Before reciting the verses, the qari must be familiar with their revelation status and word-for-word meaning, and be able to convey the meanings of the verses to the audience by choosing the appropriate melody, Mohammad Javad Kashefi told IQNA in an interview.

He said the semantics and conveying the meanings of the verses to the listener are the main pillars of Quran recitation.

The purpose of Quran recitation is to convey its meanings to the listener, and observing the techniques and technical principles of recitation should also be considered in this regard.

Emphasizing the importance of understanding the meanings of the verses before reciting, Kashefi added, “Before performing the piece he intends to recite, the qari must be familiar with the Sha’an Nuzul (the particular circumstances, context or events in which or in response to which, particular verses of the Quran were revealed to the Prophet) and the meaning of the verses, and even their word-for-word meaning, so that the concepts of the verses are completely clear to him and he has lived with them, and then he can convey these concepts to the listener using the appropriate melody for the verses. In my opinion, this is the most important principle and at the same time one of the most interesting and technical topics in the field of recitation, and the qari must know his position in conveying the message of the Quran.”

Asked about the role of the reciter’s mental and emotional preparation in performing the recitation optimally in different circumstances, even when he is not fully prepared, he said the reciter must know what the purpose of the recitation is, how important the work he is doing is, and what his position in this path is. “If he can come to terms with the fact that his duty is to convey the verses of the Quran, he will have a different view of recitation.”

Referring to the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution’s emphasis on the role of conveying the message of the Quran, Kashefi said, “He had said that ‘you are the messengers of the verses’ and the work of the reciters is a prophetic job, because they must convey the verses of the Quran to the people, therefore, conveying the concepts of the Quran has a very important position, and the reciter can perform this task in the best way by using the tools and techniques of Sawt and Lahn (voice and tone).”

Pointing out that sometimes the qari’s voice may not be in the desired conditions and not fully prepared, he clarified that in such circumstances, the qari should be able to make the best use of the available capacity by choosing the appropriate vocal pitch and choosing verses that suit the condition of his voice and provide a higher quality recitation.

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Emphasizing the importance of recognizing vocal capacities and using them correctly in reciting the Quran, he said familiarity with voice formation and the concept of voice, as well as recognizing different degrees of voice and various notes, are essential topics for reciters.

Scientific topics related to voice and vocal techniques have become more specialized than in the past, and the reciter must be familiar with these topics in order to be able to properly utilize existing techniques and provide desirable recitation in different conditions and situations, he concluded.

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