Maqām
Definition
Maqam, in al-Ghazali's context, refers to the spiritual posture or station the reciter should occupy as they move through different types of Quranic passages. When reciting verses of mercy and promise, the heart should open in hope and gratitude; when reciting verses of warning and punishment, it should contract in fear and resolve; when reciting verses of command and prohibition, it should orient toward obedience; when reciting verses of divine attributes, it should reach toward awe and contemplation. This responsiveness — allowing the heart to move with the content of what is being recited — is what distinguishes living recitation from recitation as performance.
As understood in the classical tradition of Imam al-Ghazali and the scholars of his school.
How the scholars use Maqām.
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"Their celebration of this night surpasses that of any other. The Quran is completed behind the noble maqam, station of Abraham, and in front of it, timbers are set up that connect to the surrounding enclosure. Between them, long boards are displayed, forming three layers, with candles and a glass lantern on them, almost dazzling the eyes with their light. The imam then steps forward to perform the last Isha prayer, starting with the recitation of Surah Al-Qadr. This is where the recitations of the imams conclude on the night before. At that hour, all other imams pause their tarawih prayers in reverence of the reading completion at the maqam, coming together to"
— Ibn Battuta, Volume One: From Tangier to the Lands of the East
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"corner to the north, the Syrian corner to the west, the southern corner thereafter, and finally returning to the black stone in the east. News of the Noble Maqam Station. Know that between the door of the Ka'bah, may Allah honor it, and the Iraqi corner is a space twelve spans in length, and about half that in width, and a height of about two spans, which served as the maqam during the time of Ibrahim, peace be upon him. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, later moved it to its current position of prayer, leaving that space resembling a basin that receives the cleansing waters of the sacred house. It is a blessed area where people crowd to"
— Ibn Battuta, Volume One: From Tangier to the Lands of the East
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"partake in its blessing. The imam concludes in two cycles, then stands to deliver a sermon facing the maqam. Upon finishing, the imams return to their prayers, and the gathering disperses. The final completion occurs on the 29th night in the Maliki Maqam, conducted with simplicity and devoid of ostentation, where a completion and sermon also take place. In Shawwal, the month marking the beginning of the well-known pilgrimage months, it is customary to light torches and set up lamps and candles on the night of its crescent, similarly to the 27th night of Ramadan."
— Ibn Battuta, Volume One: From Tangier to the Lands of the East
Appears in
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