✿ The Approach of Modernists
Today’s modernists, under Western influence, target those Islamic rulings which are deemed objectionable by the West. Their aim is to suspend Islamic rulings and diminish their importance, whether it is by endorsing the ideas of Orientalists or by mocking Islamic teachings. However, Allah has always created individuals who refute these false notions. In the twentieth century, Maulana Syed Abul A’la Maududi (رحمه الله) emerged as a prominent figure who safeguarded Islamic thought and explained Islamic teachings in accordance with modern times.
✿ Question and Doubts Regarding the Issue of Qira’at
A question often raised is that the Qur’an is preserved exactly as it was revealed to the Noble Prophet ﷺ, yet there are still differences in Qira’at. Various authentic books record these differences in Qira’at, in which there are differences in vowelization and sometimes even in wording. If alteration in the Qur’an is impossible, how can the concept of differences in Qira’at be accurate?
✿ Reality of Qira’at and Its Explanation
It is indeed true that the Noble Qur’an is preserved without any alteration to this day. However, it is also a fact that the Qur’an has been narrated with different Qira’at directly from the Prophet ﷺ. In the beginning, the Qur’an was transmitted orally, and the noble companions memorized it after hearing it from the Prophet ﷺ and then conveyed it to the next generations. In the early period, without vowel marks and diacritical points, variations in pronunciation were possible, but the true criterion was the oral tradition reaching back to the Prophet ﷺ.
✿ History of Script and Vowelization
✔ In the beginning, the Qur’an was written without vowel marks and diacritical points.
✔ The practice of adding vowel marks started in 45 AH during the governorship of Ziyad (رحمه الله) in Basra, when Abul Aswad al-Du’ali (رحمه الله) suggested signs for vowelization.
✔ In 65 AH, Hajjaj bin Yusuf (رحمه الله) introduced further improvements by adding diacritical points and signs for fatḥah, kasrah, and ḍammah. These measures were taken to prevent mistakes in the recitation of the Qur’an by non-native speakers.
✿ Sources of Authentication of Qira’at
✔ The various Qira’at of the Qur’an have been preserved through oral tradition.
✔ The noble companions and their students, the Tābi’īn, transmitted the original Qira’at of the Qur’an to subsequent generations.
✔ Uthman (رضي الله عنه) prepared official copies of the Qur’an and dispatched them to different centers, along with expert reciters to teach the correct recitation.
✿ The Seven Renowned Qurrā’ and Their Qira’at
The reputable Imams of Qur’anic Qira’at are as follows:
① Nāfi‘ bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān (رحمه الله) (Madina)
② ‘Abdullāh bin Kathīr (رحمه الله) (Makkah)
③ Abu ‘Amr bin al-‘Alā’ (رحمه الله) (Basra)
④ ‘Abdullāh bin ‘Āmir (رحمه الله) (Sham)
⑤ Ḥamza bin Ḥabīb (رحمه الله) (Kufa)
⑥ ‘Āṣim bin Abi al-Najūd (رحمه الله) (Kufa)
⑦ ‘Ali al-Kisā’ī (رحمه الله) (Kufa)
These Imams’ Qira’at are Mutawātir (mass-transmitted) and their chains of transmission reach back to the noble companions and the Prophet ﷺ.
✿ Nature of Differences in Qira’at
The differences in various Qira’at of the Qur’an do not create contradictions; rather, they enhance the meanings with breadth and depth.
For example:
✔ “مٰلِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ” and “مَلِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ” – Both recitations express an attribute of Allah, one as “Owner” and the other as “King.”
✔ In the verse of ablution, “أَرْجُلَكُمْ” (washing the feet) and “أَرْجُلِكُمْ” (wiping over the feet) – These Qira’at highlight the rulings applicable in different situations.
✿ Conditions for Accepting a Qira’ah
① It must be in accordance with the script of the Uthmanic codex (Mushaf).
② It must comply with the rules of language and grammar.
③ It must have an authentic chain of transmission reaching back to the Prophet ﷺ.
✿ Summary
The differences in the Qira’at of the Noble Qur’an are not contradictions but a manifestation of ease and wisdom from Allah. These Qira’at are founded upon authentic chains of transmission and oral tradition reaching back to the Prophet ﷺ. In these differences lie depth and the expansion of rulings, which enriches the understanding of the Qur’an.
Today’s modernists, under Western influence, target those Islamic rulings which are deemed objectionable by the West. Their aim is to suspend Islamic rulings and diminish their importance, whether it is by endorsing the ideas of Orientalists or by mocking Islamic teachings. However, Allah has always created individuals who refute these false notions. In the twentieth century, Maulana Syed Abul A’la Maududi (رحمه الله) emerged as a prominent figure who safeguarded Islamic thought and explained Islamic teachings in accordance with modern times.
✿ Question and Doubts Regarding the Issue of Qira’at
A question often raised is that the Qur’an is preserved exactly as it was revealed to the Noble Prophet ﷺ, yet there are still differences in Qira’at. Various authentic books record these differences in Qira’at, in which there are differences in vowelization and sometimes even in wording. If alteration in the Qur’an is impossible, how can the concept of differences in Qira’at be accurate?
✿ Reality of Qira’at and Its Explanation
It is indeed true that the Noble Qur’an is preserved without any alteration to this day. However, it is also a fact that the Qur’an has been narrated with different Qira’at directly from the Prophet ﷺ. In the beginning, the Qur’an was transmitted orally, and the noble companions memorized it after hearing it from the Prophet ﷺ and then conveyed it to the next generations. In the early period, without vowel marks and diacritical points, variations in pronunciation were possible, but the true criterion was the oral tradition reaching back to the Prophet ﷺ.
✿ History of Script and Vowelization
✔ In the beginning, the Qur’an was written without vowel marks and diacritical points.
✔ The practice of adding vowel marks started in 45 AH during the governorship of Ziyad (رحمه الله) in Basra, when Abul Aswad al-Du’ali (رحمه الله) suggested signs for vowelization.
✔ In 65 AH, Hajjaj bin Yusuf (رحمه الله) introduced further improvements by adding diacritical points and signs for fatḥah, kasrah, and ḍammah. These measures were taken to prevent mistakes in the recitation of the Qur’an by non-native speakers.
✿ Sources of Authentication of Qira’at
✔ The various Qira’at of the Qur’an have been preserved through oral tradition.
✔ The noble companions and their students, the Tābi’īn, transmitted the original Qira’at of the Qur’an to subsequent generations.
✔ Uthman (رضي الله عنه) prepared official copies of the Qur’an and dispatched them to different centers, along with expert reciters to teach the correct recitation.
✿ The Seven Renowned Qurrā’ and Their Qira’at
The reputable Imams of Qur’anic Qira’at are as follows:
① Nāfi‘ bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān (رحمه الله) (Madina)
② ‘Abdullāh bin Kathīr (رحمه الله) (Makkah)
③ Abu ‘Amr bin al-‘Alā’ (رحمه الله) (Basra)
④ ‘Abdullāh bin ‘Āmir (رحمه الله) (Sham)
⑤ Ḥamza bin Ḥabīb (رحمه الله) (Kufa)
⑥ ‘Āṣim bin Abi al-Najūd (رحمه الله) (Kufa)
⑦ ‘Ali al-Kisā’ī (رحمه الله) (Kufa)
These Imams’ Qira’at are Mutawātir (mass-transmitted) and their chains of transmission reach back to the noble companions and the Prophet ﷺ.
✿ Nature of Differences in Qira’at
The differences in various Qira’at of the Qur’an do not create contradictions; rather, they enhance the meanings with breadth and depth.
For example:
✔ “مٰلِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ” and “مَلِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ” – Both recitations express an attribute of Allah, one as “Owner” and the other as “King.”
✔ In the verse of ablution, “أَرْجُلَكُمْ” (washing the feet) and “أَرْجُلِكُمْ” (wiping over the feet) – These Qira’at highlight the rulings applicable in different situations.
✿ Conditions for Accepting a Qira’ah
① It must be in accordance with the script of the Uthmanic codex (Mushaf).
② It must comply with the rules of language and grammar.
③ It must have an authentic chain of transmission reaching back to the Prophet ﷺ.
✿ Summary
The differences in the Qira’at of the Noble Qur’an are not contradictions but a manifestation of ease and wisdom from Allah. These Qira’at are founded upon authentic chains of transmission and oral tradition reaching back to the Prophet ﷺ. In these differences lie depth and the expansion of rulings, which enriches the understanding of the Qur’an.
