What is the ruling on tajwid (the rules of Qur'anic recitation)?

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : Because it is obligatory. Yes, in any case, they have a doubt regarding this. If they say that tajwid requires beautifying the voice in the Qur'an, and that the recitation of one who performs tajwid is more pleasant to the ear than the recitation of one who does not, and the Messenger denied that any of us is one who does not sing with the Qur'an, this implies that abandoning the singing is among the major sins, because the Messenger does not disavow anything except that it is among the major sins. But the answer to this is to say that singing is a relative matter, and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) clarified it by his saying, as narrated by the people of the Sunan, "Adorn your voices with the Qur'an," and what is meant by that is adorning the voice. It is not a characteristic of the performance. It is not a characteristic of the performance.
And there is a difference between the characteristic of the performance and adorning the voice. The correct view in the issue of tajwid is that it is a recommended practice (sunnah) as long as it does not lead to exaggeration, in which case it is blameworthy. As for it being obligatory, it is not obligatory.

The questioner : That the man recited for the poor and the emigrants and did not prolong it, so he criticized him, and they said, "The Companions did not criticize except in a matter that is obligatory."

The Shaykh : It is known that if he did not prolong it, he said and I think the wording is not like this, if you bring me the wording. But if one does not prolong, the meaning may differ.