Can the Qur’an Be Recited in Ten Qirāʾāt? Why Do We Commonly Use Only One?
Source: Fatāwā ʿUlamāʾ Ahl al-Ḥadīth
❖ Question
Can the Qur’an be recited in seven qirāʾāt? And if it can, then why do we recite it in only one?
❖ Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, Ammā Baʿd!
◄ The Qur’an can be recited in ten qirāʾāt.
◄ All these qirāʾāt are authentic, mutawātir, and are part of the Qur’an.
◄ Whichever qirāʾah one recites, it is considered Qur’an, and the reward is the same.
✿ Why Do We Commonly Use Only One?
In reality, even today more than one riwāyah is recited and taught across the world:
❀ Riwāyah Qālūn
❀ Riwāyah Warsh
❀ Riwāyah Dūrī
❀ Riwāyah Ḥafṣ
- Different countries print and circulate the Qur’an according to these riwāyāt.
- King Fahd Complex (Saudi Arabia) has also published the Qur’an in these four riwāyāt.
- Religious seminaries of all schools of thought continue to teach these qirāʾāt.
✿ Misconception Among the Public
◄ Due to lack of knowledge, some people deny the qirāʾāt.
◄ Denial of qirāʾāt is, in reality, denial of the Qur’an itself.
◄ The one who denies the Qur’an is, by consensus, outside the fold of Islam.
✿ For Further Study
The journal Rashd (published by Maktabah Ḥadīth Library) released three special issues under the title Qirāʾāt Number, covering detailed discussions on Qur’anic qirāʾāt.
