AL-MUL~HAF AL-MURATTAL A MODERN

PHONOGRAPHIC “COLLECTION” (JAM’)OF THE QUEAN

To anyone who has lived for any time in Egypt or the neighboring
Muslim lands the sound of the Qur’in-reader’s voice transmitted by
radio is a familiar, almost commonplace phenomenon. Virtually in
any public place one can hear a t some time during the day the intonated
phrases of the sacred Book broadcast over either medium or short-
wave frequencies. Wherever there is a radio, whether in a coffee-
house, fruit-market or taxi cab, the Word Read is available to Muslims
through the touch of a dial.
Familiar as this phenomenon may be in modern Muslim and
especially Arab countries, the thinking and labors that lie behind it
are not so well known. The recording of the Qur’iin most commonly
used by Radio Cairo, and in fact broadcast daily from early morning
until midnight over two frequencies, was first produced in 1961 under
the auspices of the Egyptian government in the form of a set of long-
playing records bearing the title aZ-Mushaf al-Murattal. The set has
since been republished several times, and may be purchased a t record
centers in Cairo a t a reasonable price. The principal figure behind
the recording project and initial promoter of the idea of an official
recording of the Qur’in was Dr. Labib al-Sa‘id, lecturer in sociology
a t ‘Ayn Shams University, author of over thirty books and articles,
and holder over the past two decades of important posts in the
Egyptian Ministry of Waqfs and in various religious organizations,
including the Presidency of the General Society for the Preservation
of the Glorious Qur’8n (al-JamVyu al-‘Amma li’l-Mu&faza ‘aki’l-
Qur’dn al-KarTm). He is also a frequent lecturer a t al-Azhar University
and though a sociologist by profession is well known within religious
circles in Egypt for his wide learning in the field of Qur’anic studies.
In thc years following the completion of the recording project,
Dr. Sa‘id worked on a lengthy book entitled al-Jam‘ al-Sawt; al-Awwal
12E-Qur’5.n al-Kurim in which he stated his reasons for undertaking
the project and provided a schema as well as a rationale for further
recordings in the future. This book, which was published in Cairo in
1967, has been distributed throughout the Muslim world and is to
appear soon in English translation. 1 The proposal which the book

1 This English translation, on which I had the pleasure of collaborating with Dr.
Abdul Rauf of the Islamic Center in Washington, D.C.. and Professor Morroe Berger of
Princeton, is to be published by the Darbin Press of Princeton in the summer of 1974.

134
 A MODERN PHONOGRAPHIC “COLLECTION” ( J A M ) 135

lays before its Muslim readers calls ultimately for twenty different
recordings of the complete Qur’En, that is t o say, a recording of two
versions of each of the ten accepted Readings (qirti’tit), both the
seven canonical or mutaultitir readings and the three ‘widely known’
or mashhiir readings.
In Dr. Sa‘id’s view the proposed recordings will constitute a modern
jam‘, a term used in the traditional literature to refer to the “collection”
of the Qur’Ln undertaken during the caliphates of Abii Bakr and
‘Uthmln. The modern collection is of course vocal (trawti), that is
to say, phonographic, whereas the earlier collection was strictly
textual; in this respect the modern collection differs from its pre-
decessor. In other respects, however, the two collections are much
alike. The earlier collection was, in its final stages, the work of a
council appointed by the Caliph ‘Uthmln. Taking as a basis for their
work the collection which according to tradition Zayd b. Thlbit had
made under order of Abii Bakr - a collection comprising material
written by persons who had heard it from the Prophet on “pieces
of paper, stones, palm-leaves, shoulder-blades, ribs, bits of leather,
and (stored) in the hearts of men”- the council received from
members of the community a t large whatever additional material
could be found and, after careful scrutiny of material presented,
amended the earlier text with such material as could be authenticated
by various tests. Similarly, the modern vocal collection has been
the work of a council set up by the Ministry of Waqfs and consisting
of a number of Azharite authorities in the Qur’anic sciences. The
material assembled and screened was in this case not written frag-
ments of the Qur’ln but the vocal possessions, as it were, of the prominent
Qur’8n-readers of the time. These readers were selected from a large
number auditioned, and before actual recording was begun their
readings were tested by the council. Only readings which were accurate
in every respect and which conformed to the rules of recitation were
accepted for recording. The result of this “collection” process was
an official orthoepic version of the Qur’Ln fully accredited by the
leading living authorities on the Qur’in.
Furthermore, the modern collection, like the earlier one, was
undertaken in response to a definite crisis. The crisis which prompted
the earlier collection was, according to tradition, precipitated first
by the death in battle of many of the readers of the Qur’iin and then
later by the disputes among Muslims in the provinces over the correct
reading of the Qur’iin. The latter-day crisis can be reduced to one
primary factor much emphasized by Dr. Sa’id :the decline of Qur’anic
recitation as an oral tradition. The term ‘oral tradition’ here encom-
136 THE MUSLIM WORLD

passes more than the transmission of the Qur’Ln by professional

readers, although this is obviously an important element in the oral
tradition. It includes the entire body of Qur’anic material stored
up in the memory of the community at large and transmitted by
word of mouth by a great variety of’ individuals. Memorization is a
key factor in oral tradition. I n societjes that lack writing, knowledge
cannot be stored in books ; it must be kept in a ‘memory bank,’ so to
speak, and the only possible means of transmission from one gene-
ration to another is the spoken - and remembered - word. Though
Muslim society reached a stage of advanced literacy, the oral tradition
of Qur’anic recitation, undoubtedly a legacy of an Arabian past,
has remained very much in force. The ‘storage’ and oral transmission
of the Qur’iin has been a communal responsibility, although formal
teaching has been restricted to accredited specialists. Professional
readers have formed a relatively small element within the community.
More numerous have been the huff&, i.e., persons who have memorized
the entire Qur’iin without necessarily having fully mastered the
techniques of formal recitation (tajwid). Virtually all of the great
religious scholars of the past and many others besides have fallen
into this class. In addition to the &uffEg (among whom the professional
readers are of course included) there have been those who have
learned portions of the Qur’iin, in some cases large sections, in the
case of virtually every Muslim at least small parts. The transmission
of the opening sura of the Qur’iin, which is used in ritual prayer, can
be said t o constitute a universal oral tradition.
The decline of the oral tradition of Qur’anic recitation is largely
a consequence of modernization and, more specifically, of the seculari-
zation of public education and the de-emphasizing of memorization of
the Qur’Bn as part of the curriculum. The katGtib, i.e., traditional
schools of Qur’anic instruction, have become more and more unpopular
and in many cases have degenerated into havens for those who have
been unable to gain entrance into the public schools. Even al-Azhar
University was constrained some yeam ago to abandon its age-old
policy of requiring complete memorization of the Qur’Ln as a pre-
requisite for admission.
It may be asked : Would not the modern press compensate for the
eventual disappearance of the oral tradition ? Publishing houses
today are able to produce in quantities never before imagined copies
of a Qur’anic text the proofs of which have passed the scrutiny of
experts and the reproduction of which is a purely mechanical process
involving no possible error. Moreover, the modern printed text is
clear and fully vocalized. Through vocalization and diacritical marks
 A MODERN PHONOGRAPHIC “COLLECTION” (JAM‘) 137

all of the ten accepted Readings can be accurately recorded and

preserved for posterity. One who travels in Muslim countries today
is already aware of the pervasive presence of the printed Qur’Ln,
a phenomenon which would scarcely have been imaginable generations
ago when copying was dependent on the services of human scribes.
Today most of the urban masses can afford inexpensive copies of
the Qur’Ln, which are sold in most public places.
Against these considerations a number of points may be raised.
I n the first place, there is the simple fact of illiteracy. I n a few gene-
rations perhaps the literacy rate will increase such as to make the
printed text a vital means of disseminating the Qur’i5.n among the
masses, but a t the present stage the printed copy is for most people
more a physical object t o be handled and possessed than a living
Word to be read and understood.
Second, the Muslim religious tradition has always viewed the
Qur’Ln as a Word orully delivered to the Prophet and transmitted
orally by him to the community and by the community in the same
manner from generation to generation. Although theology (kal6wb)
insisted upon the supramundane character of the Eternal Qur’Ln, it
can be said that the oral tradition of recitation is the proper mode
of the Qur’iin’s ‘presence’ in the created order as well as the proper
means of its transmission through created time. The written text
has a strictly secondary, derived status. To the extent that the Qur’Ln
can be identified with any mundane phenomenon a t all, it is surely
t o be identified with the words actually uttered by believers in reciting
the sacred Book and stored in their common memory. The very
term Qur’Bn (from para’a, ‘to recite’) suggests that this is so. It is
true of course that the Qur’Bn sometimes designates itself as “the
Book” and is frequently so called in the religious literature; and
there is evidence that the Prophet himself envisioned the compilation
of a written text in book form. However, one must not overlook the
fact that the Qur’ln was a Book orally delivered, not like the Decalogue
of Moses or the Book of Mormon given t o man in the form of a written
document. When a written text was filially compiled under the early
caliphs, it was clearly understood by all that the text was not intended
as a substitute for oral tradition. The early generations of Muslims
continued to regard a prodigious knowledge, by heart, of the Qur’Bn
as evidence of piety.
It should be emphasized that thc Qur’ln was rcvealed t o a com-
munity that displayed a strong predilection for oral tradition, and
that as a consequence this predilection became firmly embedded in
the Muslim religious consciousness. Oral tradition was not merely a
138 THE MUSLIM WORLD

temporary expedient whereby the preservation of the Qur’itn could

be insured until a scriptio plena (i.e., a script inclusive of diacritical
points, orthographic marks and vocalization signs) was developed, for
it remained in full force long after such a script had gained currency.
It is true of course that oral tradition is properly a feature of pre-
literate societies and begins to lose its cultural raison d’dtre as writing
comes into use. And it is also true that so long as a scriptio dcfectiva
was in use among Muslims the oral tradition of recitation retained
some of this raison d’dtre. However, in becoming embedded in the
Muslim religious consciousness, it received a new raison d’&re which
guaranteed its continuation after the attainment of full literacy.
Third, not only is oral tradition, in view of the Qur’itn’s nature,
the appropriate means for the transmission of the Qur’iin; it has
also been judged by traditional Muslim scholarship to be the most
reliable means of transmission. Scribes are few in number as compared
to the mass of believers. Oral tradition therefore provides a broader
basis of transmission than written texts. What is implanted in the
hearts of vast multitudes of believers is believed to have greater
staying power than what is penned by a relatively small class of
specialists. Distribution (tawcitur) has always figured in Muslim
thinking as an important requisite of reliable transmission. The modern
printed text lacks both the quality of distribution and what might
be called anchorage within human memory. While copies of the text
may be distributed on an almost unlimited scale, the orally recited
text itself will in all probability be the work of a relative few. Although
editions of the Qur’iin recently published in Egypt are accurate and
worthy of the widest possible distribution, other editions have
appeared in recent times which have contained definite errors. I n the
wrong hands, the modern printing press could conceivably be an
instrument of deliberate distortion. I n the absence of an oral tradition,
a faulty text distributed on a wide scale is bound to create confusion
and uncertainty among the masses.
Fourth, the traditional style of formal recitation (tajwid) which is
still regarded by most Muslims as an essential element in the public
reading of the Qur’itn and which in its moderate form (tartiE)is traced
by some back to the Prophet himself, can be perpetuated only through
oral tradition. There is in fact no other way to perpetuate it. Authori-
tative works on tajwzd do of course exist, but without a living teacher
and exemplar they are virtually useless. A few individuals in recent
times have advocated new styles more congruent with modern sensi-
bilities or with the meaning of the text itself. Why, they ask, must
we regard the traditional style as sacrosanct? There is no doubt
 A MODERN PHONOGRAPHIC “COLLECTION” (JAM) 139

considerable scope here for discussion among Muslims. However, it

cannot be denied that the traditional style has over the centuries
become a powerful conditioning factor in the religious life of Muslims.
The very sense of tradition is itself, it would appear, an essential
element in the religious experience of hearing the Qur’ln recited.
New styles of reading the Qur’iin aloud, no matter how laudable in
themselves, cannot have for the average Muslim of today the religious
force of the traditional intonations heard from early childhood and
believed to be age-old. An experimental attitude toward the forms
of worship is as yet. rare in the Muslim world. The disappearance of
the time-honored style of recitation would, a t this stage, in all
probability be more disruptive of religious life than conducive of
growth.
Fifth, oral tradition promises greater permeation of society by the
Qur’iin than the distribution of the written or printed text. Even the
literate classes will not be influenced as profoundly, one would think,
by a book occasionally read as by a living tradition internalized
through memorization. The illiterate will be virtually untouched by
a published text. The English phrase ‘to know by heart’ suggests
the quality of penetration which is characteristic of oral tradition.
The heart is the vital organ; what is treasured therein becomes part
of one’s inmost being and the determinant of one’s character. Oral
tradition fosters piety. Perhaps no more effective means of inculcating
truth, wisdom and morality has yet been known to man.
Is it possible to rehabilitate the oral tradition of Qur’anic recitation
in our time ? Or is oral tradition a relic of a pre-industrial age which
stands no chance of survival under the rapidly changing conditions
which constitute modernity? Can a legacy from a distant Arabian
past, after having persisted for centuries as a vital element in one
of mankind’s most brilliant civilizations, remain viable in the busy,
psychodelic world of the modern megapolis? In my understanding
Dr. Sa‘id’s answer to the latter question would be a confident yes.
The modern age, he believes, provides the very means whereby the
oral tradition may be kept alive. An official recording of the Qur’gn,
broadcast by radio and distributed throughout Muslim lands and
even beyond, can function as an omnipresent ‘teacher,’ carrying on,
on a scale never before imagined, the work of the traditional kuttzb
(Qur’iin-school). The cost of the set of records, or tapes, can eventually
be reduced so as to make it possible for vast numbers of people to
have their own set. I n this way the new ‘teacher’ will enter countless
homes and, unlike the professional teacher of times past, will be
available at any time an individual wishes to be taught. Furthermore,
140 THE MUSLIM WORLD

the records will provide a model of a simple but euphonious style

of recitation which will be within the capability of the average indi-
vidual and will facilitate the memorization process.
It would undoubtedly be unrealistic to anticipate, with the dis-
tribution of the al-Mu&af al-Murattal records or tapes, the emergence
of a whole new generation of huff@ sufficiently numerous to restore
the full momentum of the oral tradition of recitation of the entire
Qur’iin. I n all probability very few intellectuals in generations to
come will see the need for an undertaking so arduous as the memori-
zation of the Qur’ln in its entirety. Many may even consider this a
waste of time. However, it may not be unrealistic t o envision large
numbers of people using an official recording in their homes and
elsewhere and thus keeping their ears and hearts tuned to the tradi-
tional cadences of the Word Read, internalizing much of it - especially
their favorite passages -through memorization. The result may not
be, in the view of some, quite an oral tradition, a t least in the usual
sense; but, then, what we choose to call it is not a n issue of any
importance. The point is that we may envision, a t least as a possibility,
the continuation for some time to Come, through an official recording
of the Qur’ln, of a tradition of an orally received, memorized and
transmitted Word. Even if much of the Qur’an becomes stored away
in printed texts or phonographic records and tapes alone, much of
it will conceivably continue to be stored in the hearts of men.

The American University in Cairo WEISS

BERNARD