Salam

Yes I heard the 8 examples, I knew the type of their readings from their names. Those are the most famous readers in the recent years.
I live in Saudi Arabia and I go to different mosques for the daily prayers. Each Imam has different way of readings, although, there are a lot of rules of how to read, for example, where to stop, when to stress on some letters, when to make the word long. If any reading matches these criteria it will be fine.

There is no official sanctions, I don't know much about the history of readings, so I can't answer you which readings were there at the time of the prophet.

I don't know much about Shia, but I think the reading will have different melody since Shia regions (Iran and Iraq for example) had different Imams and teachers.

Salam

wordy,

Thanks for the website, my favorite reader is Abdul Baset Abdul Samad (Egyptian) and Abdul Rahman Al Sudais (The holy mosque in makkah's Imam).

Here's the link from youtube for Al Sudais reading.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Xr7VBq...elated&search=

:notworthy:

chieftain

I don't know how it works in Islam, but in Judaism there are a set of standard signs that are attached to each word in the Torah to describe how the phrase should be chanted. However, each community has a different way of chanting the sign - so even though the names for the tunes are the same, the result is quite different.

These days, in the west, when congregations are often composed of people whose ancestors came from different communities, it's not uncommon to hear different tunes each week. Plus there are special tunes for the New Year services (Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur).

Salam

Yes same thing in the Quran, there are attached signs, these signs were added later to make it easier for readers.

Once, I heard an Arab-Jewish reader reading the Torah in Hebrew, and the way of reading and melody was so close to reading the Quran.

wordy

Thanks, now I get it better. Yes I can understand why you like him reading.

Maybe Call to Prayer allow very individual expression of the melodies. While reading a verse is more formalized?

We have something similar in Poetry. Are not readings of Rumi kind of rather similar in that how one read is part of the respect for the text?

I know nothing about Rumi but seems very religious poetry to me. I don't know a word of Arabic nor of Persian nor of Turkish language but when I hear a person like Aşık Veysel singing "Uzun İnce Bir Yoldayım, I recognize it to be a religious song. Him most likely being an Alavit?

Would that be to go too far into music as performance and thus not giving Allah all the credit? asics maybe point to their own experience in ways that a Salafi would see as too individualistic? Just me trying to understand.

I heard Uzun İnce Bir Yoldayım, Aşık Veysel around 1965 or so and have always seen such ways of singing to be close to Blues. You take something very universal and make an individual interpretations and express that one as a unique performance. Both Allah and the individual doing the interpretation gets the cred. Like Jimmie Hendrix or all the other heroes of inidividual interpretations.

If you want to hear it just ask google Uzun İnce Bir Yoldayım, Aşık Veysel and there are many links to try out. I've been warned to not link to copyrighet material so I try to avoid doing that.

wordy

I asked youtube about such music and found one Cengiz Özkan who seems to sing in same style as Asic Veysel did. Could Cengiz Özkan songs be seen as religious songs? Sounds like that to my non-trained ear.

Youtube could be copyrighted material and iidb seems to have a policy on such.

Salam

Yes I know Ozkan but not Asic, best Turkish singer for me. Well, some of his songs are religious, but not approved by the strict schools, since music instruments are included, other schools approves it.

A song called Hasbi Rabbi by Sami Yusuf may interest you.

Sorry I didn't know that. Thanks for the heads up wordy.

wordy

I can understand why you like and recommend him. Maybe too modern for me.

He had many of his songs on youtube so if people get interested just ask their search. Wiki had a text on him and link to his homepage.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sami_Yusuf

His father is a musician and composer too so he grew up with music and learned to play several instruments. Some of the more strict muslims say he is too much close to pop music but that is kind of expected of them I guess. He has explained his views and I don't doubt his religious seriousness. The song he mad pay honor to Muhammad seems very moving.

To me as an atheist is a mixed feeling listening to Muslim or Christian or Hindu religious music.

I share the religious feeling but not the words. Me not sure why so few atheists don't care for the music or the religious feelings they express?

Well not all the believers care much either so it could be very individual preferences.

To another well known Muslim and musician. Yusuf Islam AKA Cat Stevens.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yusuf_Islam

His brother made a documentary on him. He takes his faith very seriously too. It took many many years for him to allow himself to use his guitar to play and sing songs again. I guess it was some humanitarian help that he wanted to participate in and him singing could help them get money. Without that maybe he would not allow himself to sing. He needed that cause as a motivation. Show how problematic Muslim attitude to music can be.

I didn't knew he has a Swedish Mother and lived with her for a short time in Sweden.