Why Is “Huwa” Omitted In Some Readings of Verse 24 of Surat al-Hadid?
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
A qira’at is canonical if it conforms to the Uthmanic rasm. Some canonical variants differ in the skeletal consonant, e.g., Surat al-Hadid, verse 24, where hafs includes “wa man yatawalla fa inna Allaha huwa al-Ghaniyy al-Hamid,” but warsh and qalun omit “huwa.”
Explain this difference, given the absence or presence of “huwa”?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.
Both are legitimate qira’at, even though their consonantal skeletons differ slightly. They are both mass-transmitted (mutawatir) readings and authentically transmitted.
Canonical Readings
Must follow Uthmanic rasm in essential letters. They may differ in consonant realization if supported by authentic transmission, with minor insertions or omissions, such as “huwa,” recognized in different canonical riwayat. [Abyari, al-Qira’at; Ibn ‘Ashur, al-Tahrir wa al-Tanwir]
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I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received a traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Currently, he resides in the UK with his wife and is interested in reading and gardening.
