Examining the Authenticity of the Qira’at al-Nas (Common Recitation)

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Assistant Professor in Quranic and Hadith Sciences Department at Shahed University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

 The authenticity and tawatur (massively transmission) of the various recitations of the Quran have been extensively debated within historical texts and the field of Quranic studies. The emergence of certain doubts regarding Quranic recitation has occasionally prompted skepticism about the divine origin of particular words and phrases within the Quran, thereby providing a rationale for critics of Islam and its sacred text. Consequently, it is imperative for every Muslim to ardently uphold the truth, authenticity, and unaltered nature of this divine scripture. This research seeks to affirm the authenticity of the widely recognized Quranic recitation (Qira’at al-Nas) while also exploring the views on the authenticity of alternative Quranic recitations through a descriptive-analytical approach. The results suggest that the Quran was revealed in a singular recitation, with variations arising from dialectal differences and, significantly, political influences. Additionally, narrations related to the hadith of “seven readings” (hadith al-sab’ah ahruf) or the discrepancies in recitations due to the Quran’s compilation are deemed to lack adequate credibility.

Keywords

References

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Studies of Quran Reading
Volume 12, Issue 22 - Serial Number 22
September 2024
Pages 291-316

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History

  • Receive Date: 10 December 2023
  • Revise Date: 16 February 2024
  • Accept Date: 26 April 2023

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