Bukhari

Hadith Commentary:
In this noble hadith, the word "Surah Furqan" is mentioned.
This is the reason for its relevance to the chapter.
It is also evident from this hadith that it is necessary to avoid division and dissension in various matters.

Hadith Commentary:
➊
In this hadith, the word "Surah al-Furqan" is mentioned. From this, it is understood that there is absolutely no harm in adopting this manner. Although in a narration from Ibn Abbas (radi Allahu anhu), it is reported that when any verse was revealed, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would say: "Write it in the surah in which such-and-such thing is mentioned." Nevertheless, there is consensus on the point that there is no harm in saying "Surah al-Baqarah" and "Surah Aal Imran."
➋
This very manner has been adopted in the copies of the Qur'an (masahif) and books of exegesis (tafsir), and the hadith of Abu Mas'ud (radi Allahu anhu), which has already been mentioned, indicates permissibility.
(Fath al-Bari: 9/110)

Hadith Commentary:

By the seven ways or seven ahruf, seven recitations (qira'at) are meant. For example, in "Maliki Yawmid-Deen," there are different recitations such as "Maliki Yawmid-Deen" and "Malaki Yawmid-Deen." These do not cause any difference in meaning; therefore, reciting the Noble Qur'an in any of these seven recitations is permissible.

However, the widely known and common recitations are those in which the present Qur'an exists in the form of the Uthmani codex (Mushaf Uthmani).

Hadith Commentary:
1.
There is much disagreement regarding the identification of the seven ahruf (letters/modes).
Some scholars have interpreted this as referring to seven dialects, but this is not correct, because both Hisham and Umar (radi Allahu anhuma) were Qurayshi, and their dialect was the same, yet they still differed.
It is not reasonable that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would teach the Noble Qur’an to a person in a dialect that was not his own.
Some have taken the position that what is meant is expressing a single meaning with different letters and words, even if it is within the same dialect, because Umar and Hisham (radi Allahu anhuma) shared the same dialect, yet their recitation differed.
There is agreement on two points in this matter:
➊
Reading the Noble Qur’an in the seven ahruf does not mean that every word of the Qur’an can be recited in seven ways, because, except for a few words, most words do not fall under this principle.
➋
The seven ahruf do not refer to the seven famous recitations (qira’at) associated with the well-known imams, because the first person to compile these seven recitations was Ibn Mujahid, who belonged to the sixth century.
2.
Imam al-Jazari (rahimahullah) states that he found this hadith very difficult until he pondered over it for more than thirty years.
He concluded that the differences in recitation do not go beyond seven types, which are as follows:
➊
A difference only in vowelization (harakat), without any change in meaning or written form, as in the word "yahsubu" being read in two ways, and "bukhl" being read in four ways.
➋
A difference only in meaning, not in written form, as in the verse:
﴿فَتَلَقَّى آدَمُ مِنْ رَبِّهِ كَلِمَاتٍ﴾
which is read in two ways:
- Adam in the nominative and kalimat in the accusative case.
- Adam in the accusative and kalimat in the nominative case.
➌
A change in the letters (huruf) rather than the written form, resulting in a change of meaning, as in "tabluwa" being read as "tatluwa."
➍
A change in the letters rather than the written form, but without any change in meaning, as in "bastah" being read as "bastah" and "as-sirat" as "as-sirat."
➎
A change in both the written form and the letters, resulting in a change of meaning, as in "ashaddu minkum" being read as "ashaddu minhum."
➏
A difference in word order (taqdim wa ta’khir), as in "fayaqtuluna wayuqtaluna," where the first is active and the second is passive, and it is read as "wayuqtaluna fayaqtuluna."
➐
A difference in addition or omission of letters, as in "wa awsa" being read as "wa wassa."
In addition to this, there are differences in pronunciation rules such as izhar and idgham, rum and ishmam, tafkhim and tarqiq, madd and qasr, imalah and fath, tahqiq and tas-hil, and ibdal and naql, etc., which are called "usul" (principles) in the science of recitation.
These are not differences that change the meaning or the word itself (al-Nashr: 1/26).
In the present era, some scholars claim that there is only one recitation of the Noble Qur’an, which is the one recorded in our copies of the Qur’an, and that all other recitations taught or learned in madrasas or adopted by people in certain regions are remnants of the fitnah of non-Arabs.
In our view, this claim is baseless, because these recitations have been transmitted with tawatur (mass transmission) from the Companions and Followers, and are within the limits of and in accordance with the Uthmanic script.
3.
It should be clear that for any recitation to be considered authentic in the Noble Qur’an, the following rule applies:
➊ Any recitation that conforms to the rules of Arabic grammar, even if this conformity is by possibility;
➋ It matches one of the Uthmanic codices, even if this conformity is by possibility;
➌ It is established by a sound, mutawatir chain of transmission.
According to this principle, any recitation that fulfills these conditions is a sound recitation and is among the seven ahruf upon which the Qur’an was revealed, and it is obligatory upon all Muslims to accept it.
If any of these three conditions are not met, then that recitation is considered anomalous (shadh), weak, or invalid.
(al-Nashr: 1/9)
In any case, the mutawatir recitations, which are referred to as the ahruf sab‘ah in the hadiths, still exist today, and there is no reasonable basis for denying them.
And Allah knows best.
4.
It is also necessary to clarify that at the time of the compilation of the Qur’an, Arabic script was devoid of dots and vowel marks, so it was possible for different recitations to be accommodated within a single written form.
When, for people’s convenience, dots and vowel marks were added to the letters, the Noble Qur’an began to be published in separate recitations. Thus, in our region (the Indian subcontinent), the recitation of Imam ‘Asim according to the narration of Hafs is prevalent. Similarly, in the Maghreb, Algeria, Andalusia, and North Africa, the recitation of Nafi‘ according to the narration of Warsh is common, and the Qur’an is published accordingly. The writer himself saw separate copies of the Qur’an in Madinah al-Tayyibah during his studies, according to the narration of Qalun and Warsh from Nafi‘, and also saw a copy according to the recitation of Imam Kisai.
This clarification is necessary because in our region only copies containing the narration of Hafs are available, so it is considered synonymous with the Qur’an, and on this basis, other mutawatir recitations are denied, whereas the reality is otherwise.
Recently, the King Fahd Complex in Saudi Arabia has also printed millions of copies according to the narration of Warsh, the narration of Duri, and the narration of Qalun for those Muslim countries where these recitations are followed.
And Allah is the One whose help is sought.

Hadith Commentary:
From this hadith, Imam Bukhari deduced that recitation (qira’ah) is one thing and the Qur’an is another; therefore, there can be differences in recitation, as occurred between Umar and Hisham in their recitation.
However, there can be no difference in the Qur’an itself.
Among the recitations of the Qur’an, the easiest is Surah al-Fatihah.
Therefore, it too is included in this.
It also means that you may recite from wherever you have memorized the Noble Qur’an, and recite as much as you are able to with ease.
There is a specific instruction for the imam that, at the time of recitation, he must certainly take the followers (muqtadis) into consideration.

Hadith Commentary:
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has established the chapter heading from the last part of the hadith, that one should recite according to the recitation (qira’ah) in which there is ease. The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam attributed “reciting” to the Companions. This is evidence that reciting the Qur’an is their action, because the attribute of ease is found in it. People differ in this regard. There can be differences in recitation, as occurred between Umar radi Allahu anhu and Hisham radi Allahu anhu, but the Noble Qur’an itself is not a place of difference, because it is the speech of Allah, and reciting the Qur’an according to ease is the action of the servants, which is created. It can also mean that one may recite from wherever the Qur’an is memorized, and one should recite as much as is easy. However, the imam is instructed to definitely take his followers into consideration when reciting.

Extremely Important Note:
There is much disagreement regarding the identification of the seven letters (huruf sab‘ah). Some people have taken this to mean seven dialects, but this is not correct, because both Umar radi Allahu anhu and Hisham radi Allahu anhu were Qurayshi, and their dialect was the same, yet they differed. It is not reasonable that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam would teach the Qur’an to a person in a dialect that was not his own. Some have taken the position that what is meant is expressing a single meaning with different synonymous words, even if from the same dialect, because Umar radi Allahu anhu and Hisham radi Allahu anhu had the same dialect, yet their recitation differed.

There is agreement on two points in this matter:
➊ The meaning of reciting the Noble Qur’an according to the seven letters is not that every word of the Qur’an can be recited in seven ways, because apart from a few words, most words do not fall under this principle.
➋ The seven letters do not refer to the recitations of the seven imams who became famous in this regard. The first person who undertook to compile these seven recitations was Ibn Mujahid, who belonged to the fourth century.

Imam Jazari rahimahullah says that he found this hadith very difficult until he pondered over it for more than thirty years. He concluded that the differences in recitation do not go beyond seven types, which are as follows:

➊ There will be a difference only in the vowels (harakat), without any change in meaning or written form, as in the word (بخل) which has been recited in four ways: (بُخلّ) with dammah on the ba, (بَخَلّ) with fatha, (بخّل) with shadda, and (بُخُلّ). And the word (يَحسبُ) has been recited with both fatha and kasrah on the “s”.

➋ There will be a difference only in meaning, not in the written form, as in (فَتَلَقَّى آدَمُ مِنْ رَبِّهِ كَلِمَاتٍ), which has been recited in two ways:
- Adam in the nominative and kalimat in the accusative.
- Adam in the accusative and kalimat in the nominative.

➌ There will be a change in the letters, not in the written form, which changes the meaning, as in (تَبلُوا) recited as (تَتلُوا).

➍ There will be a change in the letters, not in the written form, but without changing the meaning, as in (بَصطَة) recited as (بَسطَة), and (الصِرَاط) recited as (السِرَاط).

➎ There will be a change in both the written form and the letters, which changes the meaning, as in (أَشَدَّ مِنْكُمْ) recited as (أَشَدُّ مِنْهُم).

➏ There will be a difference in the order (taqdim wa ta’khir), as in (فَيَقْتُلُونَ وَيُقْتَلُونَ), where the first is active and the second is passive. It is also recited as (وَيُقْتَلُونَ فَيَقْتُلُونَ).

➐ There will be a difference in the addition or omission of letters, as in (وَأَوْصّى) recited as (وَوَصَّى).

In addition to this, there are differences in izhar and idgham, rum and ishmam, tafkhim and tarqiq, madd and qasr, imalah and fath, takhfif and tas-hil, and ibdal and naql, etc., which are called “usul” (principles) in the science of recitation. These are not differences that change the meaning or the word itself. (al-Nashr, vol. 1, p. 26)

In the present era, some scholars claim that there is only one recitation of the Noble Qur’an, which is recorded in our copies of the Qur’an, and that the recitations taught in madrasahs or adopted by people in some regions are all remnants of the fitnah of non-Arabs. In our view, this claim is baseless, because these recitations have been transmitted with tawatur (mass transmission) from the Companions and the Followers, and are within the limits of the Uthmanic script and in accordance with it. They are also established by the consensus of the Ummah. Just as our copies of the Qur’an are written and recited according to the narration of Hafs, similarly, in North Africa and some other countries, copies are written and recited according to the narration of Warsh, and the governments there officially publish them. In my personal library, I have copies according to the narration of Warsh. Recently, the King Fahd Complex (Madinah Tayyibah) in Saudi Arabia has also printed millions of copies according to the narrations of Warsh, al-Duri, and Qalun for those Muslim countries where these recitations are followed.

The reality is that the text of the Noble Qur’an accommodates all the mutawatir recitations. Scholars know that the words of the Qur’an in the existing copies are written according to the Uthmanic script, and the beauty of this script is that it allows for the recitation of all the mutawatir recitations, and all these recitations fit within the script of the copies sent by Uthman radi Allahu anhu to the corners of the world. It should be clear that for any recitation to be authentic in the Noble Qur’an, the following rule applies:

“Any recitation that conforms to the rules of Arabic, even if only from one aspect, and matches any one of the Uthmanic copies, even if only potentially, and is established by a sound mutawatir chain of transmission—such a recitation is correct and among the seven letters upon which the Noble Qur’an was revealed. Muslims are obliged to accept it. If any of these three conditions are not met, then that recitation is anomalous (shadh), weak, or invalid.” (al-Nashr, vol. 1, p. 9)

To clarify that all recitations fit within the Uthmanic copies, let us give an example. Take the verse from Surah al-Fatihah: (مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ). In the Uthmanic script, without diacritical marks and dots, it is written as (مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ). In this verse, both (ملك) and (مٰالِكِ) and (مَالِكِ) can be recited, and both are mutawatir recitations. In the narration of Hafs, it is recited as (مٰالِكِ) with a standing fatha on the meem, and in the narration of Warsh, as (مَالِكِ) with a fatha on the meem. In the Hijaz, both words are used for the same meaning, i.e., the Owner of the Day of Judgment or the King of the Day of Judgment. Whoever is the king of a region is also its owner. However, where there is no mutawatir chain regarding a difference in recitation, it is impermissible and haram to recite another recitation, even if the script allows for it. For example, the second verse of Surah al-Nas, according to the Uthmanic script, is (مَلِكِ النَّاسِ), and all reciters recite it as (مَلِكِ النَّاسِ). No one recites it as (مٰلِكِ النَّاسِ) with a standing fatha, because here no difference in recitation has been transmitted.

In reality, the differences in the mutawatir recitations do not cause any alteration in the Noble Qur’an that would change its meaning or make something lawful or unlawful. Rather, despite the differences in recitation, it remains the Qur’an, and there is no difference in its essential content. In any case, the mutawatir recitations, which are referred to in the hadiths as the seven letters (ahraf sab‘ah), still exist today, and there is no reasonable cause to deny them.

Hadith Commentary:
Vocabulary of the Hadith:
(1)
لَبَّبْتُهُ بِرِدَائِهِ:
I put his cloak around his neck and pulled him with it.

(2)
كِدْتُ أَنْ أَعْجَلَ عَلَيْهِ:
I was about to rush upon him, to seize him during the recitation itself.