The Seven Readings of The Qur'an

If you have spoken to a Muslim about his or her religion you have most likely been told that the Qur'an is perfect in every way. It is common for Muslims to say that all Qur'ans in the world are identical, and that the Quran is perfectly preserved and free from any variation. It is upon this basis that they promote the Qur'an as superior to other Holy Books. Consider the following quote from a Muslim publication widely used in Australia in the 1990's.

No other book in the world can match the Qur’an .. The astonishing fact about this book of ALLAH is that it has remained unchanged, even to a dot, over the last fourteen hundred years. ... No variation of text can be found in it. You can check this for yourself by listening to the recitation of Muslims from different parts of the world. (Basic Principles of Islam. Abu Dhabi, UAE; The Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahayan Charitable & Humanitarian Foundation, 1996. p.4)

We examine this claim.

Fact 1. N.J. Dawood is an Arabic scholar who has translated the Qur'an. In the introduction to his translation he says:

... owing to the fact that the kufic script in which the Koran was originally written contained no indication of vowels or diacritical points, variant readings are recognized by Muslims as of equal authority.

(N.J. Dawood, The Koran . Middlesex, England. Penguin Books 1983. P 10.

Conclusion 1. According to this Arabic scholar there are variant readings in the text of the Qur'an.

Fact 2. If we now turn to an Islamic encyclopaedia written by a practising Muslim we can learn more about these variations:

In the 4th Islamic century, it was decided to have recourse to "readings" (qira’at) handed down from seven authoritative "readers" (qurra’) in order, moreover, to ensure accuracy of transmission, two "transmitters" (rawi, pl ruwah) were accorded to each. There resulted from this seven basic texts (a/-qira'at as-sab', "the seven readings"), each having two transmitted versions (riwayatan) with only minor variations in phrasing, but all containing meticulous vowel-points and other necessary diacritical marks. ... The authoritative "readers" are:

Nafi (from Medina; d. 169/785) Ibn Kathir (from Mecca; d. 119/737)

Ibn 'Amir (from Basra; d. 118/736) Hamzah (from Kufah; d-156/772)

Al-Qisai (from Kufah; d, 189/804) Abu Bakr 'Asim (from Kufah; d.158/778)

The predominant reading today, spread by Egyptian Koran readers, is that of 'Asim in the transmission [riwayah} of Hafs (d.190/805). In Morocco, however, the reading is that of Nafi' in the riwayah of Warsh (d.197/812) and

Maghrebin Korans are written accordingly. (Cyril Glasse, The Concise Encyclopaedia of Islam. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1989. p, 324,

Conclusion 2. According to this Islamic encyclopedia there are seven basic texts, each of which has two transmitted versions. Thus there are a total of fourteen transmitted versions of the Qur'an, and different parts of the world use and print different transmissions,

Fact 3. This is not a difficult question to answer because some of these different transmissions are still printed today and thus are available for study. The following quote is from an article that examines only two of the fourteen transmissions:

The simple fact is that none of the differences, whether vocal or graphic, between the transmission of Hafs and the transmission of Warsh has any great effect on the meaning. Many are differences which do not change the meaning at all, and the rest are differences with an effect on meaning in the immediate context of the text itself, but without any significant wider influence on Muslim thought. One difference (Q. 2/184) has an effect on the meaning that might conceivably be argued to have wider ramifications. (Adrian Brockett, 'The Value of the Hafs and Warsh transmissions for the Textual History of the Qur'an', Approaches to the History of the Interpretation of the Qur'an. ed, Andrew Rippin; Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1988, p,37, bold added!

Conclusion 3. There are differences between the different transmissions of the Qur'an. They differ in regard to their vocal (vowel and diacritical points) and also graphical (consonant) aspects. These differences are small, but they do have some effect on the meaning.

MAIN CONCLUSION. There are seven authorised readings of the Qur'an with fourteen transmissions. These have small but real differences between them and different parts of the world use and print different transmissions. Thus, the claim that all Qur'ans in the world are identical is false when the evidence is considered. Since the Qur'an has variation within its text it is not superior to other Holy Books.

We request that Muslim leaders make all fourteen transmissions available. Which transmission do you use?

This article has been re-produced
from ‘The Seven Readings of the Quran’ by Samuel Green (1998)
and published through Dialogue Ministries
P.O. BOX 317 Wentworthville 2145 N.S.W. Australia.
E-Mail; diatogue@ mts.com.au