The Chain-of-Transmission (Sanad) Assessment of Quranic Variant Readings in the Narrations of al-Kāfī

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Education , Farhangian University of Zanjan

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to re-evaluate and critically assess the chains of transmission (asānīd) of narrations concerning Quranic variant readings (qirāʾāt) in al-Kulaynī’s seminal work al-Kāfī, elucidating how Imāmī scholars have addressed and reconciled the apparent contradictions among these reports.
Methodology: Employing a textual-analytical and critical Hadith methodology grounded in the sciences of Biographical Evaluation (ʿIlm al-Rijāl), Hadith Criticism (Ikhtilāf al-Ḥadīth), and Principles of Jurisprudence (specifically the balance of conflicting evidence: al-Taʿādul wa al-Tarājīḥ), this research investigates three distinct categories of narrations: those endorsing well-known recitations, those asserting the unity of recitation, and those indicating an independent recitation by the Ahl al-Bayt (a.s.).
Findings: The findings demonstrate that contrary to previous critiques—notably by ʿAllāmah al-ʿAskarī, who weakened several chains by assuming ambiguous transmitters like "Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad" to be the discredited al-Sayyārī—identifying the exact teacher-student linkages confirms the transmitters to be the trustworthy al-Ashʿarī or al-Barqī, thereby establishing their reliability (ṣiḥḥah). Similarly, reports involving Aḥmad ibn Mihrān and Sālim ibn Abī Salamah exhibit verifiable credibility. To resolve doctrinal and textual tensions, Imāmī scholars have adopted five major perspectives: preference for the widely received recitations, preference for the Ahl al-Bayt’s reading, interpretive reconciliation (al-jamʿ), legal choice (al-takhyīr), and preference for the reading most aligned with the codified mushaf.
Conclusion: While several narrations on variant readings in al-Kāfī withstand strict rijālī scrutiny, the most coherent scholarly position among Imāmī jurists remains the preference for the universally accepted codified reading (e.g., Ḥafṣ from ʿĀṣim) and refraining from exceeding the established canonical recitations in practice.

Keywords

References

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History

  • Receive Date: 15 March 2026
  • Revise Date: 12 April 2026
  • Accept Date: 05 May 2026

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