Quran Expert Explains Iranians’ Interest in Egyptian Recitation Style
Mehdi Daghagheleh, an author, veteran Quran instructor, and international Quran competition judge, presented his findings in a paper titled “Foundations and Components of Innovation in the Recitation of Iranian Qaris” at the 20th specialized session for distinguished Quran masters and reciters.
Defining Ibda
He began by defining the term ‘innovation’ (Ibda). He referenced a pre-Islamic poet who claimed all poetic innovation had been exhausted.
“Yet, in the roughly 1,600 years since that claim, millions of verses of poetry have been added to our literary treasury,” Daghagheleh stated. “In the world of art, which includes Quranic recitation, there are no limits. The potential for novelty is as vast as the number of human bodies.”
He described the flow of innovation and creativity as inherently continuous, though sometimes slowed by societal conditions.
Philosophical and Quranic Roots
The expert noted that the root of the word ‘Ibda’ appears four times in the Quran. “In two instances, the context is positive. In the other two, the derived meaning is negative and contrary to its original sense,” he explained.
He equated Ibda with creativity and novelty. “From the viewpoint of philosophers and commentators, innovation in the Quran is not the result of a prior wish, but rather the outcome of a necessity,” Daghagheleh said. He cited the classical scholar Fakhr al-Razi, who defined divine innovation as “creation without pre-existing matter, in a placeless and timeless situation.”
While Ibda is a divine attribute, Daghagheleh clarified that God has also entrusted a form of it to humans. “A key difference is that divine innovation requires no background, whereas human innovation certainly relies on past experiences and occurs through trial and error,” he said.
Why Iranian Reciters Prefer the Egyptian Style
Daghagheleh then identified three primary reasons for the strong preference among Iranian reciters for the Egyptian style:
1- Historical Musical Ties: “The most important reason is the historical link between Iranian and Egyptian music,” he said. “This has led most Iranian reciters to favor the Egyptian style over the Iraqi or Levantine schools, despite geographical proximity.”
2- Systematic Methodology: “The Egyptian style is systematic, yet complex. This allows reciters to approach it from different angles, which is a main reason for the diversity in emulating it,” Daghagheleh noted. He added that its structured nature makes it easier to imitate.
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3- Early Acoustic Familiarity: “Our acoustic taste in recitation has been nurtured since childhood based on the Egyptian style,” he said. The tenderness and the sorrow inherent in Egyptian music also align with Iranian sensibilities.
Challenges to Innovation
Despite this affinity, Daghagheleh highlighted significant hurdles to achieving genuine innovation.
He warned that excessive insistence on blending different Egyptian styles to create a new one might backfire. “It could lead to the Iranian audience failing to connect with these innovations in recitation,” he cautioned.
He also pointed to a “severe decline” in the qualitative musical taste of the Iranian public in recent decades. “The Iranian audience must cultivate musical asceticism,” Daghagheleh emphasized. “If we attempt innovation based on the imitation of various recitation styles without properly trained musical taste, the result may not be favorable.”
Furthermore, differences in how Iranian and Arab audiences understand specific Quranic verses can limit an Iranian reciter’s scope, especially in international settings, he stated.
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He shared a personal anecdote: “I once recited verses describing hell in a sorrowful tone in the presence of renowned Egyptian reciters. Some of them admonished me, stating that since the verses describe the people of hell who are the object of divine wrath, a dry and harsh tone should be used for their punishment, not a tone of pity.”
He also said that the strict rules of Tajweed themselves create natural boundaries for innovation.
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