The Impact of Linguistic Ijtihad on the Formation of Abu Amr’s Quranic Recitation

Document Type : Original Article

Author

.Associate Professor in Quranic and Hadith Sciences Department at Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran: r.najafi@khu.ac.ir.

Abstract

Abu Amr bin al-Ala, a distinguished Quran reciter from the 2nd century AH, is also renowned for his significant contributions to linguistics. This research seeks to examine the relationship between Abu Amr’s linguistic perspectives and his methodology in Quranic recitation. A wealth of evidence suggests that this reciter from Basra consciously avoided synonymy when interpreting the meanings of Quranic terms, making careful distinctions between words that are often regarded as synonymous by most linguists. These nuanced distinctions have resulted in variations between Abu Amr’s recitation of certain Quranic verses and the more commonly accepted recitations by other reciters. Furthermore, Abu Amr possessed particular beliefs regarding the inclusivity and semantic breadth of words, which had a direct impact on his recitational approach. It seems that his independent linguistic reasoning in recitation does not fully conform to the notion of tawatur (massively transmission) of recitations attributed to the Prophet. Nevertheless, Abu Amr’s recitation of numerous Quranic verses aligns with his linguistic principles, and he formulated specific elements of recitation grounded in his own linguistic theories.

Keywords

References

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Studies of Quran Reading
Volume 12, Issue 22 - Serial Number 22
September 2024
Pages 271-290

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History

  • Receive Date: 14 August 2023
  • Revise Date: 08 November 2023
  • Accept Date: 09 May 2024

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