I guess your dislike of maqamaat stem from the fatawa of condemntaion from certain quarters, with whom you seem to be affiliated with. Do you believe it is haram, even when tajwid rules are adhered to? In actual fact, many of the 'salafi' qurra' often confirm to the guidlines of specific maqams. Take for instance Shaykh b. Abu Bakr ash-Shatri hafizahuLlah who recites in Nahawand during Tarawih. There is also a video of him reciting in al-'Ajam. Shaykh Muhammad Ayyub also recites in bayaat and and nahawand. What's most ironic, however, is that al-Minshawi -- who you claim to like -- recites primarily in Bayaat -- which you claim to dislike. So does al-'Afasi. The fact is, the maqamaat are not strict codes to be adhered to like tajwid. Rather, they are sets of notes which clearly affect one's heart in certain specific ways, and this has been tried and tested for centuries. Indeed, nahawand and bayaat, being so easy on the tongue and the heart, makes reflection easier and accomodates the tajwid rules. Read more at the Multaqa forums (http://www.****************/vb/showthread.php?t=197322), especially the posts of Khalil al-Fa'idah and and Abu Fihr as-salafi. It's really sad that we dich a tradition which clearly works, and has been tried for an extremely long time. What's even more sad is claiming to dislike maqamaat, and liking the qurra' who recite in those maqamaat. That said, I personally -- having not mastered them -- do not recite in them. was-salam