SPM Maharat Al-Quran 5302 cheat sheet

Makhraj categories: the five general articulation zones are al-jawf (oral cavity), al-halq (throat), al-lisan (tongue), al-shafatan (lips), and al-khayshum (nasal cavity).

The throat (al-halq) yields three makhraj: aqsa al-halq (hamzah, ha'), wasat al-halq ('ayn, ha), and adna al-halq (ghayn, kha').

Sifat al-huruf divides into those with opposites (sifat mutadaddah, e.g. hams/jahr, shiddah/rakhawah, isti'la/istifal, itbaq/infitah, idhlaq/ismat) and those without (e.g. safeer, qalqalah, ghunnah, tafashshi, istitalah).

Qalqalah applies only to the five letters qaf, ta', ba', jim, dal; it is sughra when the letter is mid-word and kubra at waqf.

Idgham is of two types: with ghunnah (ya', nun, mim, waw - the word 'yanmu') and without ghunnah (lam, ra').

Mad tabi'i elongates exactly two counts; mad far'i exceeds two counts and arises from hamzah or sukun following the mad letter.

The six canonical types of madd lazim are muthaqqal kilmi, mukhaffaf kilmi, muthaqqal harfi, mukhaffaf harfi, and the two combined forms in the lettered openings of surahs.

The letters of ikhfa' haqiqi number fifteen, gathered in the phrase 'saktan shadidan zidda thiqah' minus the letters of idgham and iqlab.

The qira'at mutawatirah are ten, each attributed to an imam: Nafi', Ibn Kathir, Abu 'Amr, Ibn 'Amir, 'Asim, Hamzah, Al-Kisa'i, Abu Ja'far, Ya'qub, and Khalaf al-'Ashir.

Each qira'ah has two rawis; for 'Asim they are Shu'bah and Hafs, and Hafs 'an 'Asim is the riwayah most widely printed today.

The three-tier classification of qira'at is mutawatir, ahad, and shadhdh; only the mutawatir are recited liturgically.

The seven ahruf (al-ahruf al-sab'ah) reported in the hadith of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab differ from the seven qira'at; the qira'at emerged later as regional schools.

The mushaf of 'Uthman (al-mushaf al-'Uthmani) was copied and dispatched to the amsar, and its rasm constrains which qira'at may be transmitted.

The term riwayah denotes transmission from a specific rawi of a qira'ah, e.g. Hafs 'an 'Asim, whereas qira'ah denotes the whole school attributed to the imam.

Turuq (paths) are the chains below each rawi; the number of turuq per rawi varies and is catalogued in works such as al-Nashr by Ibn al-Jazari.

The qira'at differ in usul (consistent rules) and farsh (specific word readings), not in the consonantal skeleton of the 'Uthmani rasm.

The Quran contains 114 surahs, 6,236 verses in the Hafs count, and 30 juz'; the Kufan verse count is the one used in the standard mushaf.

Surah al-Baqarah is the longest surah (286 verses) and al-Kawthar the shortest (3 verses); al-Fatihah is called Umm al-Kitab.

The fifteen sajdah verses (ayat al-sujud) are distributed across the mushaf; memorisers mark them to avoid missing prostration.

The mutashabihat (similar verses) are the principal cause of hifz error; the standard remedy is grouping verses by shared opening or cadence.

Spaced repetition: review newly memorised portions within 24 hours, then at 3, 7, and 30-day intervals before moving to long-cycle revision.

The juz' divisions align with 20-page Arabic mushaf blocks; a hizb is half a juz', and a rub' is a quarter.

Muraja'ah cycles typically rotate a daily portion (wird) plus a weekly full-cycle pass to prevent attrition of older surahs.

The order of revelation differs from the mushaf order; memorisation follows mushaf order because recitation in salah follows it.

Tafsir bi al-ma'thur relies on the Quran, then hadith, then statements of the Sahabah and Tabi'un; tafsir bi al-ra'y relies on reasoned ijtihad constrained by Arabic and the Sunnah.

The conditions for a valid tafsir bi al-ra'y include sound Arabic, knowledge of usul al-fiqh, asbab al-nuzul, and the nasikh wa mansukh.

The four levels of tafsir: tafsir al-Quran bi al-Quran, bi al-sunnah, bi aqwal al-salaf, and bi al-lughah (linguistic).

The muhkam verses are clear and decisive; the mutashabih are ambiguous, and the Quran itself (3:7) distinguishes them.

Isra'iliyyat are reports from Jewish and Christian sources; they are neither accepted nor rejected wholesale and cannot establish 'aqidah.

The term ta'wil denotes interpretive return to a verse's intended meaning; tafsir is the broader science of explanation.

Major tafsir works: al-Tabari (Jami' al-Bayan), al-Qurtubi (al-Jami'), Ibn Kathir (Tafsir al-Quran al-'Azim), al-Razi (Mafatih al-Ghayb).

The asbab al-nuzul reports explain the occasion of revelation and are used to disambiguate pronoun reference and legal scope.

'Ulum al-Quran includes: asbab al-nuzul, nasikh wa mansukh, muhkam wa mutashabih, i'jaz, qira'at, rasm al-mushaf, and amthal al-Quran.

I'jaz al-Quran has multiple facets: linguistic (balaghah), legislative, scientific, and historical prophecy.

The challenge (tahaddi) appears in stages: 'produce ten surahs' (11:13), then 'one surah' (2:23; 10:38), then 'a single hadith' (52:34).

The mushaf's rasm is the 'Uthmani script; the seven canonical rasm rules include al-hadhf, al-ziyadah, al-hamz, al-badal, and al-wasl wa al-fasl.

The science of al-nasikh wa al-mansukh classifies abrogation into: naskh al-hukm wa al-tilawah, naskh al-hukm duna al-tilawah, and naskh al-tilawah duna al-hukm.

The term jami' al-qira'at refers to works collecting all canonical readings, e.g. al-Nashr fi al-Qira'at al-'Ashr by Ibn al-Jazari (d. 833 AH).

The first revealed verses are 96:1-5 (Surah al-'Alaq); the last complete surah revealed is commonly cited as al-Nasr or al-Tawbah.

Makki surahs (about 86) emphasise 'aqidah and are short; Madani surahs (about 28) emphasise law and are long.

Asbab al-nuzul are reports describing the event or question that occasioned a verse's revelation; the standard work is Lubab al-Nuqul by al-Suyuti.

The rule: the 'ibrat (lesson) is by the generality of the wording, not the specificity of the occasion (al-'ibratu bi 'umum al-lafz la bi khususi al-sabab).

A verse may have multiple asbab reports; the muhaddithun reconcile by accepting the earliest sound report or by treating them as multiple occasions.

The phrase 'نزلت في' (was revealed concerning) in a report may indicate the verse's application rather than its literal occasion.

Asbab al-nuzul does not apply to every verse; many verses were revealed without a specific occasion, particularly narrative passages.

The hadith of 'A'ishah on the slander (al-ifk, 24:11-20) is a classic extended asbab report illustrating a full narrative occasion.

Knowing the sabab prevents misreading a general verse as restricted to its occasion, or vice versa.

The science of asbab is a sub-branch of 'ulum al-Quran and is a precondition for sound tafsir and legal derivation.

Naskh in the Quran is agreed upon by the majority of scholars; the number of abrogated verses is contested and generally kept small.

The three types of naskh: naskh al-hukm wa al-tilawah (both removed), naskh al-tilawah duna al-hukm (verse removed, ruling remains), naskh al-hukm duna al-tilawah (verse remains, ruling abrogated).

The verse of the sword (9:5) is cited by some as abrogating certain peace verses, but the claim is disputed and not the majority position.

The mushaf was compiled in stages: during the Prophet's life (oral and written), under Abu Bakr (Zayd ibn Thabit), and standardised under 'Uthman.

The 'Uthmani standardisation (around 25 AH) produced copies sent to the amsar; variant personal codices (e.g. Ibn Mas'ud's) were superseded.

The rasm of the 'Uthmani mushaf lacks diacritics and dots; these were added later (nuqt al-i'jam) to preserve correct recitation.

The Quran was revealed over approximately 23 years: 13 in Makkah and 10 in Madinah.

The mushaf order of surahs is tawqifi (divinely ordained), not the chronological order of revelation.

The bearer of the Quran (hamil al-Quran) is expected to be the most humble, the most consistent in night prayer, and the least quarrelsome.

Tilawah requires taharah (ritual purity) for touching the mushaf; recitation from memory without wudu is permitted by the majority.

The adab of recitation include isti'adhah before reciting (16:98), tartil (73:4), and reflection (tadabbur).

The hadith 'Khayrukum man ta'allama al-Quran wa 'allamahu' (the best of you is the one who learns the Quran and teaches it) is the standard virtue text.

It is forbidden to recite the Quran in a manner that distorts its meaning or in a musical style that violates tajwid.

The Quran should not be placed on the floor, nor carried into impure places; handling requires respect for the mushaf.

The akhlaq of the bearer include avoiding argumentation over qira'at, humility in teaching, and consistency between recitation and action.

Listening (istima') to recitation is itself an act of worship; the Quran commands 'fa-istami'u lahu wa ansitu' (7:204).

Da'wah with the Quran follows the principle 'ud'u ila sabili rabbika bi al-hikmah wa al-maw'izah al-hasanah' (16:125): wisdom, good admonition, and gentle disputation.

The Quranic method of argument (jadl) is illustrated in Ibrahim's dialogue with Nimrod (2:258) and Musa's with Fir'awn.

Teaching tajwid to beginners follows a sequence: makharij, then sifat, then ahkam (nun sakinah, mim sakinah, madd), then waqf.

The Quranic approach to non-Muslims uses the principle 'lakum dinukum wa liya din' (109:6) for coexistence without coercion.

Practical da'wah uses the Quran's own rhetorical patterns: question-and-answer, parable (mathal), narrative, and oath.

The Quran commands 'wa jadilhum bi allati hiya ahsan' (16:125) - disputation in the best manner - as a constraint on polemic.

The seven-verse al-Fatihah is recited in every rak'ah and functions as the foundational da'wah text: tawhid, worship, and guidance.

Effective Quranic da'wah requires the da'i to embody the message: 'kuntum khayra ummatin ukhrijat li al-nas' (3:110) ties speech to conduct.