Part of Ithaf Al-Barara with biographies of the ten reciters (series completed)
· Lesson 3 of 12
Ithaf Al-Barara with biographies of the ten readers | Episode (1) | Translated by Imam Nafi’ al-Madani and his narrators, Qalun and Warsh
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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*Bestowing the Virtuous with the Biographies of the Ten Reciters*.
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Biography of Imam Nafi' al-Madani.
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He is Abu Ruwaym,
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Nafi' ibn 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Nu'aym,
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al-Laythi al-Madani,
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the freedman of Ja'wanah ibn Shu'ub al-Laythi,
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the ally of Hamzah ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib.
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He was born, may Allah have mercy on him,
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around the year 70 AH,
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and his origins trace back to Isfahan.
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He was deeply dark-skinned,
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with a radiant, handsome face,
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good character,
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a pleasant sense of humor,
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and he used to jest amiably with his companions.
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He learned recitation from seventy senior figures among the Tabi'un,
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including Abu Ja'far the Reciter,
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Shaybah ibn Nassah,
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'Abd al-Rahman ibn Hurmuz al-A'raj,
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Muslim ibn Jundub,
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Yazid ibn Ruman,
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Salih ibn Khawwat,
1:10
and others.
1:12
These masters had received recitation from Abu Hurayrah,
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'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas,
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and 'Abdullah ibn 'Ayyash ibn Abi Rabi'ah al-Makhzumi;
1:23
and they, in turn, learned from Ubayy ibn Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him),
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from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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He was, may Allah have mercy on him, trustworthy, righteous,
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deeply learned in the variants of recitation and the Arabic language,
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steadfast in adhering to the traditions,
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eloquent, and scrupulously pious.
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Leadership in Quranic recitation in the Prophet’s City (Madinah) culminated in him,
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and people unanimously accepted his authority after the era of the Tabi'un.
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He taught recitation there for more than seventy years.
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The scholarly consensus settled upon the recitation of Nafi' being an established Sunnah,
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as was related from Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him.
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'Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal said:
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"I asked my father: 'Which recitation is most beloved to you?'
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He replied: 'The recitation of the people of Madinah.'
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I asked: 'And if not that?'
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He replied: 'The recitation of 'Asim.'"
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Whenever he spoke, may Allah have mercy on him,
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the fragrance of musk would emanate from his mouth.
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It was said to him: "Do you apply perfume?"
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He said: "No,
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but I saw the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in a dream,
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and he was reciting into my mouth;
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since that moment, this fragrance has emanated from it."
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Many transmitted recitation from him through both presentation (and verification) and audition,
2:52
including the two Imams Malik ibn Anas
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and al-Layth ibn Sa'd,
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Abu 'Amr ibn al-'Ala',
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'Isa ibn Wardan,
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Sulayman ibn Muslim ibn Jammaz,
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and Isma'il and Ya'qub, the two sons of Ja'far.
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The most famous transmitters from him are two:
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Qalun and Warsh.
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It is related that when death approached him,
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his sons said to him: "Advise us."
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He said: "Fear Allah, and set right the relations between you."
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“They ask thee (O Muhammad) of the spoils of war. Say: The spoils of war belong to Allah and the messenger, so keep your duty to Allah, and adjust the matter of your difference, and obey Allah and His messenger, if ye are (true) believers.” (8:1)
3:32
He passed away, may Allah have mercy on him, in the year 169 AH, according to the correct view.
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Biography of Imam Qalun,
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the first primary transmitter from Imam Nafi'.
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He is Abu Musa,
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'Isa ibn Mina
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ibn Wardan ibn 'Isa,
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al-Zuraqi al-Madani,
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the freedman of the Banu Zuhrah.
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He was born, may Allah have mercy on him, in the year 120 AH,
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during the reign of Hisham ibn 'Abd al-Malik.
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He was the stepson of Nafi',
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and he studied closely and extensively under him.
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It was Nafi' who gave him the nickname 'Qalun'
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due to the exceptional quality of his recitation;
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for 'Qalun' in the Roman (Byzantine Greek) language
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means 'good' or 'excellent'.
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He received Quranic recitation from Imam Nafi',
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Muhammad ibn Ja'far ibn Abi Kathir,
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'Isa ibn Wardan,
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'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi al-Zinad,
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and others.
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He was, may Allah have mercy on him, the foremost reciter and grammarian of Madinah;
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leadership in Quranic recitation in the Hijaz culminated in him in his era,
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people traveled to learn from him,
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he lived a long life, and his renown spread far and wide.
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He, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
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"I recited to Nafi' his recitation repeatedly,
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and I transcribed it from him."
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The memorizer 'Uthman ibn Khurrazadh said:
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"Qalun narrated to us, saying:
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'Nafi' said to me:
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"How long will you keep reciting to me?
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Go sit by a pillar,
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and I will send students to recite to you."'"
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His recitation under Nafi' took place
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in the year 150 AH,
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during the reign of al-Mansur.
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He was asked:
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"How many times did you recite the Quran to Nafi'?"
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He replied:
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"Countless times;
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moreover, I sat in his circle for twenty years after completing my formal studies."
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He was, may Allah have mercy on him, profoundly deaf;
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he could not even hear a horn,
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yet whenever the Quran was recited before him, he could hear it.
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'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Hatim, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
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"I heard 'Ali ibn al-Hasan al-Hisinjani say:
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'Qalun was extremely deaf;
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even if you raised your voice to the highest pitch, he would not hear.
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Instead, he would look at the lips of the reciter
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and correct any subtle melody error or mistake.'"
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A large group transmitted the recitation from him,
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including his son Ahmad ibn 'Isa,
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Ahmad ibn Yazid al-Halwani,
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Abu Nashit Muhammad ibn Harun,
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the memorizer Ahmad ibn Salih al-Misri,
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and others.
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He passed away, may Allah have mercy on him, in the year 220
6:30
AH, according to the correct opinion,
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during the reign of the Caliph al-Ma'mun.
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A sample recitation according to the narration of Qalun
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from Nafi': "I seek refuge in Allah
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from Satan, the accursed.
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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◁Indeed, for the righteous is attainment—▷
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◁Gardens and grapevines▷
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◁And full-bosomed [maidens] of equal age▷
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◁And a full cup.▷
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◁They will not hear therein any vain talk▷
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◁or falsehood—▷
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◁[As] reward from your Lord,▷
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◁a calculated gift.▷
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◁[From] the Lord of the heavens and the earth▷
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◁and whatever is between them, the Most Merciful.▷
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“Lord of the heavens and the earth, and (all) that is between them, the Beneficent; with Whom none can converse.” (78:37)
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◁The Day that▷
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◁the Spirit and the angels will stand▷
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◁in rows, they will not speak▷
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◁except for one whom▷
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◁the Most Merciful permits, and he will say what is correct.▷
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◁That is the True Day;▷
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◁so whoever wills—▷
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“That is the True Day. So whoso will should seek recourse unto his Lord.” (78:39)
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◁Indeed, We have warned you of▷
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◁a near punishment▷
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◁on the Day when a man will observe▷
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◁what his hands have put forth▷
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◁on the Day when a man will observe▷
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◁what his hands have put forth▷
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◁and the disbeliever will say,▷
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“Lo! We warn you of a doom at hand, a day whereon a man will look on that which his own hands have sent before, and the disbeliever will cry: "Would that I were dust!"” (78:40)
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Biography of Imam Warsh,
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the second primary transmitter from Imam Nafi'.
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He is Abu Sa'id,
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'Uthman ibn Sa'id al-Misri.
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'Warsh' was his nickname,
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bestowed upon him by his teacher Nafi'
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due to the extreme whiteness of his complexion.
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He was pleased with this nickname
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and used to say: "My teacher Nafi' named me with it."
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He was born, may Allah have mercy on him, in the year 110 AH
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in Qift, a town in Upper Egypt,
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while his ancestry originated from Kairouan.
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He was fair-haired with blue eyes,
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white-complexioned, stout, of medium height,
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and wore short garments.
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He was an excellent reciter,
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with a beautiful voice and deep insight into the Arabic language.
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He traveled to the Prophet’s City (Madinah) to recite before Nafi',
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completing four complete recitations of the Quran before him in a single month,
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and then returned to Egypt.
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The supreme leadership of Quranic recitation in the lands of Egypt passed to him in his time,
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with no one disputing his authority.
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He recited before Nafi' ibn 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Nu'aym and others.
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Abu 'Amr al-Dani said:
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"He recited numerous complete recitations before Nafi',
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then returned to Egypt."
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Al-Dhahabi said in *Siyar A'lam al-Nubala'*:
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"He was trustworthy in the recitation variants, an authoritative proof."
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Yunus said: "He was an excellent reciter,
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with a beautiful voice;
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when he recited, he articulated the hamzahs, lengthened the vowels, applied doubling clearly,
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and clarified grammatical inflection,
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such that his listener never grew weary of him."
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It is said that he recited four complete readings to Nafi' in a single month.
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A vast multitude transmitted the recitation from him,
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including Abu Ya'qub al-Azraq,
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Ahmad ibn Salih,
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Dawud ibn Abi Taybah,
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Abu al-Azhar
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'Abd al-Samad ibn 'Abd al-Rahman al-'Ataqi,
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Yunus ibn 'Abd al-A'la,
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and others.
11:14
He passed away, may Allah have mercy on him,
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in the year 197 AH.
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A sample recitation according to the narration of Warsh from Nafi':
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"I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the accursed.
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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◁Whoever comes [on the Day of Judgement] with a good deed▷
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will have better than it,
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and they will be safe from the terror of that Day.
11:55
And whoever brings an evil deed—
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“And whoso bringeth an ill-deed, such will be flung down on their faces in the Fire. Are ye rewarded aught save what ye did?” (27:90)
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“And whoso bringeth an ill-deed, such will be flung down on their faces in the Fire. Are ye rewarded aught save what ye did?” (27:90)
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“(Say): I (Muhammad) am commanded only to serve the Lord of this land which He hath hallowed, and unto Whom all things belong. And I am commanded to be of those who surrender (unto Him),” (27:91)
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Who made it sacred,
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and to Whom belongs all things.
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And I have been commanded to be of those who submit to Allah,
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and to recite the Qur'an.
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So whoever is guided
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is only guided
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for the good of his own soul.
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“And to recite the Qur'an. And whoso goeth right, goeth right only for (the good of) his own soul; and as for him who goeth astray - (Unto him) say: Lo! I am only a warner.” (27:92)
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And say, "Praise be to Allah!
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He will show you His signs,
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and you will recognize them.
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And your Lord is not unaware
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of what you do."
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May Allah reward with all goodness
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on our behalf the leading scholars
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who transmitted the Qur'an to us
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pure, fresh, and flowing smoothly.