The Warsh recitation or riwāyat Warsh ʿan Nāfiʿ' ( ar, رواية ورش عن نافع) is a qiraʿah of the

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , s ...

in Islam.

Presentation

This '' qirāʾah'' or recitation of the

(literally "reading") is conducted according to the rules of

tajwid In the context of the recitation of the Quran, ''tajwīd'' ( ar, تجويد ', , ' elocution') is a set of rules for the correct pronunciation of the letters with all their qualities and applying the various traditional methods of recitation (' ...

, in accordance with the

ahruf According to Islamic tradition, the Quran was revealed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad by the angel Gabriel (''Jibril '') in seven ''ahruf'' ( ar, أَحْرُف, translit=aḥruf, sing. ''ḥarf''), translated variously as "editions", "styles ...

. This method is attributed to

Warsh Abu Sa'id Uthman Ibn Sa‘id al-Qutbi, better known as Warsh (110-197AH), was a significant figure in the history of Quranic recitation (''qira'at''), the canonical methods of reciting the Qur'an. Alongside Qalun, he was one of the two primary ...

, who himself obtained it from his teacher

Nafiʽ al-Madani Abu Ruwaym Ibn Abd ar-Rahman Ibn Abi Naim al-Laythi ()(70-169AH), better known as Nafi al-Madani, was one of the transmitters of the seven canonical Qira'at, or methods of reciting the Qur'an. Outside of Egypt, his method of Qur'an recitation is t ...

, who was one of the

seven readers The Seven readers ( ar, القراء السبعة) are seven Qāriʾs who mastered the Qira'at and historically transmitted the Quran recitations in an approved and confirmed manner. Presentation The ''seven readers'' are the most famous Qāriʾs ...

who transmitted the Ten Readings. The recitation of Warsh is one of the two major traditions of qirāʾāt.

History

This recitation relates to Imam

(110-197 AH), whose real name is ''Uthman Ibn Sa‘id al-Qutbi'' and was born in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

. His nickname ''Warsh'' ( ar, وَرْش), a milk substance, came from his teacher

due to his fair complexion. He studied his recitation according to ''Naafiʽ'' in

Medina Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the second-holiest city in Islam, and the capital of the ...

. After completing his studies, he returned to Egypt where he became the senior

Qāriʾ A Qari (, ar, قَارِئ, plural ''qāriʾūn'', ''qurrāʾ'' or ''qaraʾah'') is a person who recites the Quran with the proper rules of recitation (''tajwid''). Although it is encouraged, a qāriʾ does not necessarily have to Hafiz (Qura ...

of the

. In the tenth century, the Muslim scholar

Abu Bakr Ibn Mujāhid Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Musa ibn al-Abbas ibn Mujahid al-Atashi (, 859/860 – 936) was an Islamic scholar most notable for establishing and delineating the seven canonical Quranic readings (''qira'at'') in his work ''Kitāb al-sabʿa fī l-qirāʾā ...

canonized the seven readings of the Quran, including ''Warsh ʽan Naafiʽ''. Although having emerged in Egypt, the recitation of ''Warsh ʽan Naafiʽ'' has become widespread in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

. In medieval times, it was the main Quranic recitation in

Al-Andalus Al-Andalus translit. ; an, al-Andalus; ast, al-Ándalus; eu, al-Andalus; ber, ⴰⵏⴷⴰⵍⵓⵙ, label= Berber, translit=Andalus; ca, al-Àndalus; gl, al-Andalus; oc, Al Andalús; pt, al-Ândalus; es, al-Ándalus () was the M ...

. The transmission of ''Warsh ʽan Naafiʽ'' represents the reciting tradition of Medina. It is, alongside the tradition which represents the recitation tradition of

Kufa Kufa ( ar, الْكُوفَة ), also spelled Kufah, is a city in Iraq, about south of Baghdad, and northeast of Najaf. It is located on the banks of the Euphrates River. The estimated population in 2003 was 110,000. Currently, Kufa and Najaf a ...

, one of the two main oral transmissions of the Quran in the

Muslim world The terms Muslim world and Islamic world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is practiced. I ...

Gallery

Warsh recitation with Maghrebi script

File:خاتمة مصحف المطبعة الثعالبية.jpg, End of the Thaalibia Quran.

Warsh recitation with Kufic script

References

{{Quranic qira'ates