The Seven Ahruf
By
Safi al-Shehada
MA In Islamic Studies
Introduction: It is well known that there are seven variant
ahruf in which the Qur'an was revealed. All Muslim scholars
maintain this issue except some of Shi‘ah. Shi‘ah scholars
reject all the hadiths which say that the Qur’an was
revealed in seven ahruf, they say: these hadiths were not
narrated through the isnad of
ál al-Bayt. So they refuse all
views as long as there is no hadith narrated in according to
the methodology of She‘ah in accepting hadiths or refusing
them. Despite this, al-Khu’i mentions that he views
al-Rafi‘i’s opinion as closest to the truth! Many hadiths
support that the Qur'an was revealed in seven ahruf, but the
scholars differ on the meaning of the seven ahruf. The word
ahruf is the plural of harf. Linguistically: harf' in Arabic
refers to many meanings:
1-
The border or the edge of something. For example, Allah
says: “And among mankind is he who worships Allah (as it
were) upon a harf (i.e., upon the very edge or in doubt)"
[22:11].
2-
A letter or a word, for example, means the letters of the
alphabet.
3-To swerve from the truth, to distort. Allah says
concerning the Jews
“…they have displaced (yuharifuna) words from their right
places…” [4:46].
Religiously: none of scholars stated a specific definition
of this issue. The reason is the great difference of opinion
concerning the exact meaning of the seven ahruf. Al-Qurtubi
tried to define the Ahruf saying: “Every variation of a word
in the Qur’an is said to be a harf. So, for example, when we
say the harf of ibn Mas‘úd, it means the way that ibn Mas‘úd
used to recite that verse or word.” but this definition does
not conclude all opinions which according to al-Suyuti have
reached forty opinions: “The degree of difference of opinion
(ikhtilaf) among the scholars is to the extent of forty
sayings. Al-Suyuti has cited
the forty different interpretations in his book Al-Itqan fi
‘Ulumi’l-Qur’an and after realizing their weakness has
admitted in Tanwiru’l-Hawalik, a commentary on the
Muwa>>a’ of Imam Malik, that
this hadith should be regarded among the Mutashabihat (i.e.
something whose meaning is not known): “To me the best
opinion in this regard is that of the people who say that
this Hadith is from among matters of Mutashabihat”.
Ibn Sa‘dan declared that the true meaning of the
ahruf was known only to Allah, and thus to attempt to
investigate into this issue was futile! Muhammad ibn
al-Jazari, perhaps the greatest scholar of the qira’át said:
“I have sought to discover the meaning of these hadiths
(about the ahruf), and have pondered over them, and
contemplated this topic for over thirty years, until Allah
opened my mind to that which is the correct answer in this
matter”. That is why we cannot define al-ahruf al-sab‘ah by
concluding all different meanings.
However, some English authors had mistaken when they
translated the Arabic word al-Ahruf al Sab‘ah as seven
‘modes' or ‘dialects’. In this essay, I preferred to mention
the Arabic word ahruf or as a plural and harf as a singular
which support all opinions.
The
narrations of al-ahruf al-Sab‘ah:
Many hadiths mention that the Qur’an was revealed in seven
ahruf. All scholars of Hadith cited these hadiths,
including, al-Bukhari, Muslim, al-Tirmithi, al-Nasa‘i and
Abu dawūd narrate to name but a few. Some of these hadiths
is Mutawátir. (A mutawátir hadith is one that is reported by
a large number of narrators in every stage of the chain, so
much so that they could not all be mistaken or agree upon a
lie) Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti lists twenty-one companions who
narrated that the Qur'an was revealed in seven ahruf.
Some of these hadiths are below:
1- 'Umar
ibn al-Khattáb said: “I heard
Hisham ibn Hakim reciting Surat Al-Furqan during the
lifetime of the Allah’s Messenger, and I listened to his
recitation and noticed that he recited in several different
ways which Allah’s Messenger had not taught me. I was about
to jump over him during his prayer, but I controlled my
temper, and when he had completed his prayer, I put his
upper garment around his neck and seized him by it and said:
“Who taught you this Surat which I heard you reciting?” He
replied: “Allah’s Messenger taught it to me”. I said: “You
have told a lie; for Allah’s Messenger taught it to me in a
different way from yours”. So I dragged him to the Messenger
of Allah and said: “I heard this person reciting Surat
al-Furqan in a way which you haven’t taught me!” Then the
Messenger of Allah said: “Release him! Recite, O Hisham”.
Then he recited in the same way as I heard him reciting.
Then Allah’s Messenger said: “It was revealed in this way”.
Then he said: Recite O ‘Umar. I then recited it as he had
taught me. Allah’s Messenger said: “It was revealed in this
way. This Qur’an has been revealed to be recited in seven
different ways (ahruf), so recite of it whichever is easier
for you.”
2- Ubayy
ibn Ka‘ab narrates that once the Prophet (PBUH) met Jibrîl,
and said: “O Jibrîl! I have been sent to an illiterate
nation. Among them are old and young men and women, and
those who have never read any writing!” Jibrîl answered him,
“O Muhammad, the Qur'an has been revealed in seven ahruf!”
3-
Ubayy ibn Ka‘ab also heard two people reciting the Qur'an in
a manner different from what he had learnt. After some
discussion, both parties went to the Prophet (PBUH) and
recited the same portion to him. He (PBUH) approved of both
parties’ recitations. At this point, Ubayy narrates: “…there
occurred in my mind a sort of denial and doubt that did not
exist even in the time of Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic era)! When
the Messenger (PBUH) saw how I was affected, he struck my
chest, whereupon I started sweating, and felt as though I
were looking at Allah in fear! Then the Prophet (PBUH) said:
O Ubayy! A message was sent to me to recite the Qur'an in
one harf, but I requested (Allah) to make things easy on my
nation. A second message came that I should recite the
Qur'an in two ahruf, but I again made the same request. I
was then ordered to recite the Qur'an in seven ahruf.
4- Ibn
'Abbas reported that the Prophet (PBUH) said: “Jibrîl
recited the Qur'an to me in one harf, and I recited it back
to him, but I requested him to increase (the number of
ahruf) and he continued to increase it for me, until we
stopped at seven ahruf.” ibn Shihab al-Zuhri , one of the
narrators of the hadith, said: “It has reached me that these
seven ahruf are essentially one (in meaning), they do not
differ about what is permitted or forbidden.”
5- Ubayy
ibn Ka'ab reported that the Prophet (PBUH) was once on the
outskirts of Madinah (near the tribe of Banu Ghifar) when
Jibrîl came to him and said: “Allah has commanded you recite
the Qur'an to your people in one harf”. The Prophet (PBUH)
replied: “I ask Allah's pardon and forgiveness! My people
are not capable of doing this!” Jibrîl then came again and
said: “Allah has commanded you to recite the Qur'an to your
people in two ahruf.” The Prophet (PBUH) again replied” “I
ask Allah's pardon and forgiveness! My people are not
capable of doing this!" Jibrîl then came a third time and
said: "Allah has commanded you to recite the Qur'an to your
people in three ahruf." The Prophet (PBUH) replied for a
third time: "I ask Allah's pardon and forgiveness! My people
are not capable of doing this!" At last, Jibrîl came for the
fourth time, and said: "Allah has commanded you to recite
the Qur'an to your people in seven ahruf, and in whichever
harf they recite, they would be right.
.6-
Abu Baqarah narrated that Jibrîl said to the Prophet (PBUH)
“O Muhammad, recite the Qur’an in one
harf”. Mika’îl said to the
Prophet ask him to increase number, then till the number
reached seven, then he said: each of these ahruf is
sufficient unless you mix a verse of punishment with a verse
of rewards and vice versa. Such as:
ta‘ál, aqbil, halumma, asri‘
and ‘ajjil. All these words mean the same meaning (come)
These are the six main hadiths on this issue; the most
important of them is the first hadith, which is narrated by
Umar
Some comments on these hadiths: It is not necessary to
explain these hadiths word by word in this essay, but I want
to call attention to some points concerning these hadiths.
These points will help us to understand the meaning of ahruf
sab‘ah and choose the most convincing of these meanings,
which are, as al-Suyuti said, forty opinions. When we read
these hadiths we can notice that:
1-In the first hadith, Umar ibn al-Khattab says: “I heard
Hisham ibn Hakīm recite Surat al-Furqan” that means that
Umar knew the Surat which Hisham was reciting although he
was reciting in another harf, and the ahruf were not
radically different from each other. So the differences
between these ahruf were not so great as to prevent
recognition of what was being recited. In the third hadith,
Ubayy ibn K‘ab heard two people reciting the Qur'an in a
manner different from what he had learnt, then the Prophet
(PBUH) approved them all, we notice in this hadith that
Ubayy recognise their recitations, and he knew that their
recitations were in the same Surat, and his recitation was
different from theirs. So, these narrations reveal that the
differences were in some words not all words in Qur’an,
otherwise how could Umar and Ubayy recognise the Surat if it
was different completely?
2-In the fourth hadith “Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri said: “It has
reached me that these seven ahruf are essentially one (in
meaning), they do not differ about what is permitted or
forbidden”. So the differences were not in the meaning but
in pronunciation and, as mentioned above, in some words not
all. The sixth hadith supports this fact in which “the text
of this hadith makes it clear that the difference between
the seven ahruf is a difference of words which agree in
meaning, not a difference in meanings entailing a difference
of legal norms”
3-In the first hadith, we notice that the Prophet (PBUH)
said to Hisham when he had finished his recitation: “It was
revealed in this way.” And he said the same to Umar. That
means the Prophet (PBUH) himself used to teach the variant
ahruf to different companions, depending on the condition
and situation of that companion. It can be assumed that the
Prophet (PBUH) chose the particular harf to recite to a
companion depending on which one would be the easiest for
that particular companion to memorise.
4-Although Umar was a famous companion and long experienced
in Islam and Ubayy was the best reciter they did not know
anything about the variant ahruf. The cause for Ubayy's
doubt was the fact that he was unaware of these ahruf. The
same happened with Umar where he wanted to grab Hisham
during his prayer. These
narrations reveal that the Prophet (PBUH) did not teach all
the ahruf to all the companions, otherwise Ubayy should have
been aware of these ahruf.
5-The Prophet (PBUH) said to Umar and Hisham: “The Qur’an
has been revealed in seven variant ahruf” and in the fifth
hadith Jibrîl said to the Prophet (PBUH) “Allah has
commanded you to recite the Qur'an to your people in one
harf” three times, at fourth time Jibrîl came and said to
the Prophet: “Allah has commanded you to recite the Qur'an
to your people in seven ahruf, and in whichever harf they
recite, they would be right”. That means the ahruf were
revealed from Allah not from the Prophet (PBUH) or
companions.
6-In the first hadith, the Prophet (PBUH) said to Umar and
Hisham: “ recite whichever one is easy for you." Also in the
second hadith he said to Jibrîl: “O Jibrîl! I have been sent
to an illiterate nation. Among them are old and young men
and women, and those who have never read any writing”. In
the last hadith the Prophet (PBUH) answered Jibrîl three
times: “I ask Allah's pardon and forgiveness! My people are
not capable of doing this”, and the Prophet (PBUH) himself,
in the third hadith, prayed to Allah to make things easy on
his nation. These narrations reveal that the Prophet (PBUH)
requested the number of ahruf to be increased in order to
make the memorisation and recitation of the Qur’an easier
for companions who came from different tribes or have
different educational levels. Some scholars state that the
ahruf were to ease the recitation. Indeed! These ahruf were
a blessing and mercy for this Ummah.
7-In the last hadith, Jibrîl said to the Prophet (PBUH):
“Allah has commanded you to recite the Qur'an to your people
in seven ahruf, and in whichever harf they recite, they
would be right”. This means every harf is complete reading
in itself. And everyone should choose the easiest to him as
the Prophet (PBUH) ordered Umar and Hisham: “recite
whichever one is easy for you”. In the light of this point
we can understand al-Qurtubi’s definition of ahruf: “when we
say the harf of ibn Mas‘úd, it means the way that ibn Mas'úd
used to recite that verse or word”.
8-In the last hadith, Ubayy narrates “the Prophet (PBUH) was
once on the outskirts of Madinah (near the tribe of Banu
Ghifar) when Jibrîl came to him….” This indicates that the
revelation of the Qur'an in seven ahruf started in Madinah,
after the hijrah, and it is well known that the different
tribes accepted Islam after hijrah to Al-Madinah, but in
Mecca, most Muslims were from one tribe (Quraysh). This
suggests that the Qur’an was revealed in one harf (Quraysh’s
harf) in mecca, and seven ahruf in al-Madinah. So we can say
Quraysh’s harf was the original harf in which the Qur’an was
revealed in, but after many tribes accepted islam after
hijrah, it was difficult to those tribes to read the Qur’an
in Quraysh’s harf, so the Prophet (PBUH) asked allah to
allow those tribes to read the Qur’an in their own dialects,
otherwise it was very difficult to them to recite in
Quraysh’s dialect.
9-In the second hadith Ubayy says: there occurred in my mind
a sort of denial and doubt that did not exist even in the
time of Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic era)! Then the Prophet
(PBUH) struck his chest, whereupon he started sweating, and
felt as though he was looking at Allah in fear!. There is
another hadith From Abu Huraiyrah:The Messenger of God
said: "The Qur'an was sent down in seven ahruf.
Disputation concerning the Qur'an is unbelief" - he said
this three times - "and you should put into practice what
you know of it, and leave what you do not know of it to
someone who does."So we should consider these variant
readings as mercy and facilitating not a source of
disputation.
The meaning of seven ahruf (and discussing opinions):
Apart from hadiths of ahruf sab‘ah we mentioned before,
there are no records to define exactly what these seven
variant forms of reading were. As a result numerous
different explanations have been given, some saying that
this was to accommodate the different dialects of the Arab
tribes and others that they were seven distinct forms
conveyed to the centres of Islam by approved readers in the
second century of Islam. Abu `Amr is said to have taken one
of these to Basrah, ibn Amir took another to Damascus, and
so on
As we saw before, Al-Suyuti mentions forty opinions
about the meaning of the seven ahruf, but some of these
opinions have no evidence, and another group has weak
evidence, but there are some opinions have strong proofs and
authentic evidence, so I will divide the opinions into three
categories according to their evidence.
Opinions based on no evidence:
There are some opinions that are not supported by any hadith
or evidence, such as following:
1-Seven different categories of text. For example:
constrained and unconstrained, general and specific, literal
and metaphoric, nāsikh
and mansūkh. Other categories include those given by
grammarians and linguists, specifying different verb forms
2-Seven different branches of knowledge, such as tawhīd,
sharī‘ah, etc.
3-An esoteric interpretation by certain
Sūfi groups, claiming that
there are seven levels of knowledge, or seven degrees of
meanings to each verse.
4-Some scholars said: “the word ‘seven’ does not specify the
number ‘seven’. It means ‘many’. The word ‘seven’ is very
often used in Arabic language to denote excess of something.
Here also the hadiths do not intend that the ‘Readings’ on
which the Qur’an is revealed are specifically seven, but it
denotes that the Qur’an was revealed in ‘many’ readings.”
This was the opinion of al-Qadi Iyad and others. A thorough
examination of these opinions leads to the following
results: Firstly: these opinions do not have any evidence.
Secondly: the first three opinions contradict the purpose of
the ahruf, as indicated above, i.e. to facilitate the
memorisation and recitation. Such purpose is not achievable
in the light of these opinions. The last opinion in this
group contradicts ibn Abbaas’ hadith in which he narrated:
the Prophet (PBUH) asked Jibril: “I requested him to
increase (number of ahruf) and he continued to increase them
for me until we stopped at seven ahruf.Thirdly: the
disagreement between Umar and Hisham and others was about
the letters (recitation) not the explanation, so these
opinions contradict the hadiths
Opinions based on weak evidence: Some scholars suggest
opinions to explain the meaning of the ahruf, and they
mention hadiths to support these opinions, but these hadiths
are not authentic; consequently they do not serve as
evidence. These opinions are as follows:
1-These ahruf are seven variant ways to pronounce the words,
without actually changing the letters, such as:
Izhār, Idghām, tafkhīm…etc.This
opinion contradicts the variations in words that occur in
the qira’át.
2-The ahruf are seven types of verses in the Qur'an:
apparent, command, recommendation, specific, particular,
general and parable. There is a
hadith to support this. ibn
Mas‘úd narrated: The Messenger of God said: "The first Book
came down from one gate according to one harf, but the Koran
came down from seven gates according to seven ahruf:
prohibiting and commanding, lawful and unlawful, clear and
ambiguous, and parables. So, allow what it makes lawful,
proscribe what it makes unlawful, do what it commands you to
do, forbid what it prohibits, be warned by its parables, act
on its clear passages, trust in its ambiguous passages", and
say: "We believe in it; it is all from our Lord."
In
this regard, ibn al-Jazari said: “this opinion is wrong, for
the disagreement between companions was about reciting
letters (ahruf) of the Qur’an not its explaining ” then he
(ibn al-Jazari) explained ibn Mas‘úd’s hadith from three
aspects, considering these seven things are not the same
seven ahruf mentioned in the other hadiths. On the other
hand, this hadith is refused due to defects in their chain
of narrators (Isnād),ibn
‘Abdul Barr said: “ this hadith is rejected, for Abu Salamah
ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman narrated this hadith from ibn Mas‘úd,
while he did not meet or see him”. Al-Bayhaqi narrated this
hadith but he stated that what is meant by the seven ahruf
is the kinds of meaning in which the Qur’an has been
revealed, but the other hadiths refer to dialects . And this
opinion contradicts Muslim’s hadith in which ibn Shihab
said: “It has reached me that these seven ahruf are
essentially one (in meaning), they do not differ about what
is permitted or forbidden.” Al-Zarkashi stated: “ibn
‘Atiyyah said: this opinion is weak, for these types do not
mean ahruf.
3-The seven ahruf are the same as the seven qira’át. This
was the opinion of the famous scholar al-Khalīl ibn Ahmad
al-Farāhidi.
The Qira’át were compiled by the famous scholar ibn Mujahid
in the fourth century, and al ahruf were revealed during the
Prophet’s life, so this opinion contradicts historical
facts. Scholars used to call Muslims’ attention to
distinguish between the ahruf sab‘ah and qira’át sab‘ah,
where there is no relationship between them, None of the
major scholars of Islaam held this view except al-Khaleel
ibn Ahmad al-Farahidi, as ibn al-Jazari and ibn Taymiyyah
said: "There is no difference of opinion among the scholars
that the seven ahruf are not the same as the seven famous
qira’át."
There are many of the Muslim masses understand the hadith of
ahruf to refer to the qira’át. But I do not think that
al-Farahidi could not distinguish between the seven ahruf
and the Qira’át. He was the most famous scholar, and he was
Seibaweah’s teacher, furthermore he died in 175 in according
to Yaqout al-Hamawi, or 170 in according to Zirikli. The
Qira’át was compiled in the fourth century by ibn Mujahid,
how then can we resolve this contradiction?
Opinions based on sound evidence: These opinions are the
ones that are worthy of serious investigation, as they have
strong evidence historically and from the meanings of the
hadiths. There are three opinions in this category:
1-The seven ahruf refer to the seven dialects (lughāt)
of the Arabs prevalent at the time of the Prophet (PBUH).
Each of these dialects belongs to a tribe among the Arabs.
There is no agreement, however, among Muslim scholars as to
which dialects the seven ahruf represented. But most
scholars state that the seven dialects that are found in the
Qur’an are: the Quraysh, Hudhayl, Tamīm, Hawāzin, Thaqīf,
Kinanah and Yemen. (Other scholars gave the names of other
tribes). Thus, under this opinion, various verses would be
pronounced according to the pronunciation of that particular
tribe, and words from one dialect would be replaced by other
words used by that particular tribe.
Some scholars say that these seven dialects are spread
throughout the Qur'an, meaning that part of the Qur'an is in
the dialect of the Quraysh, other parts are in the dialect
of Hudhayl, and so forth. Others say that the entire Qur'an
is recited in each of these dialects, thus forming the seven
ahruf.
This was the opinion of Abu 'Ubayd al-Qasim ibn Sallam,
al-Bayhaqi, ibn 'Atiyyah, al-Zuhri and others. This is a
considerable view, otherwise Arabs will complain about the
incomprehensibility, and they will refuse the Qur’anic
challenge: {And if you are in doubt concerning that which We
have sent down (i.e. the Qur’an) to Our slave (Muhammad)
then produse a Surat of the like thereof and call your
witnesses besides Allah, if you are truthful}Q. 2:23.If the
Arabs tribes did not understand the dialect which the Qur’an
was revealed in, the challenge would have been not
imaginable. But some scholars, such as ibn ‘Abd al-Barr,
al-Suyuti and Ibn al-Jazari, refused this view because:
firstly, the number of Arab tribes was more than seven, why
should seven be selected? But the supporters of this opinion
maintain that what is meant is the most famous seven of the
tribes. Secondly, there was a disagreement between Umar and
Hisham although both of them were from the same dialect
(Quraysh).
2-
The seven ahruf denote seven ways of recitation (lahaját)
such that words are replaced by their synonyms. In other
words, the seven ahruf have the exact same meanings but
different wordings. This was the opinion of at-Tabari,
at-Tahaawi, ibn 'Abd al-Barr and others. Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr
ascribed this opinion to the majority of scholars. The
hadith supporting this view is narrated by Abu Baqarah as in
Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal: Jibrîl said to the Prophet “ O
Muhammad, recite the Qur’an in one harf. Mika‘eel said to
the Prophet (PBUH) ask him to increase number, then till the
number reached seven, then he said: each of these ahruf is
sufficient unless you mix a verse of punishment with a verse
of rewards and vice versa. Such as:
ta‘āl, aqbil, halumma, asri‘
and ‘ajjil. All these words mean the same meaning (come).
Al-Suyuti stated that ibn Mas‘úd was teaching someone how he
recites these verses: (Verily, the tree of Zaqqūm will be
the food of the sinners) [Q.44: 43-44]. That man could not
pronounce the Arabic word al-athīm
(sinner), he pronounced al-Yateem (orphan) instead
of. Then ibn Mas‘úd asked him: can you pronounce al- fājir
(sinner)? He said: yes, Ibn Mas‘úd said: ok, say it instead
of al-athīm. This way of recitation was allowed at the
beginning of Islam, when those non-Qurayshi tribes could not
adapt to the new dialect (Quraysh), but this permission was
abrogated by the last recitation (al-‘Arda al-akhirah)
between Jibrîl and the Prophet (PBUH), and only the harf of
Qurash was allowed after this event. But “we can contest
this interpretation because it is still permissible to
recite the Qur’an in several ways, so that one can find an
example of synonyms in Surat al-Hujurat, where fatabayyanu
is also read fatathabbatu. Al-Tabari states that the six
ahruf were not abrogated during the life of the Prophet
(PBUH), but he justifies the dropping of the six ahruf on
the grounds that the Prophet (PBUH) did not give his
companions a binding command to preserve the ahruf,
consequently the facilitation, in which the ahruf were for,
was not necessary to preserve, and eventually there was no
need of it. In fact, it became the cause of dissension
amongst the Muslims, as those people new to Islam began
arguing over the differences in the recitation of the
Qur'an. Therefore, Allaah inspired ‘Uthman to discard the
other six ahruf and collect the Qur’an in one harf, so that
the Ummah would be united in its recitation. The companions
agreed to this action of his, and the agreement of the
companions is binding on the Ummah.
3-The seven ahruf refer to seven variant ways that the verse
can be changed. In other words, whenever a difference is
found between these ahruf, this type of difference will fall
into one of the following seven categories:
i-
Change in
wordings, but the meaning is the same For example, in Surat
Al-Qāri‘ah (kal-'ihnil-manfūsh) is changed to (kas-soof
il-manfūsh).
ii- Differences
in wordings or letters such that they conform to the Uthmani
script of which was without dots or vowel points.For
example, fatabayanū is changed to fatathabatū in Surat
al-Hujurat:49:6, just by changing the dots. Also, in Surat
al-Fātihah, māliki is changed to maliki without any change
in the script of 'Uthmaan
iii- Change in
word order. For example, in Surat al-Baqara: 2:159, wa
qātalu wa qutilu is changed to wa qutilu wa qātalu.
iv- Addition or
omission of a letter or word. For example, in Surat
al-Hadid: [57:24] fa inna Allaha howal ghaniyyu al-hamīd is
recited without the pronoun,
fa inna Allaha ghaniyyn hamīd
v-
The form of the
word structure is changed. This change could be from plural
to singular or dual (or other variations), or from feminine
to masculine. For example, in Surat al-Mu‘minoon [23:8], the
plural li amanãtihim is changed to the singular li
amanatihim.
vi- Differences
in inflection points (i‘rāb). For example, in Surat
al-Baqarah [2:125]: wa attakhadhū mim maqāmi Ibrāhīma
musalla is read in the command
wattakhidhū
vii- Differences
in pronunciation. For example, lessening the effect of
certain hamzahs (called tas-hīl) or pronouncing certain
alifs and yaas differently (called imālah). This was the
view of ibn Qutaybah, al-Bāqillāni,, al-Rāzi and others.
There is a very similar opinion to this opinion; it was ibn
al-Jazari’s view. Some scholars give different categories,
but their general thesis is the same.
I wrote down a comment above that some hadiths mention that
the wisdom of revealing the Qur’an in seven is to ease and
facilitate the recitation, but we cannot imagine this
facilitation in according to this view. Where can we find
the facilitation in this example: in Surat
al-Baqarah[2:125]: wa attakhadhū mim maqāmi Ibrāhīma musalla
and wattakhidhū…?or what the difference between: wa qātalu
wa qutilu and wa qutilu wa qātalu if you are illiterate or
not?
Conclusion: having read what different scholars have said
about this issue, we could conclude that all scholars agree
that the Qur’an was revealed in seven ahruf, and all of them
agree that the seven were to facilitate the recitation and
explanation, however they differ in the definition of seven
and their meaning. Some scholars mention evidence to support
their views, but other scholars do not. As we saw, some
evidence are authentic and some evidence are weak. Now we
can say that: any view, regardless its supporters, which has
authentic and sound evidence is accepted on condition that
the facilitation of recitation is available. According to
this assumption, the view of al-Tabari, al-Ţahāwi, ibn 'Abd
al-Barr and others, in which the seven ahruf denote seven
ways of recitation (lahajāt),
is reasonable more than the other. The view of ibn Qutaybah,
al-Baqillani, Makki ibn Tālib, al-Rāzi is not wrong but the
process of facilitation is not imaginable as it is in the
view of at-Tabari. However ibn ‘Abd al-Barr ascribed this
view to most scholars.It was temporary permission at the
beginning of the different tries’ conversion to Islam. Most
people were illiterate. Later on they became literate or
many literate persons converted to Islam, the permission was
abrogated, and all Muslims had to recite in according to the
harf of Quraysh.
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