The 10 Qiraat of the Quran
القراءات العشر
The ten Qiraat are the ways of reciting the Quran transmitted through an unbroken chain back to the Prophet ﷺ and named after ten imams of recitation. Each reading is known through two transmitters, which gives twenty riwayat, such as Hafs from Asim or Warsh from Nafi. They differ in pronunciation and sometimes in a word, within the written form of the mushaf.
The ten imams of recitation and their transmitters
Two riwayat for each reading: the play button lets you hear Al-Fatiha in that riwayah, the name opens the riwayah page with all its reciters.
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1
Nafi al-Madani
نافع المدني
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2
Ibn Kathir al-Makki
ابن كثير المكي
- Al-Bazzi from Ibn Kathir5 reciters · Al-Fatiha by Mohammed Mustafa Al Zayat البزي عن ابن كثير
- Qunbul from Ibn Kathir4 reciters · Al-Fatiha by Yousef Bin Noah Ahmad قنبل عن ابن كثير
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3
Abu Amr al-Basri
أبو عمرو البصري
- Ad-Duri from Abu Amr10 reciters · Al-Fatiha by AlFateh Muhammad Zubair الدوري عن أبي عمرو
- As-Susi from Abu Amr10 reciters · Al-Fatiha by Abdirashid Ali Sufi السوسي عن أبي عمرو
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4
Ibn Amir ash-Shami
ابن عامر الشامي
- Hisham from Ibn Amir3 reciters · Al-Fatiha by Yousef Bin Noah Ahmad هشام عن ابن عامر
- Ibn Dhakwan from Ibn Amir6 reciters · Al-Fatiha by Muftah Alsaltany ابن ذكوان عن ابن عامر
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5
Asim al-Kufi
عاصم الكوفي
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6
Hamzah al-Kufi
حمزة الكوفي
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7
Al-Kisa’i al-Kufi
الكسائي الكوفي
- Abu al-Harith from Al-Kisa’i5 reciters · Al-Fatiha by Abdirashid Ali Sufi أبو الحارث عن الكسائي
- Ad-Duri from Al-Kisa’i11 reciters · Al-Fatiha by Mahmoud El Sheimy الدوري عن الكسائي
- The three readings that complete the ten
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8
Abu Ja’far al-Madani
أبو جعفر المدني
- Ibn Wardan from Abu Ja’far3 reciters · Al-Fatiha by Yousef Bin Noah Ahmad ابن وردان عن أبي جعفر
- Ibn Jammaz from Abu Ja’far3 reciters · Al-Fatiha by Yousef Bin Noah Ahmad ابن جماز عن أبي جعفر
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9
Ya’qub al-Hadrami
يعقوب الحضرمي
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10
Khalaf al-Bazzar
خلف العاشر
- Ishaq from Khalaf3 reciters · Al-Fatiha by Yousef Bin Noah Ahmad إسحاق عن خلف العاشر
- Idris from Khalaf2 reciters · Al-Fatiha by Yousef Bin Noah Ahmad إدريس عن خلف العاشر
Frequently asked questions about the Qiraat
How many Qiraat are there?
Ten readings are recognised as transmitted by a large number of transmitters in every generation (mutawatir). Seven were gathered by Ibn Mujahid in the fourth century AH: those of Nafi, Ibn Kathir, Abu Amr, Ibn Amir, Asim, Hamzah and Al-Kisa’i; three more complete them: Abu Ja’far, Ya’qub and Khalaf. Each has two riwayat, twenty in all.
What is the difference between qira’ah, riwayah and tariq?
A qira’ah (reading) bears the name of the imam of recitation, for example Nafi; a riwayah, the name of the transmitter who received it from him, for example Warsh; a tariq (route), the name of a later transmitter, such as Al-Asbahani from Warsh.
Which reading is the most widespread today?
The riwayah of Hafs from Asim is the most widespread in the world. Warsh from Nafi is read mainly in the Maghreb and West Africa, Qalun from Nafi in Libya and Tunisia, and Ad-Duri from Abu Amr in Sudan.
How can I listen to the ten Qiraat?
Each reading is listed above with its two riwayat: the play button lets you hear Al-Fatiha in that riwayah, “Listen to Al-Fatiha in the 20 riwayat” plays them one after another, and each riwayah page gathers its reciters and its surahs in mp3.