Confusion about Recitation

From watching the HBO documentary Koran by Heart, I found it interesting that the recitation of the Qu'ran could and has become such a science.  In Approaching the Qu'ran, Michael Sells constantly stresses the fact that Islam is a highly experiential religion because of the ritualized readings and recitations of the Qu'ran.  Much of the understanding of the text comes from hearing its original Arabic verses spoken aloud, recreating Allah's revelation of those very words to Muhammad. However, he doesn't really dwell on the subject of the conscientious, almost scrutinizing, obsession with the perfection of the recitation.

I thought about Christianity and how the majority of pastors and ministers I know read scripture out of the Bible.  There is no such culture (or competition) of memorization and perfect recitation of the Bible. However, it is easy to tell the difference between someone who is reading the Bible well and someone who is reading it poorly.  That is probably also the case with the Qu'ran. I was just a little surprised to see the tradition of the Qu'ran recitation competition, something that doesn't exist with any other religious text, being so particular about proper form and style when I had previously held the view that it was a more relaxed, all-inclusive practice.

Sells writes in his book that for some suras, like "The Sura of the Compassionate," "...only God's recitation could adequately enunciate its beauty and perfection." (Sells, 145)  I suppose the purpose of something like a Qu'ran recitation competition would be to find someone who comes closest to representing Allah's perfection of speech and tone.  However, this can be construed as a way to refine and diminish Allah's all-encompassing power, something Muslims and the Qu'ran are intent on not doing. Therefore, I am a bit confused about how the competition portrayed in Koran by Heart emerged out of and fits into the Islamic religion as we have studied it. Other than that, I found the movie thoroughly enjoyable and educational and I look forward to watching the rest in class tomorrow.