The revelation of the Qur’an in seven letters and its reasons

 

Statement of the revelation of the Qur’an in seven letters..
The Messenger of Allah, may Allah
bless him and grant him peace, said : “ The Qur’an was revealed in seven letters .” This is agreed upon, and this is the wording of Bukhari. In Muslim’s wording, on the authority of Ubayy, the Prophet , may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was at the well of Banu Ghifar, when Gabriel, peace be upon him, came to him and said: “Allah commands you to teach your nation the Qur’an in one letter.” He said: “I ask Allah for His protection and assistance, for my nation cannot bear that.” Then he came to him a second time in two letters, and said the same to him. Then he came to him a third time in the same way, and said the same to him. Then he came to him a fourth time and said: “Allah commands you to teach your nation the Qur’an in seven letters, so whichever letter they recite it with, they have done right.”

The great Imam Abu Ubaid al-Qasim ibn Salam stated that this hadith is mutawatir from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

It was narrated by Omar, Hisham, Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf, Ubayy ibn Ka’b, Ibn Mas’ud, Mu’adh ibn Jabal, Abu Hurayrah, Ibn Abbas, Abu Sa’id al-Khudri, Hudhayfah, Abu Bakra, Amr ibn al-Aas, Zayd ibn Arqam, Anas, Samurah, Omar ibn Abi Salamah, Abu Juhaym, Abu Talhah al-Ansari, and Umm Ayyubal-Ansariyyah.

Abu Ya`la al-Mawsili narrated that Uthman said one day on the pulpit: I remember that a man heard the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, say:
“The Qur’an was revealed...” and they stood up until they could not count them and testified that he said it. Uthman said: And I testify with you.

The seven letters do not mean that every word is read in seven ways:
It does not mean that every word of the Qur’an is read in seven ways, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would have said that this Qur’an was revealed in seven letters by deleting a word on…
Rather, what is meant is what you know, that this Qur’an was revealed with this condition and this expansion, such that the aspects of difference do not exceed seven aspects, no matter how much that multiplicity and diversity in the performance of one word is, and no matter how many readings and their methods are in one word. So

the word { Malik Yawm al-Deen } which was reported to be read in seven or ten ways… and it was not limited to seven.

And the word{ وَعَبَدَ التاغُتُ } which was reported to be read in twenty-two readings..!!

And the word { Uff } which al-Rummani attributed its languages ​​to thirty-seven languages.

And all of those and similar ones, the variation in them, despite their abundance, does not go beyond seven aspects.

The seven letters do not go beyond seven aspects:
the best and most creative in them were Al-Razi, Ibn Al-Jazari, and Ibn Qutaybah - may God have mercy on them - and it is the most correct of what has been said in this regard... and most scholars have adopted it, and we will quote the statements of the three of them based on what Ibn Al-Jazari (751-833 AH) - may God have mercy on him - mentioned in his book “Al-Nashr fi Al-Qira’at Al-‘Ashr.”

“I have been wondering about this hadith, thinking about it and looking closely for over thirty years until God revealed to me what could be correct, God willing. I have followed the readings, their authenticity, their anomalousness, their weakness and their denial, and I have found that their differences go back to seven aspects of difference that they do not go beyond, and that is:

1- Either in the movements without changing the meaning and form: such as (al-Bukhl) with four letters and (Ya-Hisab) with two faces.

2- Or with a change in meaning only, such as (Adam received from his Lord words). And (Remember after a nation, and a nation).

3- Or in the letters, the meaning changes, not the form, such as (tabala, and tatala) and (nahanika bi-badanak so that you may be for those who come after you - and najanika bi-badanak)

4- Or the opposite, such as (bastah and basta, and as-sirat and as-sirat)

5- Or by changing them, such as (more severe than you and them, and he swears and he swears, and go to the remembrance of God)

6- As for the advancement and delay, such as (they kill and are killed, and the intoxication of truth came with death).

7- Or in addition and subtraction, such as (and he recommended and he recommended, and the male and the female)

These are seven aspects from which the difference does not go beyond them. As for the difference in terms of idhhar, idgham, rum, ishmām, tafkhim, tarqīm, elongation, shortening, inclination, fathah, tathqīq, tashil, ibdal, and naql, which are expressed by the principles, this is not from the differences in which the word and meaning vary, because these varied characteristics in its performance do not take it out of being one word, even if it is assumed that it is from the first aspect.

Then I saw the great Imam Abu al-Fadl al-Razi ( 371-454 AH ) try what I mentioned and he said that the difference in speech does not go beyond seven aspects:

(First) The difference between nouns in singular , dual, plural, masculine, feminine, exaggerated, etc. An example of this is: {And those who are to their trusts and their covenants attentive} It was read like this: {li-maanatihim} in the plural, and {li-maanatihim} was read in the singular.

(Second) The difference in the conjugation of verbs and what is attributed to them, such as the past, present, imperative, attribution to the masculine and feminine, the speaker and the addressed, the subject and the object. An example of this is: {So they said, “Our Lord, separate our journeys.”} It was read like this, with the word {Our Lord} in the accusative case as a vocative, and with the word {Show} as an imperative verb, and with a phrase that is more appropriate to the situation, a verb of supplication . It was read like this: {Our Lord, separate} with the nominative case as a subject, and with the word {After} as a past tense verb with a doubled ‘ayn, its sentence is the predicate.

(Third) The aspects of parsing... Example: {And let no scribe or witness be harmed} It was read with a fatha on the ra’ ​​and a damma on it. The fatha is based on the fact that la is a prohibitive letter, so the verb is in the jussive mood after it. The fatha noted in the ra’ ​​is the fatha of assimilation of two identical letters. As for the damma, it is based on the fact that la is a negative letter, so the verb is raised after it.

(Fourth) Increase and decrease... An example of this is: {And He created the male and the female} It was read with this wording. It was also read: {And the male and the female} with the decrease of the word “He created.”

(Fifth) Advancing and delaying... {And the stupor of death will come in truth} It was read: And the stupor of truth will come with death.

(Sixth) The heart and substitution of one word for another and one letter for another... An example of this is: {And look at the bones - how We bring them together} with a zay. {Nunshizhuha} was read with a ra’. Likewise, His Almighty’s statement: {And layered bananas} with a ha’. {Wa tal’a} was read with an ‘ayn.

(Seventh) The difference in languages, such as opening, inclination, softening, emphasis, emphasis, emphasis, ease, assimilation, and manifestation, and the like... {And has the story of Moses come to you?} It is read with opening and inclination in “came” and the word “Moses.”

Then I came across the words of Ibn Qutaybah (213-276 AH), and he tried what we tried in another way. He said, “I have pondered the aspects of difference in the readings and found them to be seven:

(The first) in the parsing that does not remove its image in writing nor change its meaning, such as (These are my daughters, they are purer for you. And purer. Is anyone rewarded except the ungrateful? And We reward anyone except the ungrateful? And miserliness and miserliness and ease and ease).

(The second) is the difference in the word’s grammatical analysis and the vowels of its construction, which changes its meaning but does not remove it from its original form, such as (our Lord is distant, and our Lord is distant, and when you meet him, and you meet him, and after a nation and after his mother).

(The third) is the difference in the letters of the word without its inflection, which changes its meaning but does not remove its form, such as (And look at the bones, how We spread them out and raise them up, and when fear is removed from their hearts and they are terrified)

(The fourth) is that the difference in the word is such that it changes its form and meaning, such as (Tala’a Nadeed) in one place (Wa Talha Mandhud) in another.

(The fifth) is that the difference in the word is such that it changes its form in the book but does not change its meaning, such as (except for one taste and one shout, and like the carded wool and like wool)

( The sixth) is that the difference is in the order of precedence and delay, such as: (And the intoxication of truth came with death, in: The intoxication of death with truth).

(The seventh) is that the difference is in increase and decrease, such as (And what their hands have done and what they have done, and indeed, God is the Free of need, the Praiseworthy, and this is my brother, he has ninety-nine female ewes).

Then Ibn Qutaybah said: All of these letters are the words of God Almighty, which the Trustworthy Spirit brought down to the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace.

Which of the three is correct? They all collected all the readings in their seven... and perhaps they all agreed with the difference in the words and a negligible difference between them... so much so that Ibn Hajar said that Al-Razi, may Allah have mercy on him, took what Ibn Qutaybah wrote and revised it... except that Al-Razi, may Allah have mercy on him... did not take and refine it... but as Al-Zarqani, may Allah have mercy on him, said, he excelled by listing all the seven aspects that Ibn Qutaybah and Ibn Al-Jazari mentioned in six aspects and he specified the seventh aspect with the difference in dialects among the Arabs, and this is to his credit... because the difference in dialects is one of the main reasons for the revelation of the Qur’an in seven letters ... rather, from the importance of this aspect... some scholars limited the seven letters to the languages ​​and dialects of the Arabs only... even though he disagreed with them on that correctness... because Omar and Hisham differed on a reading in Surat Al-Furqan, both of which are Quraish, and the Prophet approved the correctness of their recitation ..!!

The reason why the Qur’an is written in seven letters:

1- It is to make things easier for this nation, and God’s will is to make things easy for it... Ibn Qutaybah said...

It is from the facilitation of God Almighty that He commanded His Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, to teach every nation in their language...

Al - Hudhali reads: “ At a time ” (Al-Mu’minun: 25).

- And the lion said : “ You know ,” and “ You know, ” and “I do not know . ” (Ya Sin: 60)

- And the Tamimi pronounces the hamza.

- The Qurashi does not pronounce the hamza.

- The other reads “It was said to them” (Al-Baqarah: 11), “And the water subsided” (Hud: 44) with the “Kasra” sound , and “Why do you not trust us?” (Yusuf: 11) with the “Damma” sound.

2- In response to the intention of her Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, “My Lord sent to me to recite the Qur’an in one letter, so I replied to him to make it easy for my nation . And he kept repeating until he reached seven letters.”

Muslim narrated on the authority of Abi bin Kaab that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, was at the watering place of Banu Ghaffar. He said:

Then Gabriel, peace be upon him, came to him and said: Allah commands you to recite the Qur’an to your nation in one harf. He said: “ I ask Allah for His pardon and forgiveness, for my nation cannot bear that .” Then he came to him a second time and said: Allah commands you to recite the Qur’an to your nation in two harfs. He said: “ I ask Allah for His pardon and forgiveness, for my nation cannot bear that.” Then he came to him a third time and said: Allah commands you to recite the Qur’an to your nation in three harfs . He said: “I ask Allah for His pardon and forgiveness, for my nation cannot bear that .” Then he came to him a fourth time and said: Allah commands you to recite the Qur’an to your nation in seven harfs. Whichever harf they recite, they will have done it correctly.

3- The Messenger was sent to all people and to all Arabs , and his mission was not to Quraysh alone. Therefore, the language of the Arabs in which the Qur’an was revealed addressed many tribes, and among these tribes there was a difference in dialects, tones of voices, method of performance, and the fame of some words in some meanings, despite the fact that they were united by Arabism and were unified by the general Arabic language.

If they all began to read the Qur’an with one letter, it would be difficult for them, just as it is difficult for a Cairene among us to speak with the Asyuti dialect, for example, even if we were united by the common Egyptian language and Egyptian nationalism in one country. And so it was... It was difficult for one of them to move from his language to another, or even from one letter to another, even through education and treatment.

4- Just as if the young man and the educated among them were able to master the language of Quraysh, what about the old man, the woman, and those who have never read a book and are unable to adhere to one letter and one face?!! If they were ordered to change their language and move away from their tongues, this would be an order that is impossible. What could the one who is forced to do so be forced to do when nature refuses?!!

Al-Tirmidhi narrated on the authority of Abi bin Ka’b who said: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, met Gabriel at the Stones of Marwah. He said: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said to Gabriel: “I have been sent to a nation of illiterate people among whom are the old man, the old woman, and the young boy.” He said: “Then order them to recite the Qur’an in seven letters.” Al-Tirmidhi said: It is good and authentic.

5- The miracle that exceeded the limit in its readings and letters...!.. Every reading confirms each other and explains each other and testifies to each other on one pattern in the loftiness of style and expression and one goal of the sublimity of guidance and education... This undoubtedly indicates the multiplicity of the miracle with the multiplicity of readings and letters... The meaning of this is that the Qur’an is incapable if it is read with this reading and is also incapable if it is read with this second reading and is also incapable if it is read with this third reading and so on...

6- Explaining a ruling.. It is not clear from one reading and is clear from another reading.. such as the Almighty’s saying: {And if a man or woman is to be inherited by ascendants or descendants, and he has a brother or a sister, each one of them shall have a sixth} Saad bin Abi Waqqas read { and he has a brother or a sister from the mother } with the addition of the word from the mother, so it became clear that what is meant by brothers in this ruling is brothers from the mother, not siblings and those who are from the father, and this is a matter agreed upon...

And similar to that is His Almighty saying in the expiation for an oath: { Then its expiation is the feeding of ten poor people from the average of that with which you feed your own families, or clothing them, or the freeing of a slave .} And it came in a reading: or the freeing of a believing slave , with the addition of the word “believing ”... This clarifies the condition of faith in the slave who is freed as expiation for an oath... This supports the doctrine of al-Shafi’i and those who follow him in the necessity of this condition being met.

7- Combining two different rulings with the sum of the two readings, such as the Almighty’s saying: { So keep away from women during menstruation and do not approach them until they are pure. } It was read with the emphasis and the stress “ Ya Tahurna ” in the letter Ta’ of the word Yatahurna. There is no doubt that the emphasised form indicates the necessity of exaggerating the purification of women from menstruation because the increase in the structure indicates an increase in meaning. As for the lightening reading, it does not indicate this exaggeration.

The sum of the two readings rules on two matters:
The first is that the husband of a menstruating woman may not approach her until she has attained the state of purity, which is the cessation of menstruation. The second is that her husband may not approach her unless she has attained purity, which is by bathing. Both purities are necessary for the permissibility of approaching women. This is also the view of al-Shafi’i and those who agreed with him.

8- And from it is the indication of two legal rulings but in two different situations : like the Almighty’s saying in explaining ablution { So wash your faces and your hands to the elbows and wipe over your heads and your feet to the ankles } It was read with the word “your feet” in the accusative and in the genitive case...
The accusative indicates a request to wash them because the conjunction then would be with the word “your faces” in the accusative case, which is washed.
And the genitive indicates a request to wipe them because the conjunction then would be with the word “your heads” in the genitive case, which is wiped. The Messenger explained that wiping is for the one who wears the khuff and that washing is obligatory for the one who does not wear the khuff.

9- And among them is repelling the illusion of what is not intended, such as the Almighty’s saying: { O you who have believed, when [the adhan] is called for the prayer on the day of Jumu’ah [Friday ], then proceed to the remembrance of Allah . } And it was read: “Go to the remembrance of Allah…”

The first reading suggests that walking to Friday prayer must be done quickly.
However, the second readingremoves this suggestion because walking does not mean speed.

10- And among them is the clarification of a word that is ambiguous to some, such as the Almighty’s saying: { And the mountains will be like carded wool } and it was read as carded wool , so the second reading clarifies that carded wool is wool.

In conclusion: The diversity of readings is equivalent to the multiplicity of verses. This is a type of eloquence that begins with the beauty of this brevity and ends with the perfection of the miracle.

Finally....

Abdullah bin Masoud said to his companions while he was leaving Kufa... "Do not dispute about the Qur'an, for it does not differ, fade or become exhausted by frequent repetition, and its Islamic law, its limits and its obligations are one. If one of the two letters forbade something that the other commanded, that would be the difference, but it encompasses all of that. The limits and obligations and nothing of the Islamic laws differ in it. I saw us disputing about it in the presence of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, and he would order us to recite to him, and he would tell us that we are all doers of good. If I knew anyone who knew more about what God revealed to His Messenger than me, I would ask him until his knowledge increased to mine. I have recited from the tongue of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, seventy surahs. I knew that the Qur'an was recited to him every Ramadan, until the year he died, when it was recited to him twice. When he finished, I would recite to him, and he would tell me that I am a doer of good. So whoever recites according to my recitation should not abandon it out of a desire for it, and whoever recites according to one of these letters should not abandon it out of a desire for it, for whoever denies a verse has denied it entirely. "
Narrated by Al-Tabari in his interpretation.