Examining the Impact of the Miracle Theory of Quranic Recitations (Qira’at) on Dialects, Arabic Eloquence, and Its Consequences

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Al-Mustafa International University, Qom, Iran (from Afghanistan). mohamad_aminitehrani@miu.ac.ir.

2 Assistant Professor, Al-Mustafa International University, Qom, Iran

Abstract

The Holy Quran possesses multiple miraculous aspects, including its eloquence, rhetorical beauty, coherence of verses, influence, content, and more. One of the miraculous aspects discussed by some Sunni scholars is the miracle in the recitations (qira’at). The concept of miraculous recitations (qira’at) refers to the idea that different readings (qira’at) of certain Quranic words and phrases are divine revelations that were revealed by God, serving as proof of the prophethood of Prophet Mohammad (P). This claim is based on two fundamental premises: first, the authenticity of the recitations must be established through their widespread transmission (tawatur) to prove their Quranic and revelatory nature, ultimately asserting that these different recitations are a divine miracle. The second premise involves the widespread transmission of the narration of “seven letters” (sab’at aḥruf), which refers to seven recitations, indicating that the Quran was revealed in seven recitations (qira’at) and is thus a divine and miraculous revelation. To date, no Shia scholar has made such a claim, and this view is not held by the majority of Sunni scholars. However, some Sunni scholars, such as al-Suyuti and al-Kharrat, have advanced this claim. Therefore, this research, without a specific prior study, uses a descriptive-analytical method to explore the issue: since not all recitations (qira’at) are revealed and miraculous, and only one recitation is the miraculous revelation of the Quran, what impact does this divine, eternal miracle have on the recitations linguistically? What are the consequences of the theory of the miracle of recitations?

Keywords

References

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History

  • Receive Date: 24 September 2023
  • Revise Date: 25 February 2024
  • Accept Date: 31 July 2024

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