SPM Turath Al-Quran & Sunnah key terms

The set of rules governing correct pronunciation of Quranic letters, their points of articulation and inherent qualities, so that recitation preserves each sound without distortion or exaggeration.

The specific place in the mouth, throat, lips or nasal passage where a letter's sound is produced; classical works count seventeen, and each letter must emerge from its own point.

The fixed characteristics of a letter's sound, such as whispered or voiced, strong or soft, raised or lowered, which distinguish letters sharing the same articulation point.

A nasal resonance produced in the nose, required when pronouncing nun and mim, and prolonged markedly in the doubled forms of those two letters.

Merging one letter into the following letter so that the first disappears and the second carries a doubled sound; applied in defined cases involving nun sakinah and tanwin.

Concealing the sound of nun sakinah or tanwin with partial nasalisation when followed by one of fifteen letters, sitting between full pronunciation and complete merging.

Converting nun sakinah or tanwin into a mim sound with nasalisation when followed by the letter ba, marked in printed copies with a small mim above the nun.

An echoing bounce heard when one of the five letters qaf, ta, ba, jim or dal carries sukun, or when it ends a verse and the reciter stops on it.

Prolongation of a vowel sound, either natural and fixed at two counts, or secondary and lengthened by a hamzah, a sukun, or a stop, with graded lengths.

Pausing on a word, usually at a verse end or at a marking in the written text, with rules on where stopping is obligatory, preferred, permissible or forbidden.

A transmission reported by so many narrators at every level that agreement on fabrication is inconceivable; the Quran's recitation and text are established by this grade.

A recognised mode of Quranic recitation traced to a named master, differing in pronunciation or occasional wording while remaining within the transmitted text.

Memorisation of the Quran by heart, traditionally achieved through repeated recitation to a teacher, then daily revision so the text is retained without error.

Reciting the Quran as an act of worship, combining correct pronunciation with reflection on meaning and adherence to the rules of tajwid.

Verses that resemble one another in wording or theme, a common cause of confusion in memorisation; noting their differences is standard practice for a memoriser.

Verses whose meaning is clear and decisive, not open to conflicting interpretation; contrasted with verses that admit several readings or require further explanation.

Explanation of Quranic verses, carried out through the Quran itself, authentic reports, the statements of Companions, or reasoned analysis of Arabic language and context.

Reports describing the occasion, question or event that prompted the revelation of a particular verse, used to clarify its intended application and scope.

The study of verses whose ruling or recitation was superseded by later revelation, and of the earlier verses they replaced, relevant to deriving law from the text.

Narratives drawn from Jewish and Christian sources that entered Quranic commentary; accepted only where they do not contradict the text and are not treated as authoritative.

A report of the Prophet's words, actions, tacit approvals or physical description, consisting of a chain of narrators and the text they transmit.

The Prophet's established practice as a source of guidance alongside the Quran, whether recorded in hadith collections or transmitted as living practice.

The chain of narrators linking a compiler back to the Prophet; its continuity and the reliability of each link determine whether a report is accepted.

The actual wording of a hadith that follows the chain, examined for internal coherence, agreement with stronger reports, and absence of hidden defects.

The highest grade of authenticity: a continuous chain of upright, precise narrators, free from anomaly and hidden defect, so the report is accepted as binding.

A report whose chain is continuous and whose narrators are upright but less precise than those of the sahih grade; acceptable as evidence, though below the top rank.

A report failing at least one condition of authenticity, such as a break in the chain or a weak narrator; it is not used to establish rulings or creed.

A report fabricated and falsely attributed to the Prophet; recognising it is a duty, and narrating it as prophetic speech without disclaimer is prohibited.

The science of assessing narrators, praising or discrediting them using documented evidence, so that chains can be graded and weak links identified.

Biographical study of hadith narrators, recording their names, teachers, students, dates and reliability assessments, used to verify chains of transmission.

A report from an otherwise acceptable narrator that contradicts a stronger, more reliable narration; the contradiction disqualifies it from being accepted as evidence.

A subtle hidden defect in a hadith that is not obvious from the chain's outward appearance, detectable only by expert comparison of transmissions.

Affirming that God alone is the Creator, Sustainer and sole object of worship, and that His names and attributes belong to Him uniquely.

Associating any created being with God in lordship, worship or divine names and attributes; the Quran declares it the one sin never forgiven without repentance.

Rejection or denial of what the revelation requires belief in; scholars distinguish major rejection that removes a person from faith from lesser acts of ingratitude.

Assent of the heart, confession of the tongue and action of the limbs, increasing with obedience and decreasing with sin according to the mainstream formulation.

God's names and attributes as stated in revelation, affirmed without likening them to created things and without denying or reinterpreting their apparent meaning.

Redirecting a text from its apparent meaning to a plausible alternative; accepted in some schools for certain verses and rejected by others for attributes.

The methodology of deriving legal rulings from their sources, covering the Quran, Sunnah, consensus and analogy, plus rules for interpreting language and resolving conflicts.

Agreement of qualified scholars of a given era on a legal ruling; accepted as a binding source by the majority, though its exact scope is debated.

Extending a known ruling to a new case because both share the same effective cause, applied only where no explicit text or consensus settles the matter.

The jurist's total effort to reach a legal ruling from the sources; its validity depends on the required qualifications and on the absence of a decisive text.

The overarching aims the law protects, chiefly religion, life, intellect, lineage and property, used to understand rulings and address new situations.

A benefit or harm-avoidance considered in legislation; recognised as a source only within limits that do not overturn explicit texts.

The settled traits and conduct a person adopts, praised in revelation as the completion of prophetic character and the practical fruit of belief.

Refined manners governing conduct toward God, teachers, fellow believers and daily affairs, learned from prophetic example and transmitted as etiquette.

The recorded life of the Prophet, covering his birth, mission, migration, treaties and campaigns, studied for guidance and for understanding revelation's context.