’an di Malaysia, (Kuala Lumpur; Darul Fikr,
Placing Qur’anic chanting (seni lagu Qur’an) in a wrong concept of (tajwîd), will affect misunderstanding of the definition and practices in general. It will become worst when communities do not realize about the existence of this knowledge.
2. Concept - the Art of Sound (Handasah al- Sawt) :
According to Louis Lamya al Faruqi and Ismail al-Faruqi, in their book , The Cultural Atlas of Islam28, they argued that chanting is the highest part of the Art of Sound (handasah al-sawt). However, the art of chanting Qur’an is not the same as music in other religion and other performance. The practise of learning and teaching Qur’an started from Prophets Tradition which revealed from the God. Therefore, the way of singing or chanting with Qur’an cannot generalized as music because it is specifically chant the verses with several songs which at the same time, follow the systematic vocalization and system of tartîl and tajwîd.
His arguments agreed by Eva F. Amrullah, in her writing: Transcendence al Qur’an dan Musik, Jurnal Studi Al Qur’an, Vol.1,No.329, she managed to explain the status of Qur’anic chanting from al-Faruqi’s view. His idea of chanting is the best explanation I ever read throughout the research, attract people to study in it. Eva simplifies his ideas into tables which help a lot in understanding the theory.
2) Concept of Qur’anic Chanting as Nagham /Tarannum / Seni Lagu Qur’an :
Many scholars, qâri and qâri’ah write this subject through their understandings and experiences in Qur’anic chanting activities, either as the excellent reciters or as the observers during their field study on this subject.
28 Ismail Al Faruqi and Louis Lamya al Faruqi, The Cultural Atlas of Islam, 1986,p-240
29 Eva F.Amrullah,Transendensi al Qur’an dan Musik, Jurnal Studi Al Qur’an, Vol.1,No.3,(Pusat
A primary source of chanting in the history especially on the music is the book
Rasâil Ikhwân al-Safa wa Khullân al Wafa30. According to this group, music derived from various activities since young. The music of Qur’anic chanting does not really started in the Islam history but started before that. Non Muslim people especially Arab people, they played music before Islam. Other than that, this book explains also about the history of music in the time of Ummayyad Caliphs.
Under the Umayyad caliphate (661–750) the classical style of Isl mic music developed further. The capital was moved to Damascus (in modern Syria) and the courts were thronged with male and female musicians, who formed a class apart. Many prominent musicians were Arab by birth or acculturation, but the alien element continued to play a predominant role in Isl mic music.31
Another reference in this subject is Anna M. Gade, Perfection Makes Practice, Learning, Emotion, and the Recited Qur’an in Indonesia,32 and the other article of Anna M. Gade, “ The Recitation of the Qur’an in Indonesia : Text and Context”33 Paper presented at the Middle East Studies Association Annual Meeting . 34Anne K. Rasmussen35 through her writing The Qur’an in Indonesian Daily Life: The public project of musical oratory, Ethnomusicology Champaign.
One of the famous judges and ulama’s in Qur’anic chanting in Malaysia is Tuan Hj Nik Ja’afar Hj Nik Ismail, in his book, Qawa’id al- Tarannum36, explaining in details the methodology of recitation of Qur’an including chanting (tarannum), beautiful voice (tahsîn al-saut) and systematic vocalization or grammar of reading
30 Mustafâ Ghâlib (ed.), Rasâil Ikhwân al-Safa wa Khullân al Wafa, (Beirut: Dâr al-Sâdir, 1957)
31 Al-Safa, Ikhwân, Rasâil Ikhwân al-Safa wa Khullân al Wafa
32 Anne M.Gade, Perfection Makes Practice,Learning,Emotion, and the Recited Qur’an in Indonesia, p-35-36
33 Anne M.Gade,The Recitation of the Qur’an in Indonesia : Text and Context
34 Gade stressed that according to Islamic tradition, the “ melodic “ aspects of Quran Recitation may not be fixed in any other performance or in an overall system. Recitation with melody appears in the literature and the melodic structures deployed in this time were apparently those of Arab art music. See Gade, p-35-70
35 Anne K.Rasmussen, The Qur’an in Indonesian daily life: The public project of musical oratory,
Ethnomusicology Champaign: (Winter 2001), vol.45,
(tajwîd). He discusses about the history of Qur’anic chanting, the development, methodology, characteristics of songs and other related aspects to it.
Another book, Al-Qawâ’id Qabla al-Tilawah37, written by the same scholar, elaborates three aspects. First, the system of writing Qur’an (Rasm al-Uthmani), second, correct recitation of reciting the verses, and lastly secret of beginning and ending of verses (waqf al-ibtidâi), this aspect is really important for qâri and qâri’ah, because incorrect starting and ending of verses, might causes the falseness of meanings.
Panduan Tartil al Qur’an also written by Hj Nik Ja’afar Hj Ismail, he explicates the application of techniques in Qur’anic chanting38. Further discussion relates 65 exercises for qâri and qâri’ah to practice their skills and knowledge in chanting Qur’an. The experience of Hj Nik Ja’afar in chanting and recitation of Qur’an has been implemented in various courses for teachers and students. This book is used by Ministry of Education as one of the syllabus for special Qur’anic class.39
Explore further explanation of Qur’anic chanting specifically in Malaysia, written by Mohd Ali bin Abu Bakar entitled Seni Lagu al-Qur’an di Malaysia. This book discuss about seni lagu Qur’an from many aspects such as the quality of voice, guidelines of chanting, history and development of ‘seni lagu Qur’an’ in Malaysia,Indoneia and Egypt.
A. Munir Sudarsono in his book,”Ilmu Tajwid dan Seni Baca al-Qur’an” states about the aspects of tajwîd and its impact on Qur’anic chanting. The purpose of writing is to guide qâri and qâri’ah in upgrading their performances especially in the aspects of mastery the vocalization, words, letters and verses in Qur’an. Another reference on tajwîd and tarannum is the book written by ‘Abdullah al-Qarî bin Haji
37 Nik Ja’afar Nik Ismail,Al Qawa’id Qabla al Tilawah, ( Darl Fikr,Kuala Lumpur,2003), p-53 38 Nik Ja’afar Nik Ismail, Panduan Tartil al Qur’an, (Darl Fikr, Kuala Lumpur, 2006), p- 9 39 Special Qur’anic class or Kelas Kemahiran Al Qur’an is one of the syllabus in education. This
Soleh, Kursus Qarî dan Qariah. This book became one of the main source in these subjects in Malaysia.
Thesis on Qur’anic Chanting and Variant Readings
Syari’i Sumin writes a thesis entitled, Tesis-Seni Baca Al- Qur’an dan Qirâ’at Tujuh serta Perlaksanaannya dalam Kurikulum Sekolah Tinggi Islam Pengembangan Ilmu Al-Qur’an (STAI-PIQ), focusing in characteristics of Qur’anic chanting, the methodology of tausyikh and continue to explain the variant readings (qirâ’atu al-sab’ah) specifically, because his field of study is more on the variant readings.
For Mohd. Napiah Hj Sahrani40, he also study about ‘ Qira’at dan Tarannum dalam Tilawah Al-Qur’an’, more or less, listing the methodology of tarannum and qirâ’at. He presented this subject in ‘Seminar Kebangsaan Pengajian Ilmu Al-Qur’an’. The focus of the presentation is to explain the aspect of definitions, characteristics of songs in Qur’an, famous qâri and qâri’ah tarannum in Malaysia, history of tarannum and how did the songs from Egypt influenced the way of chanting the Qur’an with songs of Arab, Nasyid, Qasidah and Azan.
Other than that, Ahmad Nuruddin Mat Yunoh, Seni Lagu Qur’an: Kajian Terhadap Sumbangan Hj. Nik Ja’afar bin Nik Ismail, Tesis, Jabatan Al-Qur’an dan Hadith, Akademi Pengajian Islam, concentrates on the contribution of Nik Ja’afar Nik Ismail in tilâwah, tarannum and the art of voice in tarannum.
D. Objectives
The objectives of this thesis are combining clear and concise definitions, skills and practices of Quranic chanting (nagham/tarannum/seni lagu Qur’an) with tartîl
40 Mohd.Napiah Hj Sahrani is a head of department in Department of Education in Sabah. Before
and tajwîd. These explanations are illustrated with dozens of concrete examples to distinguish each science. In scope, clarity and erudition, this thesis sets a new standard of definition and terminology of Qur’anic chanting41, and also study of this important knowledge and its methodology of teaching and learning more broadly.
Thus, the specific objectives are :
a) To identify the most accurate definitions and terminologies in Qur’anic chanting (tarannum) and vocalization (tajwîd)
b) Emphasizing and upgrading Qur’anic chanting (tarannum) knowledge to the whole world
E. Significance of the Study
With the clear concepts and definitions of Qur’anic chanting, without the misinterpretation of it , definitely, the knowledge will spread wider than before. Through Qur’anic chanting competition, the government encourages communities to love Qur’an, recite and explore the beautiful of Qur’anic knowledge and sciences. Hopefully, this interpretation will spread in a rational way of understanding. Other than that, this study should become one of the important sources in Qur’anic chanting concepts because there is still lack and most probably, none of these arguments set up in any thesis or writings, all over the world. This system of Qur’anic melody of recitation or chanting will became globally widespread the latter part of the twentieth century. 42
41 Mohd Ali bin Abu Bakar, Seni Lagu al Qur’an di Malaysia, (Darul Fikr,Kuala Lumpur, 1997),
pg-3 , see A. Munir,Sudarsono, Ilmu Tajwid dan Seni Baca al Qur’an, ( PT Rineka Cipta, Jakarta,1994), pg-9, see also, Mohd.Napiah bin Sahrani, Qiraat dan Tarannum dalam Tilawah Al -Qur’an, (Kertas Kerja Seminar Kebangsaan Pengajian Ilmu al-Qur’an, Pusat Islam UPM dan Unit Bahasa Arab Jabatan Bahasa Asing Fakulti Bahasa Moden dan Komunikasi Universiti Putra Malaysia, 1-2 September), p 5.
42 John L. Esposito, Islam In Asia, Religion, Politics & Society, (New York; Oxford University
F. Research Methodology
The most appropriate approach for this study is using the qualitative approach. The writer chooses this approach because it is helpful in getting the real meaning, definition and concept which relied to the genuine concept and practices of Qur’anic chanting. This study cannot be done through an experiment due to its complex interpretation, concepts and practices among communities. Marshall & Rosman43 put guidelines why this approach is suitable for certain studies. These are the guidelines provided:
1) Study which cannot done through experiment because of the practices and ethics
2) To elaborate complexity
3) To understand limited data deeply and clearly
4) Build variable from the scholar’s view and participants’ definition 5) Study which rely on the critical descriptions and rich in conclusion44
The role of the researcher through the qualitative research, the investigator is the primary data collection instrument and can shape findings in a very direct ways. Recognition of the impact of the researcher on data collection has lead qualitative researchers to be increasingly self-conscious about their roles in the research process. Every researcher has a biography that becomes an element in and an aspect of the collection and analysis data. A researcher as an active agent in the research process can be both an aid and a hindrance to data collection and analysis. The researcher’s position is an aspect of all social research, especially in research settings where the researcher is visible and active projects that seek in-depth knowledge.
Seeking narrativity; qualitative researchers often are interested in narrative data (for instance: literature, journals, diaries, newspaper), because narratives often
43 Marshall, Catherine & Gretchen B. Rossman, Designing Qualitative Research, (California:
Sage Publication Inc,1989),p-12
provides important keys to both processes and subjectivity. Further, the qualitative researchers often seek to make sense of a case as whole, and narratives offer an important ways to gain a more holistic view, especially of actors often overlooked in ‘official stories”.
Another important aspect understands the meaning of the system. The culture of a case or a research setting is very often the primary basis for making sense of it. The representation of the whole could have a part is difficult to capture in a conventional case by a variable data format because the forest is not always easy to discern from the trees. In qualitative work, researchers make inferences about the larger picture based on detailed information about cases and their analyses of how different parts or aspects constitute multiple instances or manifestations of the same underlying meaning system.
Methods of Study
Therefore, this study will combine two main methods, first by conducting library research in order to get full descriptive analysis of the concepts and theories related to Qur’anic chanting. The reason to get knowledge accumulation through description is facilitated when the writer classifies existing information using well-specified concepts and typologies to formulate new and useful knowledge that is systematically related to and dependent on prior knowledge.45
Second, exploring field research focusing on interview and observational study in order to have a clear practices of Qur’anic chanting according to the definitions, concepts and methodologies of the knowledge.
Design of the Study
1) Interview : the writer will several academicians and excellent reciters (qâri and qâriah) in Qur’anic chanting Indonesia.
2) Observational study : selected students in IIQ and Pesantren in Jakarta, who studied nagham. The important to conduct this method is to prove the concepts as what it have been practiced.
G. Structure of the Writing
The source of writing this thesis is from, “Pedoman Penulisan Ilmiah”, by UIN Syarif Hidayatullah, Jakarta. With the systematic writing, it provide a well structured of writing according to the guidelines from the university. This writing will be divided into five chapters, first chapter as the introduction, chapter two to four are consists of the subject argument and finally chapter five for the conclusion.
In the first chapter, the writer will elaborate the subject in the background of the study. Then, proceed with the focus of the study, specifically to the problem identification. Problem identification consists of the various puzzles and questions related to the problem. From this, the study will be focus to the scope of the problem as well as the limitation of the research. The limitation of this study will then referred to the key questions.
Therefore, the writer really limits the writing into the field of concepts as needed in the questions. The important thing to discuss in introduction is also about the literature review. Various list of books, thesis and journals are collected, read and analyzed here, thus, the ideas and arguments help writer a lot in answering the problem.
duplicating or copying others work in the writings. Next, the objective of the study s to grab the real concept as stated in the thesis statement.
Continue then, with the research methodology. This study needs to combine both two methods; one is the library research while the other one is the field research. However, in the field research, the writer will limit to the interview techniques and observing several activities related to the practices of the study. The writer chooses to interview qâri and qâriah Indonesia, and then observe students in Institut llmu Al-Qur’an in Jakarta.
The main idea of second chapter is to learn the historical background of Muslims contributors in music, to understand the development of this matter, knowing some other understanding of music according to Sufi and lastly, understanding the whole categories in musicology of Islam by using the theory of
Handasah al Sawt which uphigh the Qur’anic chant as the highest level of Muslims practice in the world. The writer will not go further to the history of music in throughout the centuries, but will focus on the specific field related to the music and chant in the Qur’anic recitation.
Another discussion is the concept of Qur’anic chanting and the concepts of chanting in the world. These arguments will never end due to the misunderstanding of concepts and practices of it in community life. The third presents the chanting context through its history in the civilization. The writer will give a brief history of the origin, collection and structure of chanting development in the human achievements. For further discussion to emphasize the origin of Qur’anic chanting is not from other sacred text as the Bible, some aspects will be explained in order to clarify the activities are differ from each other especially in certain aspects such as the history, terminologies and practices.
and teachings within their proper boundaries and establish them on genuine fundamentals.46 In this chapter, I will continue to distinguish the important elements of tajwîd and tarannum in the form of a table.
For that reason, the writer will continue to explain the knowledge of tajwîd
and tarannum widely and analytically as well as to argue the statement of Denny in clarifying tajwid as a quamusical activities and also recite melodiously, which actually is not the characteristic of tajwid rather it is the characteristics of tarannum. The are differences of several points related to both aspects, for instance from its types of recitation, principles, requirements, methods of teaching, arrangement, stage of voices and rules of fiqh according to ‘Ulama’.
The fifth chapter, contains further discussion in this chapter is about the differences of the learning processes in tarannum and tajwîd. In this arguments are based on the stage of voices related to tajwîd and tarannum, and also, the differences in the learning and teaching of both aspects. To elaborate more on the implications of these aspects, the writer will bring examples of learning and teaching of these aspects in institutions such as primary, secondary schools and college or “Ma’ahad”. In advance, the implementation will be discussed on the practices of Qur’anic chanting and recitation in Musabaqah Tilawah Al Qur’an (MTQ).
Finally, in the chapter six, the writer concludes that Denny’s statement on
tajwîd is differing to the activities on Qur’anic chanting. Then, the discussion will be concluded in the ways of giving several suggestions towards the study.
46 Francis Robinson, Knowledge, Its Transmission, and the Making of Muslim Societies, in
CHAPTER 2
THE IMPACT OF MUSICOLOGY IN ISLAM
E. The Origin of Music
Before discussing the theory of Qur’anic chanting as part of the musical aspects in musicology of Islam, it would be useful to determine first whether in fact the Qur’anic chanting may be regarded as musicology in Islam. Therefore, the main idea of this chapter is to learn the historical background of Muslims contributors in music, to understand the development of this matter, knowing some other understanding of music according to Sufi and lastly, understanding the whole categories in musicology of Islam by using the theory of Handasah al Sawt which uphigh the Qur’anic chant as the highest level of Muslims practice in the world.47
No doubt that Islamic art and spirituality of Islam consider music as one of the great significance from a spiritual point of view. There are various stages of Islamic art to be studied in order to know the flows of the music as a tradition in Islamic world.As what had been said by Fuat Sezgin48, Islam's Golden Age of Science, is an extended from the 8th to the 16th centuries.The word musîqî derived from the Greek word which had been used in many theoretical works, an Arabic term, ghina (song), has been used also for music in secular contexts. Other than that, the terms are used for what a Westerner might call music in folk and sacred contexts.49
47 Ismail Al Faruqi and Louis Lamya al Faruqi The Culltural Atlas of Islam, (New York: Mac
Millan Publishing, 1986), p-443
48 Fuat Sezgin is one of the world's most prominent historians of science and technology in the
Muslim world. The 80-year-old Turkish professor is the director of the Institute for the History of Arabic-Islamic Science at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany, and a prodigiously productive writer. He has compiled a 13-volume history of Islam's Golden Age of Science, including three new books on the accomplishments of Arabic and Islamic cartographers. See one of his book, Fuat Sezgin, Geschicte, Des Arabischen Schrifttums, ( Leidin: E.J Brill, 1967) , band.1, p- 1-10
49 Richard C. Martin, Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World, ( USA: Thomson Gale),vol.2,
For the group of Ikhwan al-Safa, music itself is a spiritual art founded by wise men. It has a strong and varied effect on all souls. It is either soothing or exciting, gratifying or grieving. On this account, music is played to calm the sick and insane, to tranquillize a weeping child or to lull him to sleep. Even animals are subject to the effect of music. Music is also played in temples because of the touch of awe it possesses.50
According to Abdur Rahman al Baghdadi, music means the art of sound or voice and together with the instruments51. Islamic music is Muslim religious music, as sung or played in public services or private devotions. Because Islam is a multicultural religion, the musical expression of its adherents is diverse. The classic heartland of Islam is the Middle East, North Africa, Iran, South Asia and Central Asia. The indigenous musical styles of these areas have shaped the devotional music enjoyed by contemporary Muslims.
While, the term for musical expression, according to Lois Lamya al Fâruqi in
The Cultural Atlas of Islam, known as the attitudes toward handasah al sawt as well as its use in Islamic societies around the world reveal many factors of homogeneity. The essential unity or homogeneity of handasah al sawt also has a historical dimension. Many of the characteristics which the careful observer finds in the musical examples of this century can be documented in the materials describing
handasah al sawt performance of earlier centuries.52
One of the scholars is Hazrat Inayah Khan, who determined the important of music in the life. In his book The Mysticism of Sound and Music, and especially in the section of music, Inayah Khan claimed that music is called the divine art, while all other arts are not so called. We may certainly see God in all arts and in all sciences, but in music alone we see God free from all forms and thoughts. Sound alone is free
50 Mustafâ Ghalib(ed.), Rasâil Ikhwân al-Safa wa Khullân al Wafa, (Beirut: Dâr al-Sâdir, 1957),
pg-200-202,vol 4.
51 Abdurrahman al-Baghdadi, Seni Dalam Pandangan Islam: Seni Vokal, Musik dan Tari,
(Jakarta: Gema Insani Press,1993),p.3, see also, Ainurrofiq Dawam, Wazîfatul Musîqî ‘ala Tarbiyâtul Islamiah, Hermenia, Jurnal Kajian Islam Interdisipliner Vol 4, No.1, Januari-Juni, 2005:1-5
52 Ismail Al Fâruqi and Louis Lamya al Faruqi, The Culltural Atlas of Islam, (New York: Mac
from form”. 53 For Inayah Khan, the main purpose of understanding music in life is to reveal the harmony of the universe, and show the part that each individual, each creature, he stops play in symphony. He then, considered life as music.
Parallel with the idea, in year 1980, Howard Gardner from Harvard written a book entitled Frames of Mind. This famous book explained the theory in education. He stated that everybody has the ability in multiple intelligent including linguistic, logical-mathematics, spatial, kinesthetic and musical. From the research, he strengthened the idea of music, where at the beginning stage of a baby, he understand and imitate the sound and melodies all around him.54
B. Music Literature and Contributors in Islam
Early in Islamic era music accompanied such events as pilgrimages, weddings, and wars. The nature of such music is difficult to reconstruct because it was not written down. But the emphasis was on vocal music;indeed it seems likely that in the pre-Islamic times poetry was chanted or sung to a musical accompaniment. Music along with mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy was one of the main scientific fields studied by the early Islamic scholars and today it remains one of the most studied art forms in the musical scholars and today it remains one of the most studied art forms in the Islamic world.
Many of the outstanding Islamic men of learning, especially musician and philosophers, were well-versed in music and its theories such as al Fârâbi (m.339/950 )55, Ibnu Sînâ56 ( m. 428/1037) and Urmâwi were notable authorities in musical theory.
53 Hazrat Inayat Khan, The Mysticism of Sound and Music, (Boston: Shambala Publications,
1996),p-2-8
54 Don Campbell, Efek Mozart, ( Jakarta: Gramedia, 2002), p-219
55 Al Farabi or Abu Nasr Mohammad Ibn al Farakh al Farabi was born in a small village Wasij,
Name Date of Death Major Location
where he studied and work for a long time. Farabi contributed considerably to science, philosophy, logic, sociology, medicine, mathematics and music.He wrote plenty of books and one of them was Kitab al-Musîqa He was a great expert in the art and science of music and invented several musical instruments besides contributing to the knowledge of musical notes. See www.tripod.com/FARABI.html, p.1-3, see also www.swaramuslim.net/khasanah/more.php , p.1-2, read Louis Lamya al Fâruqi and Ismail Al Faruqi,
The Culltural Atlas of Islam, p.327
56 Ibnu Sînâ’s reputation as a philosopher is well-accepted. Abû ‘Âlî al-Husayn b. “Abd Allâh b.
Hasan b.’Âlî (980-1037) is considered the “most celebrated Muslim Philosopher.” He has even been called the princes philosophorum (the great master) due to his magisterial synthesis of speculative thought. This may be seen in the current study of Etin Anwar, Ibnu Sînâ and Mysticism: A Reconsideration, ( Canada:Mc Gill University, 1998), p.1-4
57 The pre-Islamic song of Al-Yaman is mentioned as late as the ninth century, since Al-Mas'udi
quotes Ibn Khurdadhbih to the effect that the people of Al Yaman practised two kinds of music : the
himyari and the hanafî.
58Risâlâ fl Khabr ta'Kf al-Alhan of Al-Kindi (d. 874) is preserved in the British Museum. This
Al Isfahânî , Abû al Faraj
59Al-Farabi (ca. 870-950), or in full Abu Nar Muhammad ibn Tarkhan, was of Turkish origin,
and was born at Farab in Transoxiana. Coming to Baghdad he studied philosophy under Abu Bishr Matta ibn Yunus, and later went to Harran to prosecute studies under Yuhanna ibn Khailan. Having mastered the sciences of the Greeks, he soon surpassed his contemporaries. We are informed that he was " a perfect and erudite musician," and " an excellent performer on the ud (lute)." His fame in music led Saif al-Daula the Hamdanid ruler to invite him to settle in Aleppo. Here, the great philosopher and music theorist attracted pupils from all parts, who thronged to his lectures, which were held in the delightful gardens on the outskirts of the city. He wrote on logic, ethics, politics, mathematics, alchemy, philosophy, and music. Many of these works were translated into Latin, and Alpharabius, as he was called in the West, had an immense influence on the culture of Mediaeval Europe. He has been called " the Second Master " (i.e., Second to Aristotle), and " the greatest philosopher the Arabs ever produced."
60 Abd al Mu’min Safi al Urmawi, formulated analytical framework for the system that was followed for centuries, deploying musical characteristics in the identification of mode, such as initial and final pitch as well as, in some cases, melody types. See John L.Esposito, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Modern Islamic World, p-381, in addition, Safi al-Din 'Abd al-Mu'min (ibn Yusuf) ibn Fakhir al-Urmawi al-Baghdadi was probably born at Baghdad in the early years of the thirteenth century, although his father (or grandfather) evidently came from Urmia, a town in Adharbaijan. In Baghdad ,he gave service to the last 'Abbasid khalif Al-Musta'sim (1243-58) as his chief court instrel, boon companion, calligraphist, and librarian. He was on very intimate terms with the khalif, who allowed him a pension of 5,000 golden pieces a year.
61 Kitab al-Adwar of Safi al-Din 'Abd al-Mu'min (d. 1294)is claimed in the British Museum.
Fhâkir al Urmawî 60
Ibn Jamâ’ah, Burhân al Dîn Abû Isaac Ibrahîm Ibnb ‘Abd al Rahîm
790/1388 Dimashq Lawfulness of
sama’
Ibn Taymiyyâh, Taqî al Dîn Ahmad
728/1328 Dimashq Lawfulness of
sama’
Fifteenth century
Ibn al Jazârî, Shams al Dîn Abû al Khayr Muhammad Ibn Muhammad Ibn ‘Alî Ibn Yûsûf
833/1429 Dimashq, Syiraz Tajwîd al
Qur’an
Sixteenth century
Al Haythâmî, Abu al
‘Abbas Ahmad Ibn
Muhammad Ibn ‘Alî Ibn Hâjâr
974/1567 Cairo, Makkah Lawfulness of
sama’
Eighteenth century
Shîhab al Dîn, Muhammad Ibn Isma’il al Hijazi
1238/1822 Cairo Music theory
In the wake of the Islamic conquests, Arabic music spread rapidly across Islamic lands, although ethnic and regional styles continued. Fortunately, much information about music and musicians of the early centuries of islam has been preserved in Kitab Al Aghâni. Poetry for instance, slowly being inseparable from music throughout Islamic history and art. In the early period of Islam, Kitâb al-Âghânî “Book of songs”,of Abu ‘l-Faraj al-Isfâhânî (d-356H) elucidate the attractiveness of Islamic poetry, music and art, dates to the fourth/tenth century and it is in this period that maqâm develop as a theory and a practice of art music by way of a synthesis of Arabic and Persian forms.62
Another famous contributer towards music was Al Mas’udi(d-345H), through his book Murûj al-Zahab wa Ma’âdin al-Jawâhir. Both scholars, Isfâhânî and al-Mas’udi, were in the same century, writing music and its development especially in the world of Arab. Their writings included the history of music, types of music, books related to music, the religious perceptions towards music, and the beautifulness of music and biography of musicians.63
In the following listing, contributers have been assigned to the century in which the major portion of their study. These were the types of literature that include materials on Hadassah al Sawt or the art of sound according to Lamya al-Faruqi.64Based on modern historical sources, she comes out with the lists of the contributors in musical Islam. These contributors were actively found in the ninth century to the end of nineteenth century. It was also a great prove of the development
62 Music in the Muslim world is melodic and uses a greater and more subtle range of intervals than
is normal in the west. Harmony as in the western understanding of the term unknown. In the days of Kitab al Aghâni there were eight musical modes, but drawing on Iranian culture, this number was increased to eighteen or more. Music served various religious purposes. Read Francis Robinson, The Cambridge Illustrated History of the Islamic World, ( Hong Kong: Cambridge University Press, 1998), p- 252, see also John L.Esposito, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Modern Islamic World, p-381,
63 Taufik Abdullah, Ensiklopedi Tematis Dunia Islam, Pemikiran dan Peradaban, (Jakarta:PT
Ichtiar Baru, Van Hoeve, 2002), p. 26-28
64 This data was extracted from the list done by Lois Lamya al Faruqi. She puts all the related
of music in Islam had been done throughout the century. No doubt that since the Abbasid era, the Islamic understanding of music in general existed.
The Abbasids were influenced by the Qur’anic injunctions and hadith . The Islamic Golden Age was soon inaugurated by the middle of the 8th century by the ascension of the Abbasid Caliphate and the transfer of the capital from Damascus to the newly founded Baghdad.
Disciplines other than our own-anthropology, ethnomusicology, performance studies-have long known that music is at the heart of both religion and culture. Therefore, the field of this study is neither at the beginning of ninth century nor the eight century. The most famous and well known book at the beginning of the tenth century is written by Abu Faraj al Isfahani (d. 356/967), entitled Books of Songs.65 The book happened to be the primary source of other scholars in extracting knowledge and information of music up to this era.
The fact that music and sound were introduced into the study of religion, the related components introduce the extra-cognitive, i.e, the body’s kinesthetic and aesthetic modes of learning, thus ushering plural modes of consciousness and plural modes of knowing into our scholarly and pedagogical work.66 As Regula Qureshi observes, this is particularly relevant to Islam because its sonoral domain is a central location for “the fusing of emotion with cognition, and of the individual with shared experience”.67
A remarkable system regulated cantillation (talhin) with respect to the law of phonetics and preferred diction of musical aspects in reciting /cantillation of Quran in musical melodies of the people from Nejd region of Arabia, as he preferred the pre-Islamic simple musical forms of huda and rakbani, with pauses which became a major trait of Quranic cantillation (tarannum). Holy Prophet had recourse to old
65 Anna M. Gade, Perfection Makes Practice, Learning, Emotion, and the Recited Qur’an in Indonesia, (Honolulu; University of Hawai’I Press, 2004) p- 379-381
66 Marilyn Gottschall, Introducing Islam Through Qur’anic Recitation, Summer 2004, Volume 8,
Issue 2, p-4
