Murattal, mujawwad and muallim are three labels for how a Quran recording sounds, not three different transmissions of the text. Murattal is the steady, unhurried pace used in almost every complete recording of the Quran, made to be followed or memorised. Mujawwad is slower and far more ornamented, built for public listening rather than repetition. Muallim is a teaching recording: the reciter reads a short phrase, then pauses so a learner can repeat it. All three names are modern, and Quran recordings are still labelled with exactly these three words today.
Recording labels, not a classical ranking
It helps to say plainly what these three words are not. They are not a classical scholarly classification of recitation, and they are not a ladder from correct to incorrect. Murattal, mujawwad and muallim describe how a specific recording was made and what it is for, a distinction that took its current shape in the recording studios and radio stations of twentieth-century Egypt, not in earlier texts on recitation.
You can see this in how the words are used today. Complete Quran recordings are labelled by style, and the labels used are Murattal, Mujawwad and Muallim. The label belongs to a recording, not to a scholarly category a reciter is placed into.
Murattal: the recording built to be followed
Murattal is the pace you hear in almost any complete recording of the Quran: even, unhurried, without the drawn-out repetitions of the mujawwad style. It is what most Mushaf recordings are by default, and it is the only practical choice if you are memorising by listening, since the tempo stays close enough to reading pace to follow along in the text.
Mohamed Siddiq Al-Minshawi and AbdulBaset AbdulSamad both recorded a full, 114-surah Murattal reading in the Hafs an Asim transmission, alongside a separate recording in another style entirely.
Mujawwad: the recording built to be listened to
Mujawwad is slower and far more elaborate. A reciter working in this style draws a phrase out, returns to it, takes it again with a different vocal turn, and lets the silence between ayat run long. It is made for attentive listening rather than for study, and it is what most people picture when they picture classical Quran recitation. The mujawwad recordings of AbdulBaset AbdulSamad and Al-Minshawi are the reference recordings most listeners reach for; you can read more about both reciters in our guide to well known reciters.
Both reciters recorded the complete 114 surahs in this style as a release separate from their murattal recording, which is a sign of how differently the two are treated: not one recording played at two speeds, but two distinct recordings made for two distinct purposes.
The vocal ornamentation at the centre of mujawwad recitation has old roots. "Beautify the Qur'an with your voices," as recorded in Sunan Abi Dawud 1468, graded sahih by al-Albani.
Muallim: the recording built to be repeated
Muallim recordings serve a third purpose again: teaching. The reciter reads a short phrase, usually no more than a few words, then leaves a pause long enough for a listener to say it back before moving on. Mahmoud Khalil Al-Husary's Muallim recording is the one most searches for "Husary muallim" are looking for.
Al-Minshawi recorded a matching Mushaf Muallim of his own, a separate, complete 114-surah release alongside his murattal and mujawwad recordings. That makes him something close to a full set: the same voice, recorded three different ways for three different jobs, following, listening and repeating.
Where the word tartil comes from
None of the three names was invented out of nothing. The root of murattal is tartil, the word the Quran itself uses for a measured, unhurried recitation:
أَوْ زِدْ عَلَيْهِ وَرَتِّلِ الْقُرْآنَ تَرْتِيلًا ﴿٤﴾
المزمل: 4"Or add to it, and recite the Qur'ān with measured recitation."
Al-Muzzammil 73:4, Saheeh International
Ibn Kathir's tafsir explains that reciting the Quran with tartil means reading it slowly, since that helps in understanding it and reflecting on it. The measured pace named in this ayah is the same idea murattal recordings are built around, even though "murattal" itself only became a recording label centuries later, once there were recordings to label.
Which one should you actually listen to?
For following the text, memorising, or listening while doing something else, murattal is the practical choice. It is what almost every complete Mushaf recording gives you by default, Quran Orb included. For hearing what a trained reciter can do with a single phrase, put on a mujawwad recording and give it your full attention; our guide to Quran recitation styles is a good place to understand how this sits alongside differences in transmission, like Hafs and Warsh. Muallim recordings are built for a specific job, repeating a phrase back: they are made for a child learning a surah, or an adult starting from the beginning.
None of this is a ladder. A reciter moving from a mujawwad recording to a murattal one of the same surah is not stepping down. He is making a different recording for a different use.
Frequently asked questions
Is mujawwad better than murattal?
No. They are different recordings made for different uses, not a ranking, and the same reciter often records both. AbdulBaset AbdulSamad and Al-Minshawi each recorded a complete Murattal reading and a separate complete Mujawwad reading.
Where do the words murattal, mujawwad and muallim come from?
They describe how a specific recording sounds and what it is used for, and took their current shape in twentieth-century Egyptian radio and recording, not in earlier scholarship. Murattal's root, tartil, is older: it is the word the Quran uses in Al-Muzzammil 73:4 for measured recitation.
What is a Mushaf Muallim?
A teaching recording in which the reciter reads a short phrase and pauses long enough for the listener to repeat it. Mahmoud Khalil Al-Husary's recording is the one most searches for "Husary muallim" are looking for, and Al-Minshawi recorded a complete version of his own.
Which reciter recorded in all three styles?
Mohamed Siddiq Al-Minshawi is the clearest example. He recorded the complete 114 surahs in murattal, in mujawwad and in muallim.
Is murattal the same thing as the Hafs transmission?
No, and the two get mixed up often. Hafs an Asim is a transmission (riwayah), a documented reading of the text; murattal is a pace and manner of delivery. A recording can be both Hafs and murattal at once, which is what most complete recordings are, but the words are answering different questions.
Sources
- Saheeh International, English translation of the Quran
- Tafsir Ibn Kathir
- Sunan Abi Dawud 1468, graded sahih