

“And We have indeed made the Quran easy to understand and remember; then is there anyone who will remember (or receive admonition)?”
[Quran al-Qamar 54:17]
Elocution is the study of formal speaking in pronunciation grammar, style and tone. Tajweed is the elocution of the Quran and the word is used to refer to the rules and laws that govern the pronunciation of the words during the recitation of the Quran. Learning the rules of tajweed and Quran reading with tajweed rules intact is very important for each and every Muslim. Tajweed is what will lead a reciter of the Quran towards the correct pronunciations of the letters and the avoidance of errors. It is often the case before the reading of the Quran that a person would go over the basics of the Arabic language and some basic rules of tajweed that include how each alphabet of the Arabic language is supposed to be read and what sound it makes along with the learning the use and rules of the punctuations. With all that said, there is debate among the scholars of Islam regarding whether learning tajweed is obligatory for Muslims or not. Listening to the Quran being recited in a beautiful tone and correct manner can soften even the hardest of hearts and even non-Muslims find it a very spiritually deep and moving experience regardless of the fact that often they do not even know what is being said.
Quran reading with tajweed rules is important none the less and one should always make an effort to learn the tajweed so that he or she may be able to recite the Quran the way the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and his companions recited it. One thing to note however is, it is not permissible for anyone to deliberately change the pronunciation of any letter of the Quran if he or she are able to pronounce it correctly for this will be a sin. However for those people who especially are not Arabs and Arabic is not their natural language;they need to try their hardest to learn the correct pronunciation of the words and letters of the Quran. The Quran was revealed with the rules and laws of Tajweed in place, meaning that when the Angel Gabriel (AS) recited the verses of the holy Quran to Prophet Muhammad (SAW), he recited them in a unique way that signified to the Prophet that what was the right way to recite the Quran. As mentioned above that even though scholars have differing opinions regarding tajweed being compulsory, it is always a good idea to learn the rules of reciting the Quran nonetheless. During the time of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), the need to learn tajweed was not present, because the language of the Quran was natural to them. When other people of differing nationalities begin to enter Islam, it was only then that the requirement of a set of rules that govern how the Quran is to be recited which would later go on to become the laws of tajweed were first developed.