Is It Permissible to Read Part of a Verse According to One Qira’ah and Complete It According to Another of the Ten Qira’at, Since All of Them Are Authentically Reported From the Prophet ﷺ?
Question: We know that it is permissible to recite according to the ten qira’at. However, is it permissible for me to recite the first half of a verse according to one qira’ah and the second half according to another, since all of them are authentically reported from the Prophet ﷺ? For example, I recite the word “Qur’an” with naql in the statement of Allah تعالى: “Indeed, this Qur’an guides to that which is most upright...,” and then complete the verse according to the narration of Warsh, reciting “mu’mineen” and “kabeera” with the ra’ pronounced lightly, and so on.
Summary:
Yes. In mere recitation, it is permissible for the reciter to recite part of a verse according to one qira’ah and then move, in the remainder of it, to another mutawatir qira’ah, provided that combining them does not result in a construction that has not been authentically transmitted, or that corrupts the meaning or grammatical structure. This is the detailed position chosen by Imam Ibn al-Jazari رحمه الله. However, when it comes to narration, teaching the qira’at, and attributing a recitation to a specific reciter or narrator, combining different readings is not permissible. Thus, one may not recite a combination from the qira’ah of Ibn Kathir and Warsh and then say, “This is the qira’ah of Ibn Kathir,” or, “This is the narration of Warsh,” because this particular combination was not transmitted from that reciter. What is preferable for the reciter, especially one who is proficient in the qira’at, is to adhere to a single qira’ah or narration as long as the speech remains connected, in order to avoid disagreement and to preserve the transmitted paths and narrations.
Answer:
Firstly: The Fundamental Principle Is That the Qira’at Are Revelation and Transmission, Not Choices Based on Personal Opinion
From the Qur'an:
- [Al-Qiyamah: 18]
“So when We have recited it, then follow its recitation.”
Recitation is only taken through direct transmission from its people with an isnad.
From the Salaf:
- For this reason, the statement became well known among the Salaf:
“Recitation is a Sunnah that is followed.”
This has been narrated from Zayd ibn Thabit رضي الله عنه and from a number of the Salaf. That is, the latter takes it from the former, and the reciter does not invent a mode of recitation from himself.
From the Sunnah:
- The Two Sahihs Umar رضي الله عنه said:
“I heard Hisham ibn Hakim ibn Hizam reciting Surah al-Furqan during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. I listened to his recitation, and he was reciting it in many ways which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had not taught me. I was about to seize him during the prayer, but I waited until he had finished. Then I seized him by his cloak and said, ‘Who taught you this surah that I heard you reciting?’ He said, ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ taught it to me.’ I said, ‘You are lying, for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ taught it to me differently from the way you recited it.’ So I took him to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said, ‘I heard this man reciting Surah al-Furqan in ways which you did not teach me.’ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Release him. Recite, O Hisham.’ So he recited the recitation that I had heard him recite. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘It was revealed like this.’ Then he said, ‘Recite, O Umar.’ So I recited the recitation that he had taught me. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘It was revealed like this. Indeed, this Qur’an was revealed upon seven ahruf, so recite whichever of it is easy for you.’” Agreed Upon.
What is intended here is citing the principle that multiple revealed modes exist and that reciting according to them is valid, not that the seven ahruf are themselves identical to the ten qir'at.
Secondly: What Is the Ruling on Combining Two Qira’at Within a Single Verse? The scholars of qira’at refer to this issue as tarkib or talfiq between the qira’at.
From the Scholars:
- Ibn al-Jazari رحمه الله transmitted in Al-Nashr fi al-Qira’at al-Ashr the statements of the scholars. He quoted Imam al-Sakhawi رحمه الله as saying:
“Mixing these qira’at with one another is an error.”
- He also transmitted from Imam al-Nawawi رحمه الله:
“If the reciter begins with the qira’ah of one of the seven, he should continue upon that qira’ah as long as the speech remains connected. Once that connection has ended, he may recite according to the qira’ah of another.”
Ibn al-Jazari رحمه الله then chose a detailed position, which is the most precise of the opinions on this matter.
- He said:
“The correct view according to us concerning this is to make a distinction.”
He then divided the issue into two situations: 1. If the Combination Produces a Mode of Recitation That Has Not Been Authentically Transmitted, or if One Mode Depends Upon the Other. This is prohibited. He gave as an example the statement of Allah تعالى: “Then Adam received from his Lord words.” The reciter may not take the grammatical vowel of “Adam” from one qira’ah and the grammatical vowel of “words” from another qira’ah, thereby producing through the combination a construction that is not permitted by the transmitted qira’at or by the Arabic language. Ibn al-Jazari رحمه الله said concerning this: “The prohibition of this is a prohibition of unlawfulness.” Thus, the problem here is not that each individual mode is itself unauthentic. Rather, the problem is that the form produced by combining the two modes is not an authentically transmitted qira’ah. 2. If the Combination Does Not Result in This. Ibn al-Jazari رحمه الله distinguished between transmitting a qira’ah and merely reciting the Qur’an. He said: “If he recites in this way as a matter of narration, then it is also not permissible, because it constitutes lying in narration and causes confusion among the people of knowledge.” For example, it is not permissible to combine certain modes from Ibn Kathir and Warsh and then attribute the resulting recitation to Warsh or to Ibn Kathir, because neither of them transmitted that combined form. However, if a person does not intend to attribute it to a particular narration and is merely reciting the Qur’an, Ibn al-Jazari رحمه الله said: “If it is not by way of transmission, but rather by way of recitation and tilawah, then it is permissible, valid and accepted, and there is no prohibition or restriction concerning it.” This is the complete and very clear wording of Ibn al-Jazari رحمه الله concerning the particular situation mentioned in the question.
Applying This to the Example Mentioned: If you recite the statement of Allah تعالى: “Indeed, this Qur’an guides to that which is most upright and gives glad tidings to the believers who do righteous deeds that they will have a great reward.” [Al-Isra’: 9] and you take the mode of reciting “al-Qur’an” according to the qira’ah of Ibn Kathir, then move during the remainder of the verse to the modes of Warsh, such as his mode in “al-mu’mineen” and “kabeera,” then this is not a complete narration of Warsh, nor is it a complete qira’ah of Ibn Kathir. Rather, it is a combination between two qira’at. If the purpose is teaching, narration, or performing a transmitted recitation with an isnad, then it is not permissible to attribute this combined form to either of them. Rather, each narration must be performed exactly as it was received through its particular chain and path. However, if the purpose is merely recitation, and the modes that have been combined are authentic and established, and their combination does not produce a prohibited form or corrupt the meaning or grammatical structure, then Ibn al-Jazari رحمه الله explicitly stated that this is permissible. Despite this, al-Nawawi رحمه الله said that when a reciter begins with one qira’ah, he should continue upon it as long as the speech remains connected, and when that connection ends, he may move to another qira’ah. This is more precise and better preserves the qira’at from being mixed together. The statement of al-Nawawi رحمه الله falls under the second position, which is the position adopted by Ibn al-Jazari رحمه الله. Conclusion: The stronger view is the detailed position of Ibn al-Jazari رحمه الله: It is permissible to combine authentic qira’at in mere recitation, provided that the combination does not produce a mode that has not been authentically transmitted, or cause corruption in the meaning or grammatical structure. As for the context of teaching the qira’at, narrating them, or attributing a recitation to a particular reciter or narrator, then combining different readings is not permissible. Rather, each narration must be performed as it was transmitted. What is preferable and more precise for the student of qira’at is to adhere to the narration with which he began for as long as the speech remains connected, and not to switch between narrations within a verse except for an educational need or when combining the qira’at according to the recognized method of the scholars of this field. Therefore, it is not correct to say without qualification: “Every form of combining the qira’at is haram.” Nor is it correct to say: “Every form of combining them is permissible because all of the qira’at are authentically established.” Rather, the correct position is the detailed distinction mentioned above, as established by Ibn al-Jazari رحمه الله. Al-Mawsu’ah al-Qur’aniyyah
And Allah knows best.
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