The Qur'an and Its Study. Adnan Zarzour
that cannot be authentic, for it appears to have been added by way of interpretation. This, however, is an incorrect interpretation.
The second point is that some scholars grade this Hadith as ‘poor in authenticity’, on counts of both its chain of transmission and its text. It seems that the part of this version that is authentic is up to the Prophet’s saying of the seven ḥarfs: ‘Each is good and sound.’ In the other version, the authentic part is up to ‘God is Mighty and Wise.’ Confusing verses speaking of mercy or punishment is a totally different matter. As to how the Qur’an is read and about where to pause and where to start is stated by the Prophet’s Companions. This has nothing to do with the general question of the Qur’an’s revelation. They are reported to have said: ‘A reciter of the Qur’an must not confuse a verse promising mercy with one threatening punishment, in what God Almighty determines.’232
Ibn ‘Aṭiyyah said: ‘The Prophet’s statement, “Read as you find easier,” does not mean permission that his Companions could change a word at will. Had it been so, the inimitability of the Qur’an would have been lost. It would also have exposed it to change and alteration, and no longer be what God revealed. So, the permission granted is only in the seven ḥarfs, or pronunciations which the Prophet requested so as to make things easier for his community. He read once to Ubayy according to how Gabriel read it to him, .and he read it at a different time to Ibn Mas‘ūd in a different way but which Gabriel also read to him.’
The same interpretation is given to Anas ibn Mālik’s statement when he read verse 6 of Surah 73 which says: ‘The night hours are strongest of tread and most upright of speech.’ The verse uses the word aqwam, meaning ‘most upright’. When this was pointed out to him, he said: ‘Aqwam, aṣwab and ahya’ are the same.’ This means they were all reported to have been read by the Prophet. Had it been possible for anyone to do this of their own accord, God’s guarantee to preserve the Qur’an intact would have been meaningless. He says: ‘It is We Ourselves Who have bestowed this reminder from on High, and it is We Who shall preserve it intact’ (9: 15).233
To read the Qur’an by meaning, replacing words with their synonyms, is unacceptable. This is not what is meant by the seven ḥarfs. The most that can be said of any such practice is that it may be an aspect of the seven ḥarfs, but is still no more than an explanatory reading or an interpretation.
Ibn al-Jazarī, a highly renowned scholar of the Qur’an, said: ‘Anyone who says that some of the Prophet’s Companions, such as Ibn Mas‘ūd, ruled that it was permissible to read the Qur’an by meaning makes a false claim. What he said was: “I have reviewed the readings and found them close to each other. Read as you have been taught.”’234
Moreover, changing the wording of the Qur’an, substituting some of its words by their synonyms or other words, is totally unacceptable. God says: ‘When Our revelations are recited to them in all their clarity, those who have no hope of meeting Us say: “Bring us a discourse other than this Qur’an, or else alter it.” Say: “It is not for me to alter it of my own accord. I only follow what is revealed to me. I dread the torment of an awesome day if I should disobey my Lord!”’ (10: 15). Such substitution was not even permitted to the Prophet (peace be upon him), so how could it be permissible for anyone else?
2.3 The aforementioned Hadiths, particularly the third, make clear that the reason for revealing the Qur’an in seven pronunciations, or ḥarfs, is to make things easier for the Muslim nation as a whole, particularly the Arabs who were honoured by the revelation of the Qur’an in their own language. Nonetheless, they had different dialects, voice pitches, and ways of delivery which made it very difficult for them to conform to a single way of recitation in all these aspects. Therefore, revealing the Qur’an in seven pronunciations was intended to make things easier and to remove all difficulty.
We need to bear in mind that the Qur’anic style is both superior and inimitable, and that aspects of its inimitability include its flow that uses the most accurate construction of Arabic vocabulary, as well as the perfect construction of its sounds. As we have noted, this enables a person who reads the Qur’an well to read any Arabic text, but not the reverse. When we bear all this in mind, we can better understand the Prophet’s reference to the fact that his community included young boys and girls, servants, weak and elderly people, and his urgent appeal to make it easier for them to read the Qur’an and interact with it.
2.4 We may also conclude, on the basis of these Hadiths, that it is totally unlikely that what is meant by the seven ḥarfs is seven languages. Some scholars tend to interpret such an explanation by saying that they mean seven languages of the Arabs, meaning that they combine the dialects of the various Arab tribes. This is unlikely because in requesting them the Prophet (peace be upon him) said that his community included ‘young boys, girls, servants and weak and elderly people’. He did not say that his community included people from Hudhayl, Quraysh, Thaqīf, Kinānah etc.
2.5 The third Hadith, which speaks of the event at Aḥjār al-Mirā’, also makes it clear that the ḥarfs that the Prophet (peace be upon him) approved of did not include the substitution of one word by another. This was only possible through revelation, as he said in the other Hadith: ‘This is how it was revealed.’ The Prophet’s approval of people’s readings was a concession granted by him to those with valid excuses. On the other hand, when he taught his Companions, he taught only the Qur’an as revealed to him.
Imām Muslim relates on the authority of Ubayy ibn Ka‘b that ‘the Prophet was at Banī Ghifār’s water235 when Gabriel came to him and said: “God commands you that your nation must read the Qur’an in one pronunciation [ḥarf].” He said: “I appeal to God for His compassion and forgiveness, for my nation cannot do this.” Gabriel came to him a second time and said: “God commands you that your nation must read the Qur’an in two pronunciations.” He said: “I appeal to God for His compassion and forgiveness, for my nation cannot do this.” He came a third time and said: “God commands you that your nation must read the Qur’an in three pronunciations [ḥarf].” He said: “I appeal to God for His compassion and forgiveness, for my nation cannot do this.” Gabriel came a fourth time and said: “God commands you that your nation must read the Qur’an in seven pronunciations. Whichever they read will be correct.”’236
Aḥjār al-Mirā’ and Banī Ghifār’s water, where the two events took place, are both in Madinah. The Madinah society was heterogeneous in composition and it welcomed many visitors from the Arabian Peninsula and elsewhere who were keen to learn about and adopt Islam.237 This means that the need for making things easier occurred in Madinah. In Makkah, the Qur’an was revealed among a homogenous community speaking only one Arabic dialect.
2.6 Many scholars are of the view that this Hadith and the second of the three Hadiths we mentioned at the beginning of this chapter refer to seven pronunciations, or ḥarfs, exactly, just as the number 7 indicates. They do not merely speak of giving leeway to make things easier. They base their argument on the fact that the Prophet (peace be upon him) made his request through the angel one pronunciation after another until he reached seven.
Other scholars maintain that this figure is meant only as a concession giving ample room and making things easy. They argue that the Arabs used to mention 7, 70 and 700 but that these do not mean exact numbers. Rather, they use them simply to indicate plenty, without restricting it to numbers and figures. God says: ‘The case of those who spend their property for the cause of God is like that of a grain that brings forth seven ears’ (2:261). ‘You may pray for their forgiveness or may not pray for them, (for it will all be the same). Even if you were to pray seventy times for their forgiveness, God will not forgive them’ (9:80). In these cases, the number seven indicates plenty in single figures, while seventy indicates plenty in tens. The number 700 is used to mean many hundreds.
3. What are these Seven Pronunciations or Ḥarfs??
3.1 It is clear that these seven ḥarfs do not mean ‘seven languages or dialects the Arabs spoke or the languages of other people’,238 whether some people are able to identify them or not. ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb and Hishām ibn Ḥakīm, mentioned in the first