The Education of Qur'an Recitation (Qira'at) in Turkey
Özet
Qur'an Recitation (qira'at) activities constitute a good part of the Qur'an education history starting with the revealation of the Qur'an. In Prophet Muhammad's era and after his death, education and teaching activities for spreading the Qur'an recitations were maintained by muslims. Several institutions were built for this purpose, and many works are written for qira'at science education and methods developed made a big contribution to the spreading of qur'an recitation science. An Interregnum period for qira'at science has happened at the last period of Ottomans and first years of Republic of Turkey. Qira'at Science, under the state supervision and by formal institutions for many years, were sustained in an informal way after the law on unification of education were introduced. With the decrease of teachers, the education of the Qur'an recitation faced a difficult time and almost nearly ceased. In our country, increasing of the expertness courses and number of men who trained in this places in recent years deserve a separate study, particularly on this subject. Summary: There are many scholars who have studied the recitation of the Qur'an (qira'at), and many papers that have been written on this subject analysing it by means of practice. Some institutions are founded with the purpose of teaching qira'at and a number of different methods have been developed in the historical process of qira'at. It is not clear when the knowledge of qur'anic recitation first emerged in the region of Anatolia. In the Ottoman Empire, Khatib 'Abdulmu'min Rumi who was tutee of Ibn al-Cezeri started to accept students for teaching qira'at in Bursa. Since then, qira'at became an official discipline of Islamic sciences. Evidently, the time Turks learned qira'at should be before Ibn al-Cezeri's arrival to Bursa. The brightest era of the qira'at and its institutionalisation was between XI-XIII centuries during the reign of the Ottoman Empire. Not only did training and teaching activities took place as seven and ten recitations, but authors also wrote books as supplementary references by depending on the works of the scholars such as Dani, Shatibi and Ibn al-Cezeri. Thus, the scholars made education practical and started to teach it as part of certain methods. The end of the 13th century was the time when sab'a (seven) method based on seven recitations was superseded by 'ashara (ten) method based on ten recitations. That is, the sab'a method was replaced by the 'ashara method in the country. The education of qira'at which were taught in expert institutions known as dar al-qurra untill the closure of madrasas was officially interrupted with the the law on unification of education on 3rd March 1924 in Turkey. The education of qira'at was not officially given from the Republic of Turkey to 1968, but it was taught by self-abnegating scholars with their own efforts. The teaching of qira'at almost disappeared due to some reasons such as education which wasn't officially given by the state and the lack of encouragement for people interested in qira'at until 1968. The education of qira'at later became official with the initiation of Tayyar Altikulac who was the vice president of religious affairs under the presidency of Mehmed Rusdu Asikkutlu in 1968. At that time, a number of staffs were sent to the town Cifaruksa/Ugurlu in Of /Trabzon for the job training with the appointment of the presidency of religious affairs in order to get education from Asikkutlu. The specialized training course named as 'Ashera-Taqrib-Tayyibah' was the first course about qira'at with the opening of Istanbul Haseki Training Center by the presidency of religious affairs in 1976. The education of qira'at was carried out by Asikkutlu who used Egypt method and Abdurrahman Gurses used Istanbul method. These specialized training courses were made as periods of 3 years and trainees were begun to be admitted by taking an exam. The first students graduated who learned both methods at the end of the first period which was between 1976 and 1979. The presidency of religious affairs held the exam at a predetermined time for issuing in-service training certification to people, who have worked within its own institution, other institutions and in the private sector, and completed the education on 'ashara method with their own efforts and got a degree. This certification has been given to people who succeeded in the written and oral examinations. 184 people got the certification after taking the exam entitled as 'the exam for external students in the 'ashara-taqrib course' which was taken place biennially and for the first time in 2010. When students have learned the fundamental principles of 'ashara method, the first five-ten pages of the Qur'an were read and indited with regard to distinguish narratives from each other with infirad method. 'Ashera analysis of the Qur'an was indited and read with indirac method for each student after being taught about certain issues such as the concepts of qira'at, its principles, and the grading of the imam and ravi to students who get education with infirad method in qira'at education in the country. Sources and methods used by scholars who are engaged in qira'at education have become widespread in regions; and these methods have gone under the name of those regions. In this context, the science of qira'at was taught with Istanbul and Egypt methods in the Ottoman Empire. These methods have still been valid in today's Turkey. Sufi profession stands for Istanbul method and qira'at education is given with regard to this profession in notably Istanbul and several centers. The education of this profession is given in Pendik and Muftu Yusuf Karali training centers. At the present time, Egypt method is represented as Ataullah profession by reason of the fact that it is commonly followed, adopted and conducted in the country. Nowadays, the eda method is used especially at the beginning of qira'at education. Thus, student hears what instructor reads and gives a presentation. Instructors concentrate on the practice arz in the ongoing process and ease off on practice sam. a after student implemented the lesson. At the present time, the curriculum followed in the qira'at education is the same as the classic method in the country. The 'Ashera, Taqrib and Tayyibah' methods were used in education. On the other hand, the person who recites should be a decent hafiz and know the science of tajweed well in compliance with Hafs narrative of Asim and implement it. Notwithstanding that, there is the tajweed lesson in curriculum in order to strengthen implementations of the science of tajweed.
