The Variant Readings and its Implication on Qur anic Recitation of Different Muslim Society

Transcription

1 Middle-East Journal of Sientifi Researh 22 (12): , 2014 ISSN IDOSI Publiations, 2014 DOI: /idosi.mejsr The Variant Readings and its Impliation on Qur ani Reitation of Different Muslim Soiety Mohd Faizulamri Mohd Saad, Abur Hamdi Usman, Sabri Mohamad, Muhd Najib Abdul Kadir, Mohd Akil, Muhamed Ali, Ahamad Asmadi Sakat 1 Al-Quran and al-sunnah Department, Faulty of Islami Studies, The National University of Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia. 2 Institute of Islam Hadhari, The National University of Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia Abstrat: Although the Uthmani master odex beame the offiial opy of the Muslim ountries during the rule of Uthm n ibn Aff n (d. 35/656) who abrogated all the personal odies whih were kept by some ompanions, the modes of reading ontinued to be in irulation during and after his rule. The ompanions and the suessors ontinued to read some Qur ani expressions with different modes of reading from the offiial anonial odex. Variant readings were either phonetially oriented whih involved within-the-text exegetial expression. The variant readings had beome one of the vital tehniques of Qur ani exegesis and played a role in substantiating an ad ho theologial exegetial point of view. In view of this preedent, this study seeks to analyse the variant readings and its effets on Qur ani reitation of different Muslim soiety. To reah representative onlusions, this study undertakes an analysis of sholars view and venerated exegesis as the main soures of referene by adopting the doument analysis method. The study found that a different reading an lead to a divergent exegetial view. This however, applies primarily to the phonetially oriented mode of reading, sine the semantially oriented mode of reading is a disambiguating mehanism. In addition, the benefit of the Muslim soiety deriving from the revelation of the Qur ani message in several modes. Among these, the following are most important to make the reading, pronuniation and memorisation more easy, as many people were illiterate in the Prophet s time and to explain a legal ruling in more detail. Key words: Uthmani odex qir at, rhetori Exegesis Arabi INTRODUCTION of exegetial interpolation. These readings were the subjet of ritial grammatial analysis and srutiny by The qir t (sg. qir a) represent the vast orpus of the earliest Arabi grammarians as they attempted to Qur ani readings that are traditionally linked to the aommodate their grammatial features within the textual transmission and reitation of Islam s sared book. onfines of a general theory of language. Naturally, the It is to the skeletal text (rasm) of the Qur an that all of qir t not only serve as important soures for the these readings are ultimately bound, refleting subtle linguisti situation in early Islam, but they also provide variations in the linguisti features of the text. The nature insights into attitudes toward the language of sripture of variane among these readings ranges from differenes and developments in grammatially thinking during the and distintions whih our at the morph syntati and early periods. Modern sholarship has often referred to morph phonologial levels of the Qur ani text and are readings under the rubri Qur ani variants, although, seemingly of an infinitesimal ountenane, to those in theoretially speaking, many of them are not deviations whih the nature of variane is more pronouned and from the standard text but rather enapsulate intrinsi refleted in onsonantal variants and manifest instanes faets of its artiulation [1]. Corresponding Author: Abur Hamdi Usman, Institute of Islam Hadhari, The National University of Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia. Tel:

2 of al-ma n examines the state of the word or utterane in terms of the suitability with the purpose intended [3]. It is based on the poliies and the rules of utteranes onveyed aording to the suitability to the publi as the reipients. The purpose is to avoid ommitting errors of meaning the way it is intended to be delivered by the addresser until it beomes understandable to the addressee [4]. In brief, it an be onluded that al Ma n means knowledge whih disusses the position of the utterane that is in line with a given situation. One of the important debates in this knowledge is qir at whih means readings from the Qur an readers assoiated with indigenous ities developed syntheses (ikhtiy r t) of readings whih were soured to luminaries among the ompanions. They were identified as having derived their readings from the Prophet, defining a theoretial hierarhy of authority for the transmission of qir at [5]. The qir at issue has beome one of sholars important debate in literary of the Qur ani siene. In fat it was supported by the diversity of authenti qir at whih is soured from the Prophet (pbuh). Thereby the sholars have established that if found the qir at from him, then it is reognized as authenti and of itself an be used as an argument. Some sholars have attempted to make a distintion between a variety of modes (a ruf) and a variety of readings (qir at), both having settled at the number seven with the idea that modes related to interpretation and qir at to reitation [6]. The immediate impat that Middle-East J. Si. Res., 22 (12): , 2014 Hene, in this vein, this artile fouses on the study any hange in reitation has on the meaning of the verse, of siene of rhetori. This siene desribes a great, lear though makes suh a distintion rather futile. In most meaning whih an exert suh a beautiful influene in the earlier writings the two words were used interhangeably soul and its every verse relevant with the ontext and also alongside wuj h (faets) and lugh t (dialets/languages), suitable to be used for the addressees [2]. The Qur ani suggesting that Qur an had several faets to it. All of this rhetori an deliver noble values to mankind appropriate seems to point to the fat that Qur an was read in a with the plae and times, so muh so that their wit and variety of ways and its meanings were seen as onsiene suumb to the values. It enompasses three multifaeted before the subsequent more rigid ways important sienes, namely al-ma n (word of order), inherent in anonization [7]. al-bad (embellishments) and al-bay n (figures of Ibn al-jazar [8] states that all of qir at whih is in speeh). For purposes of fous, this artile fouses solely orret Arabi, even in only one aspet; and whih agrees on a disussion of qir at whih is inluded in the with the standard odex (Mu af of Uthm n ), even just substantial disussion in the siene of al-ma n. In this barely; and its hain of narration is authenti then it is ontext, an elaboration of the notion of qir at will be an irrefutably orret reitation. In fat, it is one of seven made, followed by its history, the interrelated between modes in whih the Qur'an was revealed; it must be tradition on variant readings and the impliation of aepted by everyone, whether it stems from one of the differential reading into the muslim soiety. seven Readers, or from the ten, or from authoritative imams (arhetypes) other than them. If one of these pillars The Notion of Qir at in Qur ani Rhetori: The siene is removed, then one lets loose a reitation whih is weak ( a fa), problemati (sh dha), or invalid (b ila). Whether it is related on the authority of the seven, or even one greater than them. This is the orret view as held by most metiulous imams from among the predeessors (Salaf) and their followers (Khalaf); it is the fixed view to whih no one an make objetion. This Ibn al-jazar view is supported by al-zarq n [9] was ited al-d n opinion stating that the imams of reitation of the Qur an are not onerned at all with the most ommon of the languages nor analogies with the Arabi, but rather with the soundest of traditional reitations and those most reliable in transmission. If a narration is onsidered to be sound, it annot be refuted by resort to analogous Arabi readings nor by popular usage; these are readings of the aepted sunnah (a ustom); one must aept and follow them. Based on the definitions, it an be understood that what is implied by qir at does not neessarily to follow the requirements of the Arabi grammar, but the most important thing to be noted in this issue is whether it is soured from the Prophet authentily or not. As a result, al-suy [10] said that Sa d ibn Man r narrated in his Sunan from Zayd Ibn Th bit that qir at is aepted sunnah. Moreover, al-bayhaq said, Our predeessors wanted to follow the letters of the aepted sunnah; one may not differ from the fixed odex whih is the imams, nor an one differ from the generally aepted reading even if the alternative is of orret speeh and is more larity. 1816

3 Middle-East J. Si. Res., 22 (12): , 2014 Moreover, al-suy [10] said the readings are Classial Muslim soures relate that in the lifetime of various types, namely: (i) the mutaw tir, whih the Prophet was not olleted together in a single transmitted by a group of men when there is no possibility doument but was partly preserved on sheets of of their onspiring to lie about their authority and by the parhment, the ribs and shoulder blades of likes of them to the end of transmission. Most readings animals, the stalks of palms and above all are of this type. (ii) The mash r, where the hain of memorized in the hearts of men. Despite the narrators (isn d) is sound, but it does not reah the rank suggestion that following the Wars of Apostasy in of a mutaw tir; the Arabi agrees with the writing; it is II/633 a olletion of the Qur an was santioned by ommon among the readers and is not onsidered the seond aliph Ab Bakr, it is the third aliph, ungrammatial nor peuliar. This is reitable aording to Uthm n ibn Aff n who is formally redited with the onditions. (iii) the d, whih the reitations having ommisioned an offiial olletion of the transmitted from too few transmitters to make them Qur an. This version was imposed at the standard mutaw tir. Whih are those readings supported by a odex (Mus af) throughout the territories of the state. It sound isn d, but whose Arabi and writing onflit; or it was in these regions that tradition of reiting and was not aepted by a suffiient number of auhorities and preserving the sared text had been established by the 1 these are not to be reited. (iv) the sh dh (peuliar), in Companions who settled there. Tradition states that 2 whih the isn d is unsound. (v) the al-maw or the differenes and disagreements regarding the reitation of 3 fabriated type. (vi) the mudraj (reitation with the sared text led to Uthman s intervention. He unaknowledged insertions into the text or isn d) lass of appointed an editorial ommitee that was led by a sribe had th (propheti tradition). These onsist of additions to of the Prophet, Zayd ibn Th bit. An offiial odex 4 gloss the text as a hermeneutial strategy. omprising the skeletal text of the Qur an was produed and four reensions of this master opy were sent to History of Qir at: During the early formative phase of major ities and garrsion towns, inluding Mea, Kufa, Qur ani exegesis wih began during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), there were no modes of reading. There was no need for a master odex, sine the spokesman of revelation, Muhammad (pbuh), was still alive. During the last deade of the first half of the first/seventh entury, the two major ities whih were onerned with the teahing of modes of reading were Madinah and Kufah. The phase of sholarship in and reording of the modes of reading began during the seond half of the first/seventh entury. Among the first Basra and Damasus; a further opy was retained in Medina. None of these original odies has survived, although genres of writing devoted to ollating the orthographial features of indigenous odies do refer to onstanes of their being used as prototypes for the transription of further opies [12]. The Arabi sript onsisted of 15 basi graphemes whih, through the addition of diatri dots, produed the 28 haraters required for its phonemi repertoire, allowing single homographs to represent more than one sholars who wrote on the modes of reading were: Ya ya phoneme. There has been suggestion that the ibn Ma m r (d. 90/708), Ab n ibn Taghl b (d. 141/758), Muq til ibn Sulaim n (d. 150/767), H r n ibn M s al-a w r (d. Around / ), Ab Zakariyy al-farr (d. 207/822) and Ab Ubaid al-q sim ibn Sall m proliferation of Qur ani readings was the result of ambiguities reated by the inipient nature of the Arabi sript. However, within the reading tradition it was always maintained that oral mehanisms for the transmission of (d. 224/838). It was during the last half of the first/seventh readings retained overall hegemony, essentially entury that the differenes among modes of reading began to emerge [11]. governing the artiulation of the written text, whih served as a mnemoni aid [1] For example, in Qur an 32:17 whih read in a plural noun: min qurr ti a yun ( omforts for eyes ) instead of the standard reading qurrati (omfort) in the singular. For example, in Qur an 1:4 whih read in past tense: malaka yawm ald n (He possessed/reigned on the Day of Judgement) instead of the aepted m liki yawm ald n (Sovereign of the Day of Reompense). For example, in Qur an 35:28 where Allah is rendered in the nominative ase and al ulam is rendered in the ausative ase: innam yakhsa allahu min ibadihi al ulam a. Instead of the aepted reading is Allah should be ausative and al ulam in the nominative ase: innam yakhsa allaha min ibadihi al ulam u ( Only those fear Allah, from among His servants, who have knowledge...). For example, in Qur an 4:12, Sa d ibn Man r report of Sa ad ibn Ab Waqq reading at walah akhun aw ukhtun min ummi ( but has left a brother or a sister from the same mother ), adding the last four words to the text. 1817

4 Middle-East J. Si. Res., 22 (12): , 2014 The term of mode was used to designate a reader s amza (d. 772) from Kufa as transmitted through speifi reading. Minor variations among these readings Khalaf and/or Khall d were said to be santioned in a propheti tradition whih Al-Kis (d. 189) from Kufa as transmitted through refers to the Qur an being revealed in several modes and al-durr and/or Ab al- rith. delares that eah of these modes was liturgially valid. One reason given by the traditonal sholarship for the With the passing of time three variants predominated: existene of so many Qur ani variants was that they were those of Warsh transmitted via N fi, af transmitted via partially a refletion of the dialetial diversity of the im and al-durr transmitted via Ab mir. Currently, indigenous Arab tribes, who were granted a measure of with the exeption of large parts of West and Central Afria latitude in their reitation of the sared text. Their where the reading of warsh is widespread, elsewhere in syntati, phonologial and morphologial onventions the Muslim world, the reading of af, popularized during and idiosynrasies were enshrined within the orpus of the reign of Egypt s King Fu ad and first printed in 1925, readings [13]. Henve, the legitimay for the variety of are still studied and pratied by the readers (Qurr ), modes an, in fat, be traked bak to several traditions of those who speialize in the reading of the Qur an. Given the Prophet through a number Companions whih the Qur an is not only a reited sripture but also one that suggest that these various readings are an expression of forms the basis of Muslim philosophy and law, the variant the Divine will. Umar is said to have omplained to the readings are also signifiant for exegesis and more so far prophet that Hish m ibn kim reited sura al-furq n Islami law [7]. In general, it is widely assumed that the (the Criterion) in a way different from what he had heard text of the Qur an has remained remarkably stable and that from the Prophet. The Prophet sent for ibn Hish m and it has been more or less free from sribal insertions of the after the latter read the text that Umar has disputed, the kind that rept into the manusripts of the New Testament prophet told Umar... thus Qur an has been revealed in [15]. seven different ways, so reite of it whatever is easier for Given that the vast majority of qir at refleted you [14]. differenes onerning voali values, onsonantal Within the different versions of the odex in variants and the appendage of onjugational markers, the irulation there were also a diversity of readings in skeletal text promulgated by Uthm n aomodated a large partiular verses and this has been aknowledged by number of these readings. However, ontraventions of the Sunni lassial ommentators and sholars of the Qur an. skeletal boundaries see by the Uthmani odies were not The systematization of the various readings and a permitted, despite the fat that eminent ompanions of the signifiant stage in its more definite anonization was Prophet suh us Abdullah ibn Mas d, Ubay ibn Ka b, ahieved by ibn Muj hid, the Baghdad linguist who fixed Ab M s al-as ar and Ibn Abb s all possessed a single system of onsonants and plaed a limit on the personal odies whih retained exegetial interpolations variations of vowels whih were employed in the text. His and onsonantal variants inonsistent with the sytematization resulted in the aeptane of seven variant standardized text. A onsensus of readings gradually readings with eah of the seven being traed through two developed, with different ities adopting qir at identified hains of narrators and where the reading through the one with individual readers who soured their readings to hain may have differed somewhat from that of the other. earlier authorities. It is apparent that when Ibn Muj hid These seven variant readings as follows: omposed a work ollating seven Qur ani readings assoiated with seven distinguished readers, he was N fi from Medina (d. 785) as transmitted through guided to a large extent by the preeminent status these Warsh and/or Q l n readings had already aquired in their indigenous ities Ibn Kath r (d. 737) from Mea as transmitted (Fig. 1). Besides, earlier figures had already ollated through al-bazz and/or Qunbul olletions of readings whih served as the prinipal Ibn mir (d. 736) from Damasus as transmitted soures for his work [1]. through Hish m and/or Ibn Dhakw n Wansbrough [16] holds that the ompanions Ab mir (d. 770) from Basra as transmitted through odies whih ontained the variant readings were really al-durr and/or al-s s manufatured from exegetial material in support of an im (d. 744) from Kufa as transmitted through argument entral to the traditional aount of af and/or Abu Bakr anonization, namely the Uthmani reension. Muh of 1818

5 Middle-East J. Si. Res., 22 (12): , 2014 Transmission of the qir at: Prinipal Companions Fig. 1: The Seven Readers seleted by Ibn Muj hid the material persisted anyway in the form of standard deviations from the anon, aomodated by the a ruf (modes) dotrine. Neverthless, al-suy [10] said there is no disagreement that Qur an must be mutaw tir in its foundation and all its parts. As for its ma al (desinential infletion; ase ending) and its wa (position in the text) and its tart b (arrangement), these are also so determined by the people of the sunna s verifiers. It is beause this being the glarious mirale whih is the foundation of the Eternal religion and the straight path all onditions were reated onerning its transmission totally and in detail. Whatever was transmitted as an d not having the status of a mutaw tir was exised as being not part of the Qur an at all. Moreover, al-zarkash [17] said that the Qur an and the readings are two disrete truths: the Qur an is the way revealed to the Prophet for larity and inimitability. The readings are the expressions of the above-mentioned inspiration in view of its letters and quality, e.g. pronouning a onsonant as single or doubled et. The onsensus of the ommunity is that the seven readings have the status of mutaw tir, or as others laim mashh r. Traditions on the Seven Qir at: While Muslims believe that the anonial written text has been signifiant fator in the preservation of the Qur an and that no orruption has be fallen that text, they believe just as steadfastly that the Qur an has been transmitted from generation to generation by word of mouth and that the atual reitation of the Qur an therefore onstitutes an autonomous oral tradition whih has perpetuated itself quite independently of written texts. This oral tradition embraes seven, ten, or fourtheen distint system of reitation, or as they are generally alled among sholars, qir t (readings), eah transmitted by a shool of Quranreaders deriving its authority from a prominent reader of the seond or early third entury of the Islami era. This slight variation among the ten readings is attributable to the dialetial variation in the original revelation. Although this variation had been greatly redued through the promulgation of a anonial text based mainly on Qurayshite material, a degree of variations was still possible even within the limits of anon. Hene the ontinued existene of authenti variants and the eventual emergene of distint shools of reitation. It should be emphasized that all of the readings were 1819

6 Middle-East J. Si. Res., 22 (12): , 2014 transmitted orally from the Prophet himself and that the sholars hold the view that the so-alled Uthm n role of the anon in their transmission was in large part Mus af represents just one of the seven permissible a limiting one [18]. reading, making the other six obsolete [19]. On various oasions the Prophet is supposed to While the hoie between several possible variants have taught his followers on partiular wording of a reading was made at first aording to traditions, later the Qur ani fragment at one time and at other times other variants of im ms beame more influential and a hoie wordings, onluding:... reite it in the way that is was made from among them. Gatje [21] explains that easiest for you. This ourse of events is refleted in a riteria for the reliability of a variant were orret matn (text) luster in the anonial olletions onerning language, assurane based on tradition and the view of the seven readings. When Umar was one reported to the majority, that is, a kind of onsensus of the majority. have voied his anxiety as to what is truly Qur ani and The result was similar to that of law: on did not propagate what not, the Prophet is said to have reassured him with the exlusivity of a single form of the text, but rather the words: Every phrase that is purported to be part of permitted different anonial groups of variants to be the Qur an is orret as long as forgiveness is not valid alongside eah other, the knowledge of whih onfused with hastisement, or hastisement with belonged to the armour of the Qur ani im m. A saying of forgiveness, and Eah of the seven readings is Prophet was referred to in this onnetion, aording to suffiient and restores health (k fin sh fin) [14]. whih God s word had been revealed to the Prophet But this is a late report, in whih the lexible attituded himself in several ways. vis-a-vis Qur ani variant readings is presented in florid terms. It had many preursors [19]. The Impliation of Variant Readings on Muslim Soiety: The number seven for the different readings is not to One distintive benefit of the revelation aording to be taken literally, but rather as onveying an undefined seven readings, as explained by sholars, evolved around number of units under ten, as seventy is often used to the fat of making the Qur an a divine book and guidane onvey an undefined number of tens under one hundred. for everyone. This objetive aording to Zarz r [22] As long as the inner meaning is preserved, there is no annot be ahieved unless the revelation is aesible to harm in variants. The number seven, mostly interpreted as everyone. Though generally the Arabs an reite the representing a number of ways of plaing, or deleting, Qur an, however, this reitation is not without great variable diaritis and vowels in verbs and nouns, diffiulties. They have been living their lives with their espeially in their endings, or the metathesis of letters, ommunal or tribal dialets and the the requirement to whole words, or phrases, et., is oasionally assumed, reite the Qur an in one partiular dialet overnight is wrongly in the opinion of most medial sholars, to point merely unattainable. If they were fore unwilling to master to the different dialets the Arabs spoke, when the Qur an of the Qurayshite dialet, this might just hase them away was in the proess of being revealed. There are otherwise from learning the Qur an. It is thus very obvious that the very few phrases in the Qur an that atually allow onept of easiness (tays r) and exemption (rukh ah) reitation in seven ways, the lassi examples being: had been pratied with regard to the revelation. Indeed, abada al- gh t in sura al-m idah (The Table Islam is based on the foundation of easiness and Spread) verse 60 and fal taqul lahum uff in sura al-isra exemption for everyone. (The Night Journey) verse 23 [20]. In Islami literature, to denote a person who reites The permission to resort to as many as seven variant the Qur an in its different readings skilfully, beautifully, readings is though to have ome forth from God s desire fluently and, whih is partiularly important, orretly to failitate mastery in Quran reitation for those Arabs aording to tajw d, one says that suh a person is who were to embrae Islam at a large stage, espeially readers, meaning an expert in Qur ani reitation, in whih after the emigration. Following the early onquests, in seven (or ten) mutaw tir qir at are reognized. Qir at partiular after the ompletion of the Qur an redation that are the different linguisti, lexial, phoneti, morphologial reportedly ame to be organized as that of Uthm n, with and syntatial forms permitted when reiting the Qur an. the onsolidation of the empire and the proliferation of The origin of these refinements lies in the fat that the Qur an instrution, the study of the variants began to linguisti system of the Qur an inorporates the most onstitute a separate Qurani disipline, even if some familiar Arabi dialets and vernaular forms in use at the 1820

7 Middle-East J. Si. Res., 22 (12): , 2014 time of revelation. What is more, qira at may be seen as the uniqueness of the Qur an, Shihab [28] uses two texts the piees of a single mosai, eah fitting perfetly into from the Qur an to show how different readings, in fat, the supernatural text of the Qur ani expression. Then eluidate the meaning of the text. The word maliki in sura again, mutaw tir qir at may be reited both during and al-f ti ah (The Opening) an be read with or without independently of salat (prayers), while others that are not prolonging the a sound. Without a prolongation the of this degree may be used only for the purposes of word means sovereign and by prolongation it means ommentary/exegesis [23]. master or owner. Shihab onludes that there is no Furthermore, some sholars suh al-zarkash [17] ontradition between the two. Thus, Wansbrough [16] holds that the Qur an urently with Muslims omprises states the origin of the readings was not textual but only one of the seven modes; this being the last repeated dotrinal, despite the apparatus of transmission, might be reading done by the Prophet in the presene of Gabriel inferred from the juridial as well as liturgial signifiane. and whih served the purpose for abrogating the rest. al-suy [10] states that from differenes in Others argue that the urrent odex is apable of bearing reitations there may our differene in religious laws. a seven modes. In an attempt to make a distintion Thus the jurisprudents allowed a man who had reently between the divinely santioned various modes and the had interourse not to perform the partial ablution before later developed readings, Von Denver [24] onludes his prayer, or to do so based on sura al-nis (The Women) disussion on the seven modes by saying that They are verse 43: the basis of several distint ways of reiting the Qur an, refleting the different usage at the time of revelation, aw lamastum / l mastum alnis a ( or you have omprising variations on pronouniations and even minor ontated women ) differenes in wording. Although muh of what the seven ontain is also found in the seven modes they are They also allowed oitus with a menstruating woman not idential and ame about at a later stage. In a at the end of her period before the ompletion of her desription of the seven variant readings, in whih there purifiation with ghusl (total ablution), or without it based are hardly any signifiant deviations from the seven on sura al-baqarah (The Cow) verse 222: variant modes, Von Denver [24] explains the readings as different forms of oral reitations of the Qur an as well as... so keep away from wives during menstruation. And do punuation of the written text whih orresponds to the not approah them until (ya hurna / ya ahharna) they oral reitation. are pure.... Hene, Muslim sholars have put forward a number of explanations for the benefit of the muslim soiety They told of a strange differene onerning a verse deriving from the revelation of the Qur ani message in whih an be reited with both forms. several modes. Among these, the following are most Eloquently, some of the later Traditionists aording important: to make the reading, pronuniation and to al-suy [10] said that there are benefits from the memorisation more easy, as many people were illiterate in differenes and types of variant readings: (i) For the the Prophet s time. And to explain a legal ruling in more Nation s simplifiation, failitation and ease in reitation. detail [25]. Apart from that, the revelation in seven modes (ii) The demonstration of its exellene and nobility to the shows the inimitability and unique nature of the Qur an in other nations, beause no sripture had ever been terms of its meanings in the realm of language and legal revealed to any of them, but that it had only one rulings. It further failitates memorization of the Qur an by permissible reading. (iii) Inreasing their reward, for they the unlettered ommunity [26]. It is also in reognition of expand their energies to realize this and to strive for rigour the linguisti nature and onstitution of the Arabs. The word by word, to the extent of determining the true onept of seven modes is to unite the new Muslim exeution of a long a vowel, or the attenuation of the ommunity on the basis of the ommon language with vowel (im la) a tending toward i, then pursuing the minor variations [27]. impliations of these and deriving the lessons ( ikam) In an interseting example of how non-onfessional and rules (a k m) from the definition of eah expression sholarship would see onfusion at best and and researh to disover their validation, reasoning and ontradition at worse and onfessional sholarship sees preferne in judgement. (iv) The demonstration of God s 1821

8 Middle-East J. Si. Res., 22 (12): , 2014 seret in His Book and his proteting it from arbitrary hange or meaningful differenes, despite its variant outward aspets. (v) Inreasing its inimitability by means of its suintness, for the variations in its readings have the status of verses; if eah definition of eah word was made disrete verse, one would have to feel the resulting exaggeration. (vi) some of the readings larify what may be unknown from others, e.g. at ibn Mas d reading of Sura al-jumu ah (The Congregation, Friday) verse 9:... fam aw il dhikri Allah... (... then proeed to the remembrane of Allah ) This reading larifies that the intention of the standard reading: fas aw il dhikri Allah... (... hasten earnestly to the remembrane of Allah )is earnestly going and not merely ambling quikly. CONCLUSION The qir at is the field of Qur ani studies that onerned with the study of the various dialets spoken by the Arab tribes in the Arab peninsula before and after the revelation of the Qur an. A mode is, therefore, a prestigious form of Arabi and the dialet of Quraiysh was the standard one. For muslim sholars, the Qur an was revealed in seven different forms of language spoken by the major Arab tribes. Sine the Qur an is the main soure of all Islami teahing and dotrine, this was the reason for the the evolution of qir at disipline and the fat that many works were written inluding works on the reitation of the Qur an in seven or ten ways. The qir at are the different linguisti, lexial, phoneti, morphologial and syntatial forms that are permitted in reiting the Qur an and are not in any sense variants. The soure of these diverse refinements is the fat that the Qur an inorporates into its linguisti system the most familiar Arabi dialets and vernaular forms in use at the time that Qur an was revealed. Finally, for the onveniene of his people the Prophet begged form Allah that the reital of the Qur an may not be limited to one system, but permission be granted to reite it in different ways. Hene the Qur an was revealed on seven modes. And the orret meaning of revelation on seven modes is that seven variations were allowed in reital. As a result several readings ame to be used. REFERENCES 1. Shah, M., Qir t. In Versteegh, K. (Ed.), Enylopedia of Arabi Language and Linguistis (vol. 4, pp: 4 ). Leiden, Netherland: Brill. 2. Al-J rim, A. and M. Am n, Al-Bal ghah al W i ah. Beirut: al-hay t al- Ilmiyyah. 3. usain, A.Q., Fan al-bal ghah. Cairo: Mu assasah al-ris lah. 4. Al-Hash m, A., Jaw hir al-bal ghah f al Ma n wa al-bay n wa al-bad. Egypt: Maktabah al-tij riah al-kubr. 5. Al- ab n, M.A., Al- iby n f l m al-qur n. Beirut: D r al-irsh d. 6. Al-Nimr, A.M., Ulum al-quran al-karim. Beirut: D r al-kit b al-lubn n. 7. Esak, F., The Qur an: A short introdution. Oxford: Oneworld. 8. Ibn al-jazar, A.K., (n.d.). Al-Nashr f al-qir ah al Ashr, vol. 1. Beirut: D r al-kutub al- Ilmiyyah. 9. Al-Zarq n, M.A., Man hil al- Irf n f Ul m al- Qur n,vol. 1. Beirut: D r al-kit b al- Arab. 10. Al-Suy, J., Al-Itq nf Ul m al-qur n, vol. 1. Cairo: Maktabah D r al-tur th. 11. Abdul-Raof, H., Theologial approahes to Qur ani exegesis. New York, NY: Routledge. 12. Al-D n, A.A., Al-Muqn f Ma rifa Mars m Ma if Ahl al-ams r. Damasus: D r al-fikr. 13. Ibn Qutayba, M.A., Ta wil Mushkil al-quran. Cairo: D r al-tur th. 14. Al- Asqal n, I.H., Fat al-b r Bi Shar al- Bukh r, vol. 10. Cairo: D r al-tur th. 15. Ernst, C.W., How to Read the Qur an: A New Guide, With Selet Translations. Great Britain: Edinburgh University Press Ltd. 16. Wansbrough, J., Qur ani studies: Soures and methods of siptural interpretation. Oxford: Oxford University. 17. Al-Zarkash, B., Al-Burh n f Ul m al-qur n, 1. Cairo: D r al-tur th. 18. Said, L., The reited Koran: A history of the first reorded version. Prineton, New Jersey: The Darwin Press. 19. Joynboll, G.H., Hadith and the Qur an. In MAuliffe, J. D. (Ed.). Enylopaedia of the Qur an, vol. 2 (pp: 385). Leiden, Netherland: Brill. 20. Al-Bay w, N.A., Anw r al-tanz l wa asr r alta w l, vols. 2 and 3. Beirut: D r I y al-tur th al- Arab. 1822

9 Middle-East J. Si. Res., 22 (12): , Gatje, H., The Qur an and its exegesis. England: 25. Doi, A.R., The sienes of the Qur an: A study Oneworld Publiations. in methodology and approah. Kuala Lumpur: 22. Zarz r, A.M., Ul m al-qur n: Madkhal il Synergy Book International. Tafs r al-qur n wa Bay n I j zih. Beirut: al-maktabah 26. Al-Qa n, M., Mab ith f Ul m al-qur n. al-islamiyyah. Beirut: Mu assasah al-ris lah. 23. Kahteran, N., Hafiz. In Leaman, O. (Ed.). The 27. Ushama, T., Issues in the study of the Qur an. Qur an: An Enylopedia (pp: 233). London: Kuala Lumpur: Ilmiah Publishers. Routledge. 28. Shihab, M.Q., Tafsir Al-Mishbah: Pesan, kesan 24. Von Denver, A., UlumAl-Quran: An dan keserasian Al-Qur an,. 1. Jakarta: Lentera Hati. Introdution to the Sienes of the Qur'an. London: Islami Foundation. 1823