(In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The Command to stand at Night (in Prayer)
Allah commands His Messenger to cease being wrapped up, and this means to be covered during the night. He commands him to get up and stand in prayer to His Lord. This is as Allah says,
(Their sides forsake their beds, to invoke their Lord in fear and hope, and they spend out of what We have bestowed on them.) (32:16) Thus, the Prophet did as Allah ordered him, by standing for prayer at night. This was obligatory upon him alone, as Allah said,
وَرَتِّلِ الْقُرْآنَ تَرْتِيلًا '...and recite the Qur'an clearly with tartil (in a distinct and measured tone). [ 73:4] '. The word tartil , according to Imam Raghib as explicated in al-Mufradat, originally means 'to put together and arrange well the component parts of a word and speech and make it distinct'. The purport of the verse is to say that the Qur'an must not be recited in haste, but in a leisurely manner, distinctly, deliberately and in well-measured tone. At the same time, it is necessary to reflect on its meaning and message. [ Mazhari ]. The clause wa rattil is grammatically conjoined to qumil lail and signifies what is required to be done in tahajjud prayer. Although it comprises many components like tasbih, ruku ' (bowing), sujud (prostration) and so on, the verse indicates that the basic component of prayer is recitation of the Qur'an. The authentic Traditions bear testimony to the fact that the tahajjud prayer of the Holy Prophet ﷺ used to be prolonged very much. The noble Companions and their pupils followed the same pattern.
Ruling [ 1]
The verse under comment clarifies that the recitation of the Qur'an is required to be with tartil [ distinct recitation in well-measured tone ]. The Holy Prophet's ﷺ recitation fulfilled the requirements of tartil. Some people inquired from Sayyidah 'Umm Salamah ؓ about the Holy Prophet's ﷺ recitation of Qur'an in night-prayers. She emulated his recitation in which every single letter was clear and distinct. [ Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Nasal - as quoted by Mazhari ].
Ruling [ 2]
Tartil includes slow rhythmic recitation and beautification of the voice while reciting. Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Allah does not listen to any recitation as much as he listens to the recitation of a Prophet who recites with a beautiful voice." [ Mazhari ].
Sayyidna ` Alqamah ؓ saw a person reciting with a beautiful voice and he exclaimed:
لقد رتّل القراٰن فداہ ابی و اُمِّی
"He has recited the Qur'an with tartil: May my parents be sacrificed to him!" [ Quriubi ].
In short, tartil basically signifies that the letters and the words must be pronounced clearly and distinctly that will help understanding the Qur'an, and paying due care to its meaning. Hasan al-Basri (رح) reports that Allah's Messenger ﷺ passed by a person who was reciting a verse of the Qur'an and weeping. He said to the people, 'Have you heard of the command of Allah' وَرَتِّلِ الْقُرْآنَ تَرْتِيلًا '...and recite the Qur'an clearly with tartil (in a distinct and measured tone). [ 73:4] '? This is tartil which this person is doing. [ Qurtubi ]
Tazkirul Quran
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
Literally ‘recite the Quran in slow, measured rhythmic tones’. This means ‘recite, paying full attention to the import of the content’. When recited like this, a two-way process between Quran and its reciter comes into play. For him, the Quran is an address or speech by God and his heart starts answering this address at every verse. In the Quran where there is any mention of God’s majesty, the reciter’s entire existence is strongly affected by the realisation of His greatness. When God’s blessings are enumerated in the Quran, the reciter’s heart overflows with gratitude; when God’s retribution is described in the Quran, the reciter trembles on reading it; when an order is laid down in the Quran, the feeling becomes intensified in the reciter that he should become the obedient subject of his Lord by carrying out that order
Uthmani text of the Madinah mushaf (King Fahd Complex). Translation: Saheeh International. Tafsir via Quran.com.
