The Connected and Disconnected Lengthening (Madd) According to the Two Imams Ibn Kathir al-Makki (d. 120 AH) and Abu Amr al-Basri (d. 154 AH): Surah al-Ma'arij as a Model

Abstract

All praise is due to Allah, Who taught us what we did not know, the Revealer of the Book and the Teacher of knowledge and literature. Peace and blessings be upon the noblest of creation and the Messengers, our master Muhammad, and upon his family and his pure and righteous companions, and upon all who follow his call and are guided by his guidance until the Day of Judgment.

To proceed...

The science of Quranic readings is a branch of the Quranic sciences. The noblest and most exalted of sciences is that which is connected to the Book of Allah (Exalted is He). Among the most important of the Quranic sciences is the science of Quranic readings, as its narrations continue to be transmitted orally with unbroken chains of transmission. This is one of the clearest proofs of Allah's preservation of His Book. Allah (Exalted is He) has chosen those whom He has favored with the preservation of the Holy Quran and knowledge of its readings.

It teaches how to pronounce the words of God Almighty, as well as the methods of reciting them. These readings are divinely revealed and vary in their methods and chains of transmission. The Muslim community has unanimously agreed on the multiplicity of these readings, considering the mutawatir (widely transmitted) readings to be divine revelation. The differences in these readings stem from their transmission from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), as the readings were based on oral transmission.

The Quran was revealed in seven modes of recitation, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Gabriel recited it to me in one mode, so I asked him to recite it again, and he kept adding to it until it reached seven modes.” Among the seven letters is the multiplicity of readings which God Almighty made easy and facilitated for the nation, due to the differences in their languages ​​and dialects. God Almighty said: {And We have certainly made the Qur’an easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember?}