The Art Of Reciting The Qur An

For the Muslim faithful, the familiar sound of the Qurʾanic recitation is the predominant and most immediate means of contact with the Word of God. Heard day and night, on the street, in taxis, in shops, in mosques, and in homes, the sound of recitation is far more than the pervasive background music of daily life in the Arab world. It is the core of religious devotion, the sanctioning spirit of much cultural and social life, and a valued art form in its own right. Participation in recitation, as reciter or listener, is itself an act of worship, for the sound is basic to a Muslim’s sense of religion and invokes a set of meanings transcending the particular occasion. For the most part, Westerners have approached the Qurʾan much as scriptural scholars have studied the Bible, as a collection of written texts. The Art of Reciting the Qurʾan aims at redirecting that focus toward a deeper understanding of the Qurʾan as a fundamentally oral phenomenon. By examining Muslim attitudes toward the Qurʾan, the institutions that regulate its recitation, and performer-audience expectations and interaction, Kristina Nelson, a trained Arabist and musicologist, casts new light on the significance of Qurʾanic recitation within the world of Islam. Her landmark work is of importance to all scholars and students of the modern Middle East, as well as ethnomusicologists, anthropologists, linguists, folklorists, and religious scholars.

For the Muslim faithful, the familiar sound of the Qur'anic recitation is the predominant and most immediate means of contact with the Word of God. Heard day and night, on the street, in taxis, in shops, in mosques, and in homes, the sound of recitation is far more than the pervasive background music of daily life in the Arab world. It is the core of religious devotion, the sanctioning spirit of much cultural and social life, and a valued art form in its own right. Participation in recitation, as reciter or listener, is itself an act of worship, for the sound is basic to a Muslim's sense of religion and invokes a set of meanings transcending the particular occasion. For the most part, Westerners have approached the Qur'an much as scriptural scholars have studied the Bible, as a collection of written texts. The Art of Reciting the Qur'an aims at redirecting that focus toward a deeper understanding of the Qur'an as a fundamentally oral phenomenon. Focusing on the Egyptian context, and examining Muslim attitudes toward the Qur'an, the institutions that regulate its recitation, and performer-audience expectations and interaction. Kristina Nelson, a trained Arabist and musicologist, casts new light on the significance of Qur'anic recitation within the world of Islam today. This new edition of a landmark study, with a new postscript, will be welcomed by all scholars and students of the modern Middle East, as well as by ethnomusicologists, anthropologists, linguists, folklorists, and religious scholars. ''This is an important book--a book of cultural translation in the best sense of the word: it translates meaning.'' --Regula Burckhardt Qureshi, Ethnomusicology ''Quite simply, the book changes the way one understands the Qur'an, and it changes the way one listens.'' --Philip D. Schuyler, MESA Bulletin

The last decade has seen widespread Islamic religious revitalization in Southeast Asia, a region with a Muslim population almost as large as that of the entire Arabic-speaking Middle East. One such movement in 1990s Indonesia promoted engagement with the Qurân through memorization, reading, skilled performance, and popular competitions in recitation. This movement drew on longstanding structures of Islamic education and piety, social interests, Southeast Asian patterns of performance and aesthetics, and unique features of the Qurân itself. Based on fieldwork in South Sulawesi and elsewhere in Indonesia, Perfection Makes Practice vividly portrays Indonesian Muslims' committed practice of perfecting their own (and others') Qurânic piety.

"First published in the United Kingdom by C. Hurst & Co. (Publishers) Ltd., 2010"--T.p. verso.

"Rasmussen has written a classic study of the world of Islamic soundscapes, performances and forms of musical piety in that most complex of societies, Indonesia. With great sensitivity, an alert musical response to players, reciters and audiences, a keen practitioner's ear and eye for subtlety as well as for the complexities of 'noise', she changes common assumptions about Muslim music and, not least, gender in changing Islamic ritual cultures. Her own political awareness and her professional as well as personal relations with women Qu'ran reciters contribute to an exciting an original volume that I recommend to any one exploring the riches of Islamic performances and debates in the contemporary world."—Michael Gilsenan, author of Lords of the Lebanese Marches: Violence and Narrative in an Arab Society

Published on the occasion of the exhibition The Art of the Qur'an: Treasures from the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, Istanbul, held at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington, D.C., October 15, 2016-February 20, 2017.

Mecca is, for many, the heart of Islam. It is the birthplace of Muhammad, the direction to which Muslims turn when they pray, and the site of pilgrimage that annually draws some three million Muslims from all corners of the world. Yet the significance of Mecca is more than purely religious. What happens in Mecca and how Muslims think about the political and cultural history of Mecca has had and continues to have a profound influence on world events to this day. In this insighful book, Ziauddin Sardar unravels the meaning and significance of Mecca. Tracing its history, from its origins as a "barren valley?? in the desert to its evolution as a trading town and sudden emergence as the religious center of a world empire, Sardar examines the religious struggles and rebellions in Mecca that have significantly shaped Muslim culture. An illuminative, lyrical, and witty blend of history, reportage, and memoir, Mecca reflects all that is profound and enlightening, curious and amusing about Mecca and takes us behind the closed doors to one of the most important places in the world today.