lecture 5 february 17 2013 divine revelation: a study of the qur’anic sciences qur'anic...

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Lecture 5

February 17 2013

DIVINE REVELATION: A STUDY OF THE QUR’ANIC SCIENCES

Qur'anic Sciences - DKI

Qur'anic Sciences - DKI 2

The Qur’an is not compiled in order of when the Surahs/Ayahs were revealed The Prophet ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص instructed the Sahabah where to put the

Ayahs in the Surahs when they were revealed to him There is a difference of opinion regarding the order of the

Surahs1. The order of Surahs was also dictated by Wahy2. The order of Surahs was determined by the Sahabah

The stronger opinion is the order of Surahs is from WahyThe chronological order of the entire Qur’an cannot be

mapped with certainty The Sahabah did not put much importance in this, other than

for understanding the Asbab al-Nuzul Many non-Muslim scholars have attempted to put the Qur’an in

chronological order, because they feel it is currently “out of order”

The Qur’an is exactly in the order in which Allah SWT has willed

CHRONOLOGICAL VS. COMPILED ORDER

3Qur'anic Sciences - DKI

Chapters 5.3-5.5

SEVEN AHRUFSEVEN QIRA’AH

NASKH


In the Hadith, the Prophet (S) uses the word “Ḥarf” to describe some particular variation in reading the Quran. The exact nature of that variation has much diff erence of opinion.

Abundant evidence exists in the Hadith Imam Suyūṭī narrates 21 Companions narrate a hadith

regarding the Aḥruf Its existence is Mutawātir

HARF

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“Jibrīl taught me the Quran in one Ḥarf, but I turned to him and did not cease asking him to allow more until he ended up at seven readings.” [Bukhari and Muslim] Narrated by Abdullah ibn Abbas (R)

Incident between Umar ibn Khattab (R) and Hisham bin Hakim (R)

The Prophet (S) once told Jibril (A): “O Jibrīl! I have been sent to an illiterate nation. Among them are old and young men and women, and those who have never read writing.” Jibrīl responded: “O Muḥammad! The Quran has been

revealed in seven Aḥruf.” [Tirmidhi – Ubay bin Ka’b]

Qur'anic Sciences - DKI

EVIDENCE IN HADITH


The Aḥruf came directly from Allah. They were not manufactured by the Prophet (S) or the Companions.

The purpose of the varying Aḥruf was that the Prophet (S) wanted recitation and memorization to be easier for the Ummah

Allah revealed the Aḥruf upon the Prophet’s request.

The Prophet (S) used to teach diff erent Aḥruf to diff erent companions based on their particular situation. It does not seem like any Companion was taught more than one Ḥarf, but they clearly knew that more than one Ḥarf existed due to the presence of so many ahadith about it

LESSONS FROM HADITH


Each Ḥarf is legally and spiritually complete and independent in itself Companions were only taught one each

Diff erences between Aḥruf were not so great that they prevented the recitation from being recognized Umar (R) still recognized what surah Hisham (R) was

reciting

The number of the Aḥruf is seven exactly, not more and not less

LESSONS FROM HADITH


Tremendous diff erence of opinion exists. Ibn Qutaybah narrates 35 opinions. As-Ṣuyūṭī narrates 40.

Reason for the Ikhtilāf: We cannot find clear narrations from the Prophet (S) or the Salaf that explain their exact nature. Therefore, all possible definitions are ijtihādī.

We will examine a few of the various opinions

WHAT ARE THE SEVEN AHRUF?


Some scholars hold that the Seven Ahruf are the same as the Seven Qira’at (modes of recitation) This opinion is weak – there are 10 mutawatir Qira’at, not 7. We will cover this in detail later

Advocates of this opinion resolve this problem by interpreting “seven” as kathrah (many) The Hadiths were very specific about the number of Ahruf

(“He stopped at seven...”), so kathrah would not seem to apply here

Aḥruf and Qira’at are related. Aḥruf accommodate Qira’at, but they are not the same.

QIRA’AT (MODES OF RECITATION)


Seven Ahruf refer to the seven dialects prevalent among the tribes during the Prophet’s time This is one of the stronger opinions

The tribes included Quraysh, Hudhail, Tamim, Kananah, etc.

Various verses were pronounced according to the pronunciation of each tribe. They would not change the word, they would change the pronunciation.

The entire Qur’an was revealed in dialect of Quraysh, but Jibril informed the Prophet (S) where it was permissible to change the dialect

Possible objection: Umar and Hisham were both from Quraysh – would have recited in the same dialect

There were more than 7 Arabian tribes

LUGHAT (DIALECTS)


Seven Aḥruf refer to seven Lahjāt – similar words are replaced by their synonyms This is another stronger opinion

The Qur’an was only revealed in one dialect (Quraysh), but the Prophet (S) allowed the use of certain synonymous words to allow recitation for some other tribes to become easier This was only allowed during time of the Prophet (S), and

the words were chosen by the Prophet (S) himself Up to seven different synonyms for certain words in the

Qur’an As the Arabs become more acquainted with the original

dialect, the use of synonyms decreased, until they became completely disallowed before the Prophet (S) passed and the original dialect remained in entirety

This is a strong opinion, but not the preferred

LAHJĀT


Seven Aḥruf are the seven categories of ways in which the verses can diff er Strong and inclusive opinion Most accepted explanation

According to Imam Abdul Fadl Razi:

Seven Variations are in:1. Nouns (Number/Gender)2. Verb Forms3. Voweling4. Omission/Addition5. Word Order6. Synonyms7. Accent and Pronunciation

SEVEN CATEGORIES OF VARIANCE


1. Nouns (Number/Gender) Number: One word is read singular in one recital and plural

in another recital

A masculine word in one recital becomes feminine in another

2. Verb Forms

3. Voweling



4. Omission/Addition

5. Word Order

6. Synonyms

7. Accent and Pronunciation Variations in tafkhim, tarqiq, imalah, madd, qasr, izhar,

idgham alter the pronunciation of certain words



Regardless of the explanation, the diff erences do not constitute a separate text All the variant readings unquestionably represent one and

the same text All were maintained in the Uthmani mushaf

Some hold that the current Mushaf contains one of the Seven variants, with the others being transmitted orally

Wisdom of Multiple Ahruf To prove miraculous nature of Qur’an – since variations did

not alter or allow contradictions in the meaning To prove truthfulness of Prophet (S), since the Qur’an

appeared in the highest literary style in various forms, despite the Prophet (S) being unlettered

Allah knows best

SEVEN AHRUF


Uthman sent the copies of the mushaf to various localities in the Muslim ummah, and sent each copy with a qari who would read and teach in that particular recitation

A “recital” will only be accepted as valid and Qur’anic if:1. Agrees with the Uthmani transcript2. Conform with rules of Arabic grammar3. Should be authentically proven to trace back to the Prophet (S)

Recitations were standardized in 3 rd Century AH Ibn Mujahid compiled 7 recitations into a book Chose the 7 best transmitted recitations, and these 7 gained

popularity However there are more than 7 acceptable recitations

10 recognized

SEVEN QIRA’AH


Abdullah bin Kathir al-Dari (d. 120 AH) Saw Anas bin Malik, Abdullah bin Zubayr, Abu Ayyub Ansari Makkah Transmitted by: Bazzi and Qunbul

Nafi ’ bin Abdur-Rahman (d. 169 AH) Madinah Transmitted by: Abu Musa Qalun and Abu Sa’id Warsh Currently popular in Africa

Abdullah Yahsubi (Ibn Amir) (d. 118 AH) Damascus Transmitted by: Hisham and Dhakwan

Abu Amr Zabban (d. 154 AH) Basrah Transmitted by: Abu Umar al-Dawri and Abu Shu’ayb Susi

SEVEN QIRA’AH


Hamzah bin Habib (d. 188 AH) Kufah Transmitted by: Khalaf bin Hisham and Khallad bin Khalid

Asim (d. 127 AH) Kufah Transmitted by: Shu’bah bin Ayyash and Hafs bin Sulayman

Hafs is most common today worldwide

Abul Hassan al-Kisa’i (d. 189) Kufah Transmitted by: Abul Harith Maruzi and Umar al-Dadri

RECOGNIZED QIRA’AH


ر� د�ي ق� ء� ي ق� ل ك� ى� ق� ق� ق� �� ق ل ا ق�� ق�ا ي� ق� �ي �ق ي� قل ق�ا � ق!ا د� ي" د# ي$ ق�ا ق!ا ي% ل# ء� ي& ق' د) د( ي�ا ق* ق!ا د+ % ك* ي$ ق�ا ء, قي آا ي. د# ي/ ق+ % ق* ق#ا[Al-Baqarah, ayah 106]

Literal Definition To remove/abolish

Technical Definition To abrogate a ruling by a ruling that was revealed

after it The ruling must be in fiqhī matters only, not in aqīdah

Nāsikh = abrogator (most recent verse) Mansūkh = that which was abrogated (original verse)

NASKH


Q: If we accept the concept of Naskh, are we implying that Allah is imperfect? If Allah switches the fi rst ruling to another ruling, does that mean that Allah was deficient in his commanding the fi rst ruling?

A: Naskh does not imply a change in view. Naskh is the issuance of orders according to the needs of a particular time. At each time, the order was the best.

THE LOGICAL POSSIBILITY OF NASKH


Mutaqaddimūn (Early Scholars) Approx. Pre-Imam Shāfi ’ī Broad understanding of Naskh If a verse was general, and a specifying verse came later, the

early scholars would say that the specifying verse was doing naskh of the fi rst verse.

Many examples of naskh

Muta’akhkhirūn (Later Scholars) Approx. Post-Imam Shāfi ī Narrower understanding of Naskh The second verse was not a nasikh. It was just an

explanation of the fi rst verse. Naskh occurs only when the the mansūkh is completely

abolished Fewer examples of naskh

TWO HISTORICAL UNDERSTANDINGS


Two rulings must directly contradict each other

The nāsikh must have been revealed after the mansūkh

Both must originate from the Quran or Sunnah

The nāsikh must be from at least an equally authentic source than the mansūkh

CONDITIONS FOR NASKH


Quran abrogating the Quran (agreed upon)

Quran abrogating the Sunnah (agreed upon)

Sunnah abrogating the Quran (disputed) If the hadith is mutawātir, it is permissible according to

Imams Mālik, Abu Ḥanīfah, and one opinion of Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal

If the hadith is a khabar wāḥid, most scholars do not allow it because it is not equal to the Quran in terms of establishment

TYPES OF NASKH


Verse is recited but not acted upon Most common category Why does the recitation remain? Perhaps as a lesson for us

to appreciate, and Allah knows bestRecitation was taken away, but it is still acted upon

Example Umar asked that the verse be written down but the Prophet

(S) forbade it because it was mansūkh al-tilāwah “Verily, Allah sent the Prophet (S) with the truth. We recited

it and memorized it, and I am afraid that people will forget the ruling without the verse that is gone.” -’Umar

Both recitation and its application is removed Recorded in Muslim that Ā’ishah said that it had been

revealed in the Quran that ten clear sucklings with a lady made marriage unlawful. It was a verse that existed, but was abrogated along with the ruling.

TYPES OF NASKH: RECITATION


Diff erence of opinion. Ibn Ḥazm says 200. al-Suyūṭī says 19. Among those

Shāh Walīullāh narrows it further to the following five:

HOW MANY VERSES WERE ABROGATED?

Mansukh Nasikh Subject

Baqarah 2:180 Baqarah 2:11 Inheritance

Anfal 8:65 Anfal 8:66 Retreating in Battle

Ahzab 33:52 Ahzab 33:50 Marriages of the Prophet (S)

Muzammil 73:1-3 Muzzammil 73:20 Tahajjud

Mujadalah 58:12 Mujadalah 58:13 Charity before speaking with Prophet (S)


Review Chapters 5.1-5.2 in Course ManualRead ahead to Chapter 5.3-5.5

Recommended supplementary reading:An Approach to the Qur’anic Sciences

By Mufti Muhammad Taqi Uthmani

Questions?

ASSIGNMENTS & QUESTIONS

lecture 5 february 17 2013 divine revelation: a study of the qur’anic sciences qur'anic...

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