Reddit reply in r/AcademicQuran: how and when was the practice of singing quran — October 19, 2024 | Ali Shukri Amin

How and when was the practice of singing Qur'an verses established?

1. How was this established? Does it go back to the origins of the Qur'an or is it a later invention?

Reciters of the Qur'an believe that the rules of recitation are mandated. The Qur'ān itself advises reciters to,

أَوْ زِدْ عَلَيْهِ وَرَتِّلِ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ تَرْتِيلًا

Or add to it, and recite the Qur’ān with measured recitation.

[Al-Muzzammil 73:4]

That being said, I think it's important to distinguish between recitation itself, the variant readings, and the beautification of recitation. Recitation is called qira'ah (reading). The different ways the Qur'an is recited substantively is called Qira'at. The musical beautification of the Qur'an is called ghinā.

At least as early as the compilation of hadith, Muslims believed that recitation should be beautified. We know that because of narrations of the Prophet commanding beautification, admiring it, and doing it himself. We also know that pre-Islamic poetry was also recited with melodies.

2. Was there any kind of musical notation or is it all just passed down orally? It seems quite complicated so I'm curious about the logistics of it all.

The rules of reciting and the variant readings are compiled in books starting about 150 years after the death of the Prophet. I don't know when the rules of Arab singing (maqāmat) were first written down or when reciters first began attempting to have aspects of the Quran reflect the maqamat.

3. Is this practice standard across the Islamic world or does it vary by sect / area / historical period?

Recitation and variant readings are highly standardized. Over 90% of Muslims adhere to one single variant reading (Hafs) that is recited in a very specific way. However, beautification is not standardized.

The way Noreen Sadiq beaytifies his recitation is very different that Mahmud Khalil al-Hussary, despite them being geographically close (Egypt & Sudan). Al-Sudais and Mishary are very different than Indo-Pakistani reciters. Even individual reciters have different styles or speeds of recitation (look at Abd al-Basit mujawwad versus Abd al-Basit hadr/fast).

So long as the rigid rules of recitation are followed, reciters have taken a lot of leeway as to how exactly they sing it.

However, some scholars did criticize reciters that transgressed the rules of recitation to fsvor melody. Al-Nawawi discusses this in his "Etiquettes of a Quranic Bearer", a classical work.

4. Was this practice established as a mnemonic device before the Qur'an was written down, or just for Muslims to memorise the text?

The Quran itself has a complex internal rhyme structure and rhythm. The historical beginning of the emphasis on rote memorization of the entire text is debatable. However, it's clear from early on Muslims were expected to dedicate at least SOME Quran to memory. Having it rhyme and euphonious could have only helped.