An Analysis of the Context and Implication of Ḥarf Wāḥid Narrations and the Evaluation of Their Use in Denying the Validity of Multiple Qurʾānic Readings

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

• Mohammad Allah-Moradi Ghavidelan ¹
• Seyed Reza moaddab ²

¹ PhD Candidate in Quranic Sciences and Hadith, University of Qom

² Professor, Department of Quranic and Hadith Sciences, University of Qom

10.22067/jquran.2025.92543.1817

Abstract

One of the crucial factors in understanding hadiths—particularly Shiʿi traditions—is the recognition of the circumstances in which they were issued. Shiʿi narrations emerged in a context dominated by the culture and beliefs of the Sunni majority. Among these are the reports concerning the Qur’an’s revelation “upon one ḥarf,” which play a significant role in evaluating the issue of variant Qur’anic readings (qirāʾāt). This study seeks to address the question of the historical setting of these narrations: Were they intended to negate the legitimacy of variant qirāʾāt, or were they issued in response to a misinterpretation of the “seven aḥruf” traditions? Employing a descriptive-analytical method, this research examines the transmission chains, the circumstances of issuance, and the extent to which these narrations can be validly used to reject qirāʾāt diversity. The findings suggest that these reports were formulated as a reaction to a prevailing view among Sunni jurists and hadith scholars of the second century AH, which, based on the “seven aḥruf” traditions, permitted the substitution of Qur’anic words with their synonyms during recitation. Accordingly, these narrations do not seek to deny qirāʾāt in an absolute sense, and relying on them to categorically reject the existence of variant readings appears untenable.

Keywords

• Narrations of the Revelation of the Qur’an
• Seven Aḥruf (Sabʿat Aḥruf)
• Ḥarf Wāḥid (Single Letter)
• Context of Narration Issuance
• Multiple Qur’anic Readings

Main Subjects

• Quran and Hadith Studies

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