Rules of the Letter ‘Ra’ According to Warsh from the Al-Aṣbahānī Tradition

Introduction to the Warsh Narration

Term	Definition
Warsh the Narrator	Warsh, whose full name is Osman ibn Said, is the second narrator of the Quranic recitation from Imam Nafi. He presented several recitations of the Quran to Nafi and eventually became the head of Quranic recitation in Egypt during his time.
Warsh Narration	The narration attributed to Warsh as conveyed from Imam Nafi.
Al-Asbahani	Mohammed ibn Abdul Rahim, known as Abu Bakr Al-Asbahani, was a prominent scholar of recitation in his era and the leading authority on the Warsh narration.
Al-Asbahani’s Method	The recitation style attributed to Al-Asbahani in relation to Warsh.

Rules of the Letter “Raa” According to Warsh through Al-Asbahani

The rules regarding the pronunciation of the letter “Raa” in Warsh’s recitation, as conveyed through Al-Asbahani, are aligned with those applied by Hafs from Asim. These rules are also consistent among all ten recognized reciters. The principles involve alternating between the emphasis (tafkhim) and the lightening (tarqeeq) of the letter “Raa”. We summarize these rules as follows:

• Emphasized “Raa” occurs in the following scenarios:
  • When the “Raa” is open or closed, as seen in the verse: (وَالسَّمَاءِ ذَاتِ الْبُرُوجِ).
  • When “Raa” is followed by a natural pause after an opening or closing vowel, exemplified by: (وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَى أُمِّ مُوسَى أَنْ أَرْضِعِيهِ).
  • When “Raa” is silent after a preceding break and followed within the same word by a high letter with an opening, illustrated by: (إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَبِالْمِرْصَادِ).
  • When “Raa” is silent at the beginning of a word after a connecting hamzah, as shown in: (يَا أَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ* ارْجِعِي إِلَى رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَّرْضِيَّةً).
  • When “Raa” is silent following a broken letter isolated and comes at the end of the preceding word, such as in: (وَقُل رَبِّ ارحَمهُما كَما رَبَّياني صَغيرًا).
  • When “Raa” is pronounced strongly at the end of a word after it has become silent for a pause, with previous letters being open, or ‘Alif,’ or closed, or a silent ‘Waw,’ or a true silent followed by an opening or closing, as in: (إِنَّ ذَلِكَ مِنْ عَزْمِ الْأُمُورِ).

• Lightly pronounced “Raa” occurs in these instances:
  • When “Raa” is broken, exemplified by: (وَنُرِيدُ أَن نَّمُنَّ عَلَى الَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُوا).
  • When “Raa” is silent and preceded by a connected broken letter, without a preceding high letter opening, as in: (فِرْعَوْنَ).
  • When “Raa” is at the end of a word with a break and previously followed by a broken letter or a silent ‘Ya,’ or a lightly pronounced silent letter with a preceding break, illustrated by: (إِنَّ أَنكَرَ الْأَصْوَاتِ لَصَوْتُ الْحَمِيرِ).
  • When “Raa” is inclined, with the only instance of inclination indicated in Warsh’s narration from Nafi through Al-Asbahani found in the word “التوراة,” where it is inclined significantly, shown in: (وَأَنزَلَ التَّوْرَاةَ وَالْإِنجِيلَ). This inclination leads to a light pronunciation of “Raa,” as it tends towards a closure.

Examples of “Raa” with Corresponding Rules

	Example	Rule	Reason
1	(إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِآيَاتِ اللَّـهِ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ).	Emphasized “Raa”	The “Raa” is emphasized since it is closed.
2	(إِنَّ اللَّـهَ لَا يَخْفَى عَلَيْهِ شَيْءٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِي السَّمَاءِ).	Emphasized “Raa”	The “Raa” is emphasized due to being silent before an open letter.
3	(وَالرَّاسِخُونَ فِي الْعِلْمِ يَقُولُونَ آمَنَّا بِهِ).	Emphasized “Raa”	The “Raa” is emphasized because it is open.
4	(وَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمْ وَقُودُ النَّارِ).	Emphasized when pausing, Lightened when connected.	When stopping, the “Raa” is emphasized as it is moving and at the end. When continuing, it is light because it is broken.
5	(كَدَأْبِ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ وَالَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ).	Lightened “Raa”	The “Raa” is light because it is silent and preceded by a broken letter without a high letter opening.
6	(وَاللَّـهُ يُؤَيِّدُ بِنَصْرِهِ مَن يَشَاءُ).	Lightened “Raa”	The “Raa” is light as it is broken.
7	(زُيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ حُبُّ الشَّهَوَاتِ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ وَالْبَنِينَ وَالْقَنَاطِيرِ).	Lightened when stopping and continuing.	The “Raa” is light when stopping because it is at the end preceded by a silent “Ya.” When continuing, it remains light due to being broken.
8	(وَلَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ).	Emphasized when continuing, Lightened when stopping.	The “Raa” is emphasized when continuing as it is closed. When stopping, it is light since it is moving and at the end followed by a silent “Ya.”
9	(وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَدْعُونَ مَعَ اللَّـهِ إِلَـهًا آخَرَ).	Emphasized both when stopping and continuing.	The “Raa” is emphasized when stopping as it is at the end and moving before an open letter. It is also emphasized when continuing because it is open.
10	(أُولَـئِكَ يُجْزَوْنَ الْغُرْفَةَ).	Emphasized “Raa”	The “Raa” is emphasized since it is silent and preceded by a closed letter.
11	(إِلَّا مَنِ ارْتَضَى).	Emphasized when connecting and at the beginning.	The “Raa” is emphasized when connected because it is silent after a broken letter. It is also emphasized at the beginning as it is silent after a connecting hamzah.