What Is Tarteel? How to Recite the Quran the Way 73:4 Commands
Tarteel in one line: reciting the Quran slowly and clearly, giving every letter its right, pausing in sensible places and reflecting on the meaning. It comes from the command "wa rattili al-Qurana tartila", "and recite the Quran with measured recitation" (73:4).
Where the word comes from
The Arabic root r-t-l describes things that are evenly spaced and well arranged. Arabs used it for teeth that are neat and separated rather than crowded. Applied to recitation, it means words that come out one after another in good order, each one distinct, without swallowing letters or rushing through ayat.
The command appears in Surah 73, right after the instruction to stand at night. Allah did not only ask the Prophet (صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم) to recite at night, but to recite in a particular way. The same word appears again in Surah Al-Furqan, where Allah says He revealed the Quran in stages "and We have recited it with a measured recitation" (25:32).
A well-known saying attributed to 'Ali ibn Abi Talib defines tarteel as pronouncing the letters properly and knowing where to stop. A statement reported from 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud adds the heart: do not scatter it like scattered sand or rush it like poetry, but stop at its wonders, let it move your heart, and do not let your only concern be reaching the end of the surah.
Tarteel, tajweed and the speeds of recitation
People often use "tarteel" and "tajweed" as if they were the same. They overlap, but they are not identical. Tajweed is the set of rules for correct pronunciation. Tarteel is the manner of reciting: unhurried, clear and reflective, with tajweed applied. Scholars of recitation also describe several speeds:
| Term | Pace | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Tahqiq | Slowest, very deliberate | Learning and teaching, correcting pronunciation |
| Tarteel | Slow and calm | Reflection, night prayer, the pace commanded in 73:4 |
| Tadwir | Medium | Everyday reading and most congregational prayers |
| Hadr | Fast, with the rules still applied | Revising memorised portions, completing long readings |
All four are acceptable as long as the letters and rules are respected. Speed never excuses mistakes. Tarteel is singled out because it is the pace that best serves understanding.
How the Prophet recited
The companions described the recitation of the Prophet (صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم) in detail:
- Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) said he recited ayah by ayah, stopping at the end of each one: "al-hamdu lillahi rabbil-'alamin", then a pause, "ar-rahmanir-rahim", then a pause (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2927, Sunan Abi Dawud 4001).
- Anas ibn Malik was asked how he recited and said his recitation was drawn out, lengthening the vowels where they should be lengthened (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of the Virtues of the Quran).
- The Prophet (صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم) said that the companion of the Quran will be told on the Day of Judgement: "Recite and rise, and recite with tarteel as you used to in the world, for your rank is at the last ayah you recite" (Sunan Abi Dawud 1464, Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2914).
Seven steps to recite with tarteel
1. Begin with seeking refuge and the basmalah
Say "a'udhu billahi minash-shaytanir-rajim" and, at the start of a surah, "bismillahir-rahmanir-rahim". Say them as slowly as you intend to recite the rest. They set the pace.
2. Breathe before you start each ayah
Rushing usually comes from running out of breath. Take a calm breath at the end of each ayah so you never have to hurry to finish a phrase.
3. Give each letter its full sound
Pay attention to the letters that do not exist in Urdu or English, such as ع, ح, ض, ظ and ق. Do not turn ث into س or ذ into ز. If you are unsure, learn these with a teacher before working on speed.
4. Hold the long vowels and the ghunnah
Lengthen the madd where it is due, and hold the nasal sound on a doubled noon or meem. In the very first ayah of Surah 73, the doubled meem in its last word carries a ghunnah. Rushing tends to cut these short first.
5. Stop at the end of ayat
Following the Sunnah described by Umm Salamah, pause at the end of each ayah. In long ayat, use the stop signs in your mushaf rather than stopping wherever your breath runs out.
6. Know what you are saying
Read the meaning of the passage before you recite it. When you know that an ayah is a warning or a promise, your tone follows naturally, and that is part of what Ibn Mas'ud meant by letting the Quran move the heart.
7. Copy a master, then record yourself
Choose one slow, clear qari and imitate him closely. A good way to start is to practise along with a reciter ayah by ayah, pausing after each ayah to repeat it. Then record yourself on your phone and compare.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
| Mistake | Why it happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Racing to finish | Aiming at a target amount | Set a time, not an amount: ten minutes of tarteel, however far you get |
| Merging letters | Habits from Urdu pronunciation | Practise the difficult letters on their own for a few minutes daily |
| Cutting long vowels | Shortness of breath | Breathe at every ayah end, sit upright |
| Stopping mid-phrase | Not knowing the meaning | Read the translation first and follow the stop signs |
| Singing instead of reciting | Copying melody without rules | Focus on correct letters first; a beautiful voice is a bonus, not the goal |
How long tarteel takes
Slower recitation takes more time, and that is the point. As an example, the twenty ayat of Surah 73 take Sheikh Sudais a little over three minutes, while the very measured Sheikh Husary takes over six. We timed four well-known reciters in our article on how many minutes the surah takes to recite. If you are reciting faster than the fastest of them, you are probably rushing.
Tarteel and memorisation
Many people try to memorise quickly by reciting fast. It usually backfires: mistakes get memorised along with the words. Reciting slowly while memorising locks in correct pronunciation from the start. If you are planning to learn this surah by heart, our two week memorisation plan builds tarteel into every day.
Tarteel in prayer
Tarteel is not only for reading sessions. The command in 73:4 came in the context of the night prayer. In salah, slow recitation helps concentration, keeps you from making mistakes when reciting from memory, and gives the people praying behind you time to follow. Even in a short sunnah prayer, try reciting one short surah with full tarteel instead of two rushed ones.
A self-check list
After your next recitation, ask yourself:
- Did I pause at the end of every ayah?
- Did I give the long vowels their full length?
- Could someone listening tell each word apart?
- Did I understand, at least in general, what I recited?
- Did I feel anything at a promise or a warning?
If you can answer yes to most of these, you are reciting with tarteel. And remember the encouragement of the Prophet (صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم): the one who recites with difficulty, stumbling over the words, receives a double reward (Sahih Muslim 798). Slow and imperfect is far better than not reciting at all.