Scholarly Review and Defense of Objections on Qur'anic Readings
Services of Panipati Scholars in the Field of Qur'anic Readings
The Panipati scholars of the Qirā’āt tradition have rendered remarkable services in transferring the knowledge of Qirā’āt to the Urdu language in the Indian subcontinent. Notable among these figures are Qārī Muḥī al-Islām ‘Uthmānī Panipati, Qārī Muḥammad Fatḥ A‘mā, Qārī Raḥīm Bakhsh, and Qārī Muḥammad Ṭāhir Raḥīmī (رحمہم اللہ), who are distinguished due to their unparalleled scholarly contributions. Among them, Qārī Ṭāhir Raḥīmī (رحمہ اللہ) holds a special status as he not only mastered the sciences of Tajwīd and Qirā’āt but also attained proficiency in various other Islamic sciences.
Scholarly Contributions of Qārī Ṭāhir Raḥīmī
✔ Qārī Ṭāhir Raḥīmī achieved the first position across Pakistan in the Dars-e-Niẓāmī and ‘Ālimiyyah examinations under the Wifāq al-Madāris al-‘Arabiyyah.
✔ He authored detailed works on the introduction, authenticity, and proof of Qirā’āt. His book Kashf al-Naẓar (Urdu translation of Kitāb al-Nashr) is a clear example, spanning four hundred and fifty pages.
✔ Qārī Ṭāhir Raḥīmī offered a well-reasoned rebuttal to the views of ‘Allāmah Tamannā ‘Imādī, who denied the authenticity of Qirā’āt. His thousand-page treatise Difā‘ Qirā’āt is a masterpiece in this regard, which was later presented in an abridged form by Qārī Muḥammad Ṣafdar.
Analysis of the Views of the Rejecters of Qirā’āt and ‘Allāmah Tamannā ‘Imādī
Objections on the Qur’an: A Historical Perspective
Objections against the Qur’an have existed since the time of Prophethood. The polytheists of Makkah labeled the Qur’an as fables of the ancients and a human invention, but these claims were refuted. Similarly, in the present age, Orientalists and some weak-minded individuals have conspired against the Qur’an. ‘Allāmah Tamannā ‘Imādī is among those who raised multiple objections against the Qur’an and Qur’anic readings.
Objections by ‘Allāmah Tamannā ‘Imādī
✿ He claimed that the Qur’anic readings were fabricated by the Rāfiḍah and heretical sects.
✿ He criticized the reciters and the transmitters of Qirā’āt.
Responses to the Objections
① Claim: Qur’anic readings are a fabrication due to the undotted and unvowelled Muṣḥafs
Response:
Response:
③ Claim: Qirā’āt are fabricated by the Rāfiḍah
Response:
“Indeed, it is We who sent down the Reminder, and indeed, We will be its guardian.”
(al-Ḥijr: 9)
﴿وَلَوْ كَانَ مِنْ عِندِ غَيْرِ اللَّهِ لَوَجَدُوا فِيهِ اخْتِلَافًا كَثِيرًا﴾
“And if it had been from [any] other than Allah, they would have found within it much contradiction.”
(al-Nisā’: 82)
Objections on the Imāms of Qirā’āt
‘Allāmah Tamannā ‘Imādī raised various objections against renowned Imāms of Qirā’āt, targeting their reliability and scholarly capability.
✔ Objections on Imām Nāfi‘
Claim: Nāfi‘ was a mawlā (client) and his teachers were unknown.
Response: Nāfi‘ learned Qirā’āt from the most prominent teachers of Madīnah (Abū Jaʿfar, Ibn Abī Rabīʿah, etc.). He learned from seventy Tābiʿīn and his Qirā’ah was declared Sunnah by Imām Mālik and others.
✔ Objections on Imām ‘Āṣim and his student Ḥafṣ
Claim: ‘Āṣim had weak memory and Ḥafṣ is weak in ḥadīth.
Response: While ‘Āṣim may have been weak in ḥadīth, there is consensus on his reliability in Qirā’āt. Ḥafṣ’s weakness pertains to ḥadīth, not to Qirā’āt, in which he was the foremost expert of Imām ‘Āṣim.
✔ Objections on Imām Ḥamzah al-Kūfī
Claim: The muḥaddithīn disliked his Qirā’ah.
Response: The muḥaddithīn disapproved of certain pronunciation styles of some of Ḥamzah’s students, not of the original Qirā’ah itself. The Ummah is agreed on the authenticity of Imām Ḥamzah’s Qirā’ah.
✔ Objections on Imām Kisā’ī
Claim: His teachers were Shī‘ah.
Response: This claim is baseless. His teachers, such as Ibn Abī Laylā and Aʿmash, were reliable scholars.
Conclusion
To remove the doubts and misconceptions regarding the science of Qirā’āt, the work of Qārī Ṭāhir Raḥīmī (رحمہ اللہ) in his book Difā‘ Qirā’āt stands as an outstanding scholarly effort. In this book, he has meticulously refuted the objections of ‘Allāmah Tamannā ‘Imādī and proven that the Qur’anic readings are not only authentic and established through mass transmission, but also that Allah’s promise of protecting the Qur’an is being fulfilled through them.
Services of Panipati Scholars in the Field of Qur'anic Readings
The Panipati scholars of the Qirā’āt tradition have rendered remarkable services in transferring the knowledge of Qirā’āt to the Urdu language in the Indian subcontinent. Notable among these figures are Qārī Muḥī al-Islām ‘Uthmānī Panipati, Qārī Muḥammad Fatḥ A‘mā, Qārī Raḥīm Bakhsh, and Qārī Muḥammad Ṭāhir Raḥīmī (رحمہم اللہ), who are distinguished due to their unparalleled scholarly contributions. Among them, Qārī Ṭāhir Raḥīmī (رحمہ اللہ) holds a special status as he not only mastered the sciences of Tajwīd and Qirā’āt but also attained proficiency in various other Islamic sciences.
Scholarly Contributions of Qārī Ṭāhir Raḥīmī
✔ Qārī Ṭāhir Raḥīmī achieved the first position across Pakistan in the Dars-e-Niẓāmī and ‘Ālimiyyah examinations under the Wifāq al-Madāris al-‘Arabiyyah.
✔ He authored detailed works on the introduction, authenticity, and proof of Qirā’āt. His book Kashf al-Naẓar (Urdu translation of Kitāb al-Nashr) is a clear example, spanning four hundred and fifty pages.
✔ Qārī Ṭāhir Raḥīmī offered a well-reasoned rebuttal to the views of ‘Allāmah Tamannā ‘Imādī, who denied the authenticity of Qirā’āt. His thousand-page treatise Difā‘ Qirā’āt is a masterpiece in this regard, which was later presented in an abridged form by Qārī Muḥammad Ṣafdar.
Analysis of the Views of the Rejecters of Qirā’āt and ‘Allāmah Tamannā ‘Imādī
Objections on the Qur’an: A Historical Perspective
Objections against the Qur’an have existed since the time of Prophethood. The polytheists of Makkah labeled the Qur’an as fables of the ancients and a human invention, but these claims were refuted. Similarly, in the present age, Orientalists and some weak-minded individuals have conspired against the Qur’an. ‘Allāmah Tamannā ‘Imādī is among those who raised multiple objections against the Qur’an and Qur’anic readings.
Objections by ‘Allāmah Tamannā ‘Imādī
✿ He claimed that the Qur’anic readings were fabricated by the Rāfiḍah and heretical sects.
✿ He criticized the reciters and the transmitters of Qirā’āt.
Responses to the Objections
① Claim: Qur’anic readings are a fabrication due to the undotted and unvowelled Muṣḥafs
Response:
- The current form of Qur’anic words and diacritical marks did not exist in the time of the Prophet ﷺ, but the Arabs of that era were linguistic experts and could easily distinguish between similar-looking letters.
- Historical evidence shows that the current system of diacritical marks and dots was implemented under the orders of ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Marwān through Ḥajjāj ibn Yūsuf, as stated by ‘Allāmah Zarqānī in Manāhil al-‘Irfān (1/400).
- According to ‘Allāmah Zarqānī, the first to introduce the system of vowel signs was Abū al-Aswad al-Du’alī to help non-Arab Muslims recite the Qur’an correctly.
Response:
- The origin of the differences in readings is not due to the absence of dots but rather based on oral transmission and the variations directly taught by the Prophet ﷺ himself.
- The script of the Qur’an (rasm al-Khaṭṭ) was intentionally preserved in a manner that accommodated all the transmitted readings.
- The claim that the differences in readings were fabricated by the Rāfiḍah in Kūfah is false, as the status of Qirā’āt has been acknowledged and preserved in every era.
③ Claim: Qirā’āt are fabricated by the Rāfiḍah
Response:
- Claiming that Qur’anic readings were fabricated goes against the promise of the preservation of the Qur’an by Allah:
“Indeed, it is We who sent down the Reminder, and indeed, We will be its guardian.”
(al-Ḥijr: 9)
- The chain of transmission of Qirā’āt is established through tawātur (mass transmission) and its chains of narration are reliable.
- There is no contradiction in the Qirā’āt, as Allah says:
﴿وَلَوْ كَانَ مِنْ عِندِ غَيْرِ اللَّهِ لَوَجَدُوا فِيهِ اخْتِلَافًا كَثِيرًا﴾
“And if it had been from [any] other than Allah, they would have found within it much contradiction.”
(al-Nisā’: 82)
Objections on the Imāms of Qirā’āt
‘Allāmah Tamannā ‘Imādī raised various objections against renowned Imāms of Qirā’āt, targeting their reliability and scholarly capability.
✔ Objections on Imām Nāfi‘
Claim: Nāfi‘ was a mawlā (client) and his teachers were unknown.
Response: Nāfi‘ learned Qirā’āt from the most prominent teachers of Madīnah (Abū Jaʿfar, Ibn Abī Rabīʿah, etc.). He learned from seventy Tābiʿīn and his Qirā’ah was declared Sunnah by Imām Mālik and others.
✔ Objections on Imām ‘Āṣim and his student Ḥafṣ
Claim: ‘Āṣim had weak memory and Ḥafṣ is weak in ḥadīth.
Response: While ‘Āṣim may have been weak in ḥadīth, there is consensus on his reliability in Qirā’āt. Ḥafṣ’s weakness pertains to ḥadīth, not to Qirā’āt, in which he was the foremost expert of Imām ‘Āṣim.
✔ Objections on Imām Ḥamzah al-Kūfī
Claim: The muḥaddithīn disliked his Qirā’ah.
Response: The muḥaddithīn disapproved of certain pronunciation styles of some of Ḥamzah’s students, not of the original Qirā’ah itself. The Ummah is agreed on the authenticity of Imām Ḥamzah’s Qirā’ah.
✔ Objections on Imām Kisā’ī
Claim: His teachers were Shī‘ah.
Response: This claim is baseless. His teachers, such as Ibn Abī Laylā and Aʿmash, were reliable scholars.
Conclusion
To remove the doubts and misconceptions regarding the science of Qirā’āt, the work of Qārī Ṭāhir Raḥīmī (رحمہ اللہ) in his book Difā‘ Qirā’āt stands as an outstanding scholarly effort. In this book, he has meticulously refuted the objections of ‘Allāmah Tamannā ‘Imādī and proven that the Qur’anic readings are not only authentic and established through mass transmission, but also that Allah’s promise of protecting the Qur’an is being fulfilled through them.
