How Are Reports of Alternate Wordings in Certain Verses Reconciled with the Doctrine of Quranic Preservation and Tawatur?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

Do reports of alternate wordings in certain verses—like those from Ibn ʿAbbas—indicate variant qira’at, scribal errors, or tafsir, and how are they reconciled with the doctrine of Quranic preservation and tawatur?

Answer

I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.

The principle is that only the Quran is mass-transmitted (mutawatir) and confirmed by the Uthmanic codices. Variants like tasta’dhinu, wassa, etc., are either irregular readings not used in prayer (qira’at shawadhdha) or tafsiri explanations transmitted in the form of a recitation.

Scholars like Zarkashi and Suyuti (Allah have mercy on them both) are explicit: such reports are not contradictions or scribal errors, but companion explanations expressed in a recitational style.

The jurist, judge Abu Bakr (Allah have mercy on him) said:

As for the statement that “tastaʾnisu” means “tastaʾdhinu” (that “seek familiarity” means “seek permission”), there is no objection to expressing seeking permission with the wording seeking familiarity.

In this, there is no mistake on the part of a scribe, and it is not permissible to attribute error to the Book of Allah, whose preservation Allah Himself has guaranteed, and upon whose authenticity the entire umma has agreed.

Therefore, no attention should be paid to the one who transmits such a claim from Ibn ‘Abbas.

[Ibn al-‘Arabi, Ahkam al-Quran]

I would like you to go through the valuable answers and links below. In sha Allah, you will receive guidance and direction.

Related 

• The Preservation and Practice of the Quran- Mufti Taha Karaan
• Preservation of the Quran 
• Orality, Literacy and the ‘Seven Ahruf’ Hadith: Yasin Dutton(PDF)
• The History of the Quranic Text (Muhammad Mustafa al-A’..(PDF) Reading List for Advanced Students of Tajwid, Qira’ah, 
• Variant Readings of the Quran(PDF)
• The History of Qur’anic Text (PDF)
• Origins of the Variant Readings of the Quran
• A Companion to the Major Ten Qira’at (PDF)
• From Revelation to Preservation -Sh.Abdur Rahim Reasat (Course) 
• Are the Seven Ahruf (Modes of Recitation) the Same as the Seven Qira’at (Readings) of the Quran?
• Quranic Studies Curriculum
• What Is the Difference between the Ten Qira’at and the Seven Ahruf?
• Are the Qira’at Based on Ijtihadi Recitations of the Companions?
• What Does It Mean That the Quran Was Transmitted through Tawatur (Mass Transmission)? – Shaykh Anas al-Musa
• What Are the Evidences of the Quran’s Preservation from Alteration?

Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on SeekersAcademy (seekersguidance.org)

I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

 قَوْله تَعَالَى: {حَتَّى تَسْتَأْنِسُوا} [النور: 27]
مَدَّ اللَّهُ التَّحْرِيمَ فِي دُخُولِ بَيْتٍ لَيْسَ هُوَ بَيْتُك إلَى غَايَةٍ هِيَ الِاسْتِئْنَاسُ.
وَاخْتُلِفَ فِيهِ عَلَى ثَلَاثَةِ أَقْوَالٍ:
الْأَوَّلُ: أَنَّ مَعْنَاهُ حَتَّى تَسْتَأْذِنُوا، وَكَذَلِكَ كَانَ يَقْرَأهَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَبَّاسٍ، وَيَقُولُ: أَخْطَأَ الْكَاتِبُ.
الثَّانِي: حَتَّى تُؤْنِسُوا أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ بِالتَّنَحْنُحِ، فَيَعْلَمُوا بِالدُّخُولِ عَلَيْهِمْ؛ قَالَهُ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ وَمُجَاهِدٌ وَغَيْرُهُ.
الثَّالِثُ: حَتَّى تَعْلَمُوا أَفِيهَا مِنْ تَسْتَأْذِنُونَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْ لَا؛ قَالَهُ ابْنُ قُتَيْبَةَ.
قَالَ الْفَقِيهُ الْقَاضِي أَبُو بَكْرٍ – رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ -: أَمَّا قَوْلُهُ أَنْ تَسْتَأْنِسُوا بِمَعْنَى تَسْتَأْذِنُوا فَلَا مَانِعَ فِي أَنْ يُعَبَّرَ عَنْ الِاسْتِئْذَانِ بِالِاسْتِئْنَاسِ، وَلَيْسَ فِيهِ خَطَأٌ مِنْ كَاتِبٍ، وَلَا يَجُوزُ أَنْ يُنْسَبَ الْخَطَأُ إلَى كِتَابٍ تَوَلَّى اللَّهُ حِفْظَهُ، وَأَجْمَعَتْ الْأُمَّةُ عَلَى صِحَّتِهِ؛ فَلَا يُلْتَفَتُ إلَى رَاوِي ذَلِكَ عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ.

أحكام القرآن لابن العربي — ابن العربي (٥٤٣ هـ)

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. Presently, he lives in the UK with his wife and is interested in books and gardening.