Tajweed vs Quran Reading — What's the Difference?

Learning to read the Quran means recognising the Arabic letters, the vowel signs and how letters join, and reading words and lines from the mushaf. Beginners usually start with the Noorani Qaida and then move on to reading from the Quran itself.

At this stage the focus is accuracy and fluency: reading without stopping on every word, and without mixing up similar letters.

Tajweed is the set of rules for reciting the Quran correctly: where each letter is pronounced from (makharij), the qualities of the letters, how long to stretch certain sounds (madd), the nasal sound (ghunnah), the rules of noon and meem saakin, and where to stop and start.

Without Tajweed, a reader can change the sound of a word — and sometimes its meaning. That is why scholars encourage every Muslim to learn at least the basic rules.

In practice they are learned together. A good teacher corrects pronunciation from the very first Qaida lesson, so basic Tajweed is built in from the start. Once a student reads the Quran fluently, a dedicated Tajweed course goes deeper into the rules and polishes the recitation.

You do not need to work it out yourself. In the first free class the teacher listens to your child read and recommends the right starting point. You can also take our free one-minute level test.