Maqāmāt — Recitation Modes

The melodic modes reciters use to beautify the Qurʾān — always in the service of tajwīd, never above it.

The maqāmāt are the melodic modes (scales) a reciter uses to beautify recitation. They are a means of taḥsīn al-ṣawt — beautifying the voice — which is encouraged ("Beautify the Qurʾān with your voices" — Abu Dawud 1468), and the Qurʾān itself sets the foundation: "and recite the Qurʾān with measured recitation (tartīl)" — 73:4. But tajwīd always comes first: never stretch, clip, or distort a letter or a madd for the sake of a tune.

Hear it: mujawwad recitation

The same āyah — Āyat al-Kursī (2:255) — from three mujawwad reciters. Listen for how differently each shapes the same words. These are examples of melodic (mujawwad) recitation in general; we do not attribute a specific maqām to any of them.

  • Abdul Basit Abd as-Samad · Mujawwad

  • Mahmoud Khalil Al-Husary · Mujawwad

  • Mohamed Siddiq Al-Minshawi · Mujawwad

1

Bayātī

البَيَاتِي

Character: Warm, gentle and inviting — the most common opening mode.

Typical use: Usually the maqām a reciter begins and ends with; the foundation of most recitations.

2

Ḥijāz

الحِجَاز

Character: Evocative of the desert and the Ḥaramayn — solemn and stirring.

Typical use: Often used for verses of warning, majesty, or longing.

3

Ṣabā

الصَّبَا

Character: Sorrowful and heart-melting — brings tears and humility.

Typical use: Suited to verses of the Hereafter, repentance, and softening the heart.

4

Rāst

الرَّاسْت

Character: Balanced, dignified and steady — a "straight" grounded mode.

Typical use: Versatile; common in congregational recitation and adhān.

5

Nahāwand

النَّهَاوَنْد

Character: Tender and emotional, close to a Western minor scale.

Typical use: Expressive passages; stories and supplication.

6

Sīkāh

السِّيكَاه

Character: Distinctive quarter-tone colour — rich and contemplative.

Typical use: Frequently heard in Egyptian recitation; reflective verses.

7

Jihārkāh

الجِهَارْكَاه

Character: Bright and joyful — a celebratory, luminous mode.

Typical use: Often used for ʿĪd and glad-tiding verses.

8

Kurd

الكُرْد

Character: Calm, intimate and modern-sounding.

Typical use: A soft mode often blended with Nahāwand and Bayātī.

A reciter is not required to know the maqāmāt by name — many reciters recite beautifully by natural feeling. Learning them is a refinement, and it must never come at the cost of tajwīd or turn recitation into performance. Sincerity of the heart is the greatest beauty of all.

Learn Tajwīd rules first →