Tiruchi, TAMIL NADU :

Qualified reciters of the Quran from North India are in great demand in to lead the Taraweeh prayers in South Indian mosques during Ramadan

Of all the months in the lunar Islamic calendar, Ramadan stands out for its focus on spirituality. Through dawn-to-dusk periods of voluntary abstinence and prayer, the Muslim is expected to feel closer to God.

Ramadan is also believed to be the month when the Quran began to be revealed. So the recitation of verses from the holy book in Arabic assumes greater importance during this month. It is a common practice for observant Muslims to try and finish at least one complete reading of the Quran at home. This is also carried out by imams (prayer leaders) who conduct the late-night Taraweeh prayers in mosques during the month.

With the emphasis on the most sonorous rendition of the Quran, management committees and clerics attached to mosques and other places of congregational prayers in Ramadan take an extra effort to find Aalims (scholars) who have memorised the 6,666 verses of the holy book and are skilled in reciting it in a semi-musical style. A person who has perfected memorising the book is known as Hafez, and one who has mastered the art of recitation, as Qari.

In South India, Islamic institutions often invite qualified reciters of the Quran from the North specifically to conduct the Taraweeh prayers during Ramadan.

North Indians are considered to be better in Arabic pronunciation because of the semantic and phonetic affinity that their regional languages – Hindi, Urdu and Hindustani – have with the language of the Quran.

In Tamil Nadu, cities like Chennai, Tiruchi, Madurai and Salem have been hosting imams from Uttar Pradesh, Bhopal and Bihar to lead Taraweeh prayers for several decades.

“The imam’s talent is important in holding the congregation’s interest,” says Mohamed Meeran Misbahi, Secretary, Tamil Nadu Jama’at-ul-Ulema Sabai, a state grouping of Islamic scholars. The Tenkasi native has been officiating as imam at the Kader Mosque in Tiruchi’s Gandhi Market area for the past 20 years. “Many worshippers visit mosques just to sample the different styles of sermons and Quran recitation during Ramadan, so the clerics have to make an extra effort to keep the people engaged,” he adds.

On average, depending on his professional expertise, a prayer leader can earn from Rs. 8,000 to 15,000 per month. During Ramadan, the income is boosted by donations from the congregation.

Historic link

The erstwhile princely kingdom of Rampur (now a part of Uttar Pradesh) has been maintaining a link with Tiruchi that started in 1952, when Saudi Arabian national of Indian origin, Moulana Qari Hafez Mohamed Ismail Sahib Mujaddidi Madani, was invited to conduct Taraweeh prayers at the Mohammadi Jama Masjid in Tiruchi by the then-Nawab of Arcot.

“My father led the Taraweeh prayers from 1952 to 1974. He died during a prayer service in 1974, and was buried in Tiruchi,” says his son Qari Moulvi Rashid Mujaddidi. The cleric, an Indian citizen, had conducted Taraweeh prayers at the Chowk Mosque from 1960 to 2006. Though he has cut down his engagements due to his advancing years and health problems, the cleric still visits the city during Ramadan, and this year, is officiating as a Taraweeh imam at a private mosque in Singarathope.

His son Salman, who is also an imam, reached Tiruchi a day before the month’s commencement (by the sighting of the crescent moon) was announced, in early June.

“I don’t speak much Tamil, but I have got only love and affection from the people of Tiruchi,” says Moulvi Rashid, who has also worked as an Arabic lecturer in Rampur. “I always tell people to come and visit Tiruchi and learn how different communities can live in harmony. ”

South-side sojourn

For Moulana Hafez Abdul Rab Qassimi, a suggestion by his friend brought him from his village Mansoorpur, Uttar Pradesh to the Bangali Street Mosque in Woraiyur in 1972. “I was a young man when I started leading the Taraweeh prayers here; now I am almost 68. I will continue to come as long as I am physically able to,” says Moulana Abdul Rab, who makes a three-day rail journey via Moradabad, Delhi and Chennai to reach Tiruchi every Ramadan.

Accommodation for the visiting imams is usually provided within the mosque premises. Congregants provide the food for breaking the fast (iftar) and pre-dawn meal (suhour).

It is Moulana Zia-ur-Rahman’s first year as the Taraweeh imam at the Tennur mosque. A graduate of Qurannic studies from Hyderabad, the 27-year-old will return to his native Leela Baran village in Bihar shortly before Eid-al-Fitr, the festival that denotes the end of Ramadan. “The atmosphere in Tiruchi is very peaceful and conducive to prayer,” says the imam.

Quest for authenticity

Despite the continuing patronage of North Indian imams, many South Indian institutions have come up in the interim to create a new talent pool of young Muslim clerics with a comparable expertise in Quran recitation.

“International qirat (recitation) competitions and a wider exposure to different styles have led to more Muslims opting to study this discipline more seriously,” says Moulana Hafiz Mufti Ruhul Haq, principal, Jamia Anvar-ul-Uloom Arabic College, Khaja Nagar.

The college offers Arabic-medium courses in Quran recitation, Islamic jurisprudence and the study of the Traditions (Hadith) of Prophet Muhammad.

“Besides mosque duties, we also train our students in computer skills in English, Arabic and Tamil, so that they can have a wider range of employment opportunities,” says Moulana Ruhul Haq. Taraweeh

The emphasis on certification has increased the number of younger clerics, with institutions attracting students not just from the South, but also the North.

Like any profession, individual talent is ultimately the deciding factor in religious orders too.

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Fact file

In Arabic, Taraweeh is the plural of tarweeha, which means to rest. In the context of Ramadan prayers, it means to take rest between every four rak’at (units) of praying. Services need to have more than two periods of rest in order to qualify as Taraweeh.

Taraweeh prayer units across the Muslim world range from 8 rak’ats to 20 rak’ats.

Taraweeh is exclusive to the month of Ramadan. However, unlike the compulsory (fardh) five prayers of the day, participating in Taraweeh daily is not obligatory. In fact, Ramadan-specific prayers are meant to be conducted only after the compulsory night prayer (Isha).

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Metroplus / by Nahla Nainar / Tiruchi – June 24th, 2016