Quran Recitation: Culture and Personal Growth

( traffic blaring, music playing in distance ) ( cars honking ) ( children reciting Koran in Arabic ) ( recitation continues ) ( man reciting Koran over P.A. ) ( Nabiollah reciting in Arabic ) ( clears throat ) ( recitation continues ) ( Kori Mohamed speaks Tajik ) ( reciting in Arabic ) ( reciting ) ( speaking Tajik ) ( Rifdha reciting ) ( recitation continues ) Man: OKAY, CAMERA'S ROLLING. OKAY. "WHEN I GOT THE CHANCE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE COMPETITION, I FELT GLAD BECAUSE I WAS SELECTED FROM SEVERAL COLLEAGUES OF MINE, INCLUDING ME. I WAS LOOKING FORWARD FOR THE TRIP. BUT AS THE DAY OF LEAVE TO EGYPT CAME CLOSER, I FELT KIND OF NERVOUS. I HAD NO IDEA WHOM I HAD TO COMPETE WITH. IT SEEMED TO ME THAT I HAD BUTTERFLIES IN MY STOMACH." ( wind howling ) ( man reciting over P.A., breaking up ) ( Imam Djieng reciting ) ( Djamil continues passage ) ( speaking Wolof ) ( speaking Wolof ) ( speaks ) Man: ALLAHU AKBAR. ALLAHU AKBAR. ( Abdugaffor speaking Tajik ) ( prays in Arabic ) ( speaks Dhivehi ) Rifdha: I LEFT MALE ON THE 25th OF AUGUST. ( reciting ) I PRACTICED TILL THE LAST MINUTE. MY MOM WAS MY BEST SUPPORTER. SHE GAVE ME CONFIDENCE. ( giggling ) Rifdha: MY DAD OFTEN QUESTIONED ME AND CHECKED IF I HAD MEMORIZED WELL, BUT I MISSED MY MOM SO MUCH. I MISSED MY FAMILY AND THE FOOD BACK AT HOME. ( horns honking ) ( Dr. Salem Abdel-Galil speaking Arabic ) - ( cell phone playing tune )

( chatting ) ( reciting ) ( man reciting over P.A. ) ( speaks ) ( Dr. Abdel-Galil reciting ) ( all speak ) ( Dr. Abdel-Galil reciting ) ( Dr. Abdel-Galil speaking Arabic ) ALLAHU AKBAR. ( Nabiollah speaking Tajik ) ( Rifdha speaking English ) ( Dr. Abdel-Galil speaking Arabic ) ( cell phone chiming ) ( chattering ) ( Dr. Abdel-Galil speaking Arabic ) ( Dr. Abdel-Galil speaking Arabic ) ( man on computer speaking Arabic ) ( man #2 reciting ) ( man on computer speaking Arabic ) ( man #2 reciting ) ( continues passage ) I WAS JUST GRABBED BY THE SOUND. I WAS A MUSIC STUDENT. I CAME TO CAIRO TO LEARN ARABIC ORIGINALLY AND HEARD THIS AND WANTED TO FIND OUT HOW IT WORKED. BUT NOBODY BEFORE HAD PUT THE MELODY OR THE ARTISTRY OF IT TOGETHER. ( recitation continues ) Nelson: MUSLIMS BELIEVE THAT THE KORAN IS THE WORD OF GOD AND THAT IT'S ACTUALLY THE THIRD MESSAGE. THE FIRST MESSAGE WAS GIVEN TO THE JEWS, THE CHRISTIANS, AND THEN THE MUSLIMS GOT THE FINAL CUT. SO WHEN YOU RECITE THE KORAN OR WHEN YOU HEAR THE KORAN, YOU'RE EXPERIENCING THE MOMENT OF REVELATION. YOU'RE NOT JUST HEARING A RELIGIOUS TEXT. THE WRITTEN TEXT OF THE KORAN IS AROUND 600 PAGES LONG. IT HAS 114 CHAPTERS FROM THREE VERSES LONG TO 286 VERSES. IT'S A VERY VERY SUBSTANTIAL TEXT TO MEMORIZE. ( recitation ends ) Nelson: IN ADDITION TO MEMORIZING THE WORDS, THE OTHER THING THESE KIDS ARE BEING JUDGED ON IS TAJWEED. THESE VERY SPECIFIC RULES COVER RHYTHM, PRONUNCIATION OF DIFFERENT SYLLABLES, WHETHER YOUR VOICE COMES FROM YOUR CHEST OR FROM YOUR THROAT. THESE ARE CALLED THE RULES OF TAJWEED. ( man #2 reciting ) ( speaking Arabic ) ( reciting ) Nelson: "KORAN" MEANS "A RECITING" AND IT REFLECTS THE VERY FIRST REVELATION THAT WAS GIVEN TO THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD-- RECITE, RECITE IN THE NAME OF THY LORD WHO HAS CREATED YOU. MUHAMMAD THE PROPHET HEARD THE TEXT FROM THE ANGEL GABRIEL AND THEN HE RECITED TO HIS COMPANIONS AND FOLLOWERS. AFTER HE DIED, THEY WROTE THE TEXT DOWN, BUT THEY WANTED TO BE SURE THAT THE SOUND WAS PRESERVED, SO THEY CODIFIED THE RULES OF TAJWEED. AND WHEN COPIES OF THE KORAN WERE SENT OUT, THEY SENT ALONG A RECITER SO THAT PEOPLE COULD HEAR THE SOUND FROM THE BEGINNING. ( reciting ) Nelson: SO THE RECITERS LEARN THESE VERY FINITE RULES. AND THEN THE MELODY HAS TO BE COMPLETELY IMPROVISED. I MEAN IT COMES INSPIRED BY THE MOMENT. ( reciting ) ( Nabiollah speaking Tajik ) ( man over computer speaking Arabic ) ( man #2 reciting ) ( Nabiollah speaking Tajik ) ( reciting ) ( Nabiollah speaking Tajik ) ( Nabiollah speaking Tajik ) ( recitation continues ) Nelson: HE DID REALLY WELL. HIS MEMORIZATION IS 100%. HE'S TOTALLY RELAXED. IT'S SELFLESS SOMEHOW. IT'S ALMOST TRANCELIKE. IT'S-- YOU CAN HEAR IT'S VERY EUPHONIC. THERE'S A LOT OF INTERNAL RHYME AND END RHYME AND THE RHYTHM IS NOT PREDICTABLE. AND IT'S BEAUTIFUL. IT'S UNUSUALLY BEAUTIFUL FOR A KID THAT AGE. ( recitation continues ) Man: WHO IS THIS MAN? Nelson: THIS IS JUDGE IBRAHIM SHA'AYSHA. HE'S THE PRESIDENT OF THE RECITERS' UNION. HE'S VERY WELL-KNOWN AND RESPECTED. ( recitation ends ) ( men chatting ) - ( Sha'aysha speaking Arabic )
( man speaking ) ( men speaking Arabic ) ( men chatting ) ( Sha'aysha speaks Arabic ) ( speaks English ) HE MEMORIZE... ( speaking Arabic ) ( recites ) ( continues passage ) ( Nabiollah speaking Tajik ) ( man speaking Arabic ) ( continues reciting ) ( Sha'aysha speaking Arabic ) ( man speaks Arabic ) - ( Sha'aysha speaks )
( man speaks ) ( continues reciting, clears throat ) ( man speaks ) ( man #2 speaks ) ( speaking Tajik ) ( speaks Arabic ) ( chatting ) ( speaking Arabic ) ( Kori Mohamed speaking Tajik ) Man: SO YOU'VE BEEN TRAINING HIM AND WORKING WITH HIM, BUT NOW HE CAN'T COME BACK HERE. SO HE CANNOT CONTINUE HIS STUDIES HERE AT THE MOMENT? ( speaking Tajik ) ( speaking Tajik ) ( speaking Tajik ) ( Kosimov speaking Tajik ) MM-HMM. ( speaking Tajik ) ( Kosimov speaking ) ( Kosimov speaking Tajik ) ( man speaks ) ( Abdugaffor speaking Tajik ) ( people chattering ) Mehdi: GOD ORDERED US TO FAST. IT SAYS IN THE KORAN THAT YOU SHOULD FAST FROM DAWN TILL SUNSET. AND IN A FEW MINUTES NOW WE'LL BREAK OUR FAST. WE USUALLY BREAK IT ON WATER OR MILK AND DATES. AND WE'LL START EATING NORMAL. I GAVE HIM A CHOICE OF WHETHER HE WANTED TO FAST OR NOT. HE SAYS, "I WANT TO TRY IT AND FAST." I TOLD HIM, "IF YOU FEEL HUNGRY OR THIRSTY, LET ME KNOW AND THEN WE'LL..." Man: IS THIS THE FIRST YEAR? FIRST TIME? - Mehdi: NO, IT'S HIS SECOND YEAR NOW.
Man: HOW IS IT? - IT'S GOOD.
Mehdi: DO YOU FIND IT HARD? A LITTLE BIT. ( reciting ) ( recitation continues over P.A. ) ( man reciting over P.A. ) ( music playing ) ( speaking Arabic ) ( speaking Dhivehi ) ( speaking Arabic ) ( speaking Dhivehi ) ( reciting ) ( speaking Arabic ) ( Dr. Abdel-Galil speaking Arabic ) I JUST WANT TO GO UP AND GET DONE WITH THIS. HOPEFULLY I'LL GET A GOOD MARK. THERE'S A LOT OF TENSION AND STRESS. ( man on computer speaking Arabic ) - ( man #2 reciting )
Naaman: SOME OF THE PARTS OF THE KORAN, THEY JUST STAY. AND SOME-- IT'S HARD. YOU HAVE TO THINK AND REMEMBER YOUR MISTAKES AND WHAT YOU'D DONE WRONG LAST TIME. BUT SOME, IT JUST COMES TO YOU AND YOU RECITE. YOU DON'T HAVE TO THINK. AND THEN THEY SAY THAT A CHILD WHO LEARNS THE KORAN-- USUALLY HIS MIND IS FASTER THAN A CHILD THAT DOESN'T. AND THEN SO IN SCHOOL, EVEN IN THE ACADEMIC, HE CAN DO BETTER. ( reciting ) ( correcting verse ) ( recitation continues ) 26-- THAT'S NOT GOOD, RIGHT? ( reciting ) ( reciting ) ( taps mike, correcting verse ) ( recitation continues, stops ) Mehdi: WE'RE NOT HERE TO WIN. I ALWAYS TELL HIM THAT. EVERYWHERE WE COMPETE, I ALWAYS TELL HIM WE'RE NOT HERE TO WIN. YOU'RE HERE JUST TO SEE YOUR LEVEL AND TO CHALLENGE YOURSELF AND TO SEE HOW GOOD YOU ARE. WINNING-- WE'LL NEVER COMPETE AGAINST MUSLIMS, YOU KNOW? Mohamed: IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT ACTUALLY, . RIFDHA WAS SLEEPING FROM 10:00 TO 2:30. SHE WAS SLEEPING IN THE CHAIR. AROUND 2:30 SHE WOKE UP AND I PUT SOME WATER ON HER FACE AND WASHED HER FACE. AND THAT'S IT. SHE WENT. Man: RASHEED-- MOHAMED RASHEED. ( Rifdha speaking Dhivehi ) Mohamed: YOU CAN UNDERSTAND IF A CHILD JUST WAKES UP AND STARTS USING EVERYTHING IN HER MIND, IT WILL BE VERY DIFFICULT. ( man on computer speaking Arabic ) ( man #2 reciting ) ( man on computer speaking Arabic ) ( man #2 reciting ) ( reciting ) ( Dr. Abdel-Galil speaking Arabic ) ( man corrects verse ) ( Rifdha continues recitation ) ( corrects verse ) ( recitation continues ) ( Mohamed speaking English ) ( Dr. Abdel-Galil speaking Arabic ) ( Rifdha speaking Dhivehi ) ( Shimla speaking English ) ( Rifdha speaking Dhivehi ) ( man reciting over P.A. ) ( Shimla speaking English ) Maumoon Gayoom: ISLAM HAS SERVED US WELL IN THE PAST NINE CENTURIES OR SO. WE HAVE VERY SMALL HOMOGENEOUS PEOPLE AND WE HAVE ALWAYS PRACTICED A VERY MODERATE FORM OF ISLAM IN THE MALDIVES. WE ALLOW WOMEN TO GO OUT TO WORK AND TO INTERACT WITH MEN. BUT THE TREND TO GO BACK IN HISTORY, TO RETURN TO EARLY ISLAM IS FELT ALL OVER THE MUSLIM WORLD. EVEN IF YOU CONSIDER WOMEN'S CLOTHES-- IN THE 1950s AND '60s, WOMEN USED TO WEAR VERY SHORT SKIRTS, VERY WESTERN CLOTHES. IT WAS LATER ON IN THE 1980s AND THE 1990s THE MORE FUNDAMENTAL INFLUENCES BEGAN TO COME HERE. AND THEN BECAUSE OF THAT, NOW THE MAJORITY OF WOMEN DO WEAR THE HEADSCARF. - ASSALAMU ALAIKUM.
ALAIKUM ASSALAAM. - HOW ARE YOU THIS MORNING?
FINE. YOU'RE OKAY? - ASSALAMU ALAIKUM.
ALAIKUM ASSALAAM. - I HOPE YOU ARE WELL TOO.
YEAH. ( speaking Dhivehi ) ( speaking Dhivehi ) ( Gayoom speaks ) ( Gayoom speaks ) ( Mohamed speaking English ) ( Rifdha reciting ) ( Mohamed speaking ) ( speaking Dhivehi ) Gayoom: A LOT OF OUR STUDENTS GO ABROAD FOR EDUCATION. AND THEN WHEN THEY COME BACK FROM SOME COUNTRIES, THEY TEND TO BECOME OF A MORE FUNDAMENTALIST VIEW OF ISLAM THAN US HERE IN THE MALDIVES. ( Shimla speaking Dhivehi ) ( Rifdha speaking Dhivehi ) ( Rifdha speaks ) ( Rifdha speaks ) ( Rifdha speaks ) ( man reciting over P.A. ) ( Mohamed speaking ) IT SHOULD BE LEFT-- ( man reciting ) ( speaking Arabic ) ( continues reciting ) ( chimes tinkling ) ( Dr. Abdel-Galil speaking Arabic ) ( people chatting ) ( man speaking Arabic ) ( man #2 speaks ) Man #2: NO. ( man speaks ) NO NO NO NO. ( phone ringing ) ASSALAMU ALAIKUM. ( Oumou speaks ) ( speaks Wolof ) - Djamil: ASSALAMU ALAIKUM. - ( garbled words ) Djamil: ASSALAMU ALAIKUM. ASSALAMU ALAIKUM. ( speaking Wolof ) ( speaking Wolof ) HE'S THE BEST CHILD WHO KNOWS THE SAYING OF THE PROPHET. BEFORE YOU BE THE BEST MUSLIM, YOU HAVE TO KNOW THE SAYING OF THE PROPHET FIRST. AND WE BELIEVE HE'S THE BEST OF THE BEST IN THE MUSLIM WORLD. WE'RE ALL THINKING ABOUT HIM, PRAY FOR HIM. Man: DJAMIL. ( man on computer speaking Arabic ) ( man #2 reciting ) ( man on computer speaks Arabic ) ( man #2 reciting ) ( reciting ) ( stops reciting ) ( speaks Arabic ) ( speaks Arabic ) ( reciting ) ( speaking Arabic ) - ( reciting )
( correcting verse ) ( reciting ) ( man corrects verse ) ( speaking Arabic ) ( man reciting ) ( Djamil reciting ) ( recitation stops ) ( camera clicks ) ( Rifdha speaking Dhivehi ) ( Mohamed speaking ) ( men speaking ) ( Rifdha speaks ) ( speaking Arabic ) WAIT WAIT. DON'T WORRY. OKAY, COME ON. WAIT WAIT. Man: WOW WOW WOW WOW. HI. ( whimpering ) ( brays ) ( kissing ) LEAN BACK. LEAN BACK. LEAN BACK. - ( speaking Dhivehi ) - ( camel brays ) ( Rifdha exclaims ) ( Rifdha and Mohamed laughing ) ( Rifdha speaks English ) ( brays ) Rifdha: NO! ( whimpering ) NO! NO! - ( men laugh, chatting )
( Rifdha whimpering ) NO NO NO NO. I'M OKAY. I'M OKAY. NO NO NO. ( Nabiollah speaking Tajik ) ( Dr. Abdel-Galil speaking Arabic over P.A. ) ( speaking Arabic ) ( Abdullah reciting ) ( reciting ) ( reciting ) ( man speaks ) ( Dr. Abdel-Galil speaking Arabic ) ( Nabiollah reciting ) ( Nabiollah speaking Tajik ) ( Dr. Abdel-Galil speaking Arabic ) ( reciting ) ( Rifdha speaking Dhivehi ) ( recitation continues ) ( Dr. Abdel-Galil speaking Arabic ) ( speaks Arabic ) - ( chuckles ) - ( recitation continues ) ( Rifdha speaks English ) ( speaking Dhivehi ) ( Mohamed speaking ) ( Dr. Abdel-Galil speaking Arabic ) ( applause ) ( Abdullah speaking Arabic) ( speaking Arabic ) WAIT. LAST ONE, LAST ONE. TAKE IT. ( Nabiollah speaking Tajik ) ( President Mubarak speaking Arabic ) ( applause ) ( man speaking Arabic ) ( applause ) ( applause ) ( applause ) ( Nabiollah reciting ) ( Nabiollah speaking Tajik ) - ( recitation ends )
( applause ) ( chatter ) - ( speaking Wolof )
( Djamil speaks ) - ( chatter stops ) - ( Imam Djieng speaking ) ( Imam Djieng speaks ) ( Imam Djieng speaking Wolof ) ( boy reciting ) ( Oumou speaks ) ( Imam Djieng speaks ) - ( plane engine roaring ) - ( chatter ) ( beeps ) ( Mohamed speaking Dhivehi ) ( Rifdha speaks ) ( giggles ) OW! ( speaking ) ( speaking ) ( speaking ) ( Rifdha speaks ) ( Rifdha speaks ) ( Mohamed speaking ) ( speaking ) ( speaking ) ( Mohamed speaking English ) ( speaking English ) WHEN-- I DON'T KNOW-- ACTUALLY MY DREAM STOPS-- SHE HAS TO BE EDUCATED, BUT SHE WILL BE A HOUSEWIFE. SHE WILL NOT BE DOING ANY JOB. ( mutters ) SHE WILL NOT BE DOING ANY JOB TO EARN, BUT SHE HAS TO BE EDUCATED. SHE HAS TO BE A HOUSEWIFE. ( children playing ) ( cheering ) ( Kosimov speaking Tajik ) ( reciting ) ( Kosimov speaks ) ( Abdugaffor speaking Tajik ) ( speaking Tajik ) ( Nabiollah speaks ) ( Abdugaffor speaking ) HUH? Rifdha: "I MET SO MANY PEOPLE. MY PARENTS, MY FAMILY AND MY WHOLE NATION WAS PROUD OF ME. IT WAS A VERY EXCITING JOURNEY. ITS MEMORIES WILL REMAIN DEEP IN MY HEART FOREVER, INSHALLAH." ( applause ) ( music playing ) ( speaking Wolof ) ( both speaking Tajik )

Transcript for:Quran Recitation: Culture and Personal Growth

Transcript for:
Quran Recitation: Culture and Personal Growth