Why Is The Hafs Version Of The Quran Chosen As The Standard Quran?
By
Kaniz Fatma, New Age Islam
28
March 2023
Hafs
is the dialect and recitation of the Quran, not a version
Main
Points:
1.
The
Prophet Muhammad PBUH wanted to make it simpler for his nation to memorise and
understand the Quran by employing seven dialects.
2.
This
question is the result of a misunderstanding of the modes and readings of the
Quran.
3.
It
was decided to utilise Hafs since it was undoubtedly the most excellent and
original dialect of the Quraishi people and the Prophet (pbuh).
4.
You
can see that the main disputes were over how the Quran should be interpreted
and understood, not over the existence of several Quranic dialects.
5.
By
using seven dialects, the Prophet Muhammad PBUH hoped to make it easier for his
people to memorise and comprehend the Quran.
------
This
query stems from a misconception about the modes and readings of the Quran.
Many people are interested in learning about Islam and the Quran, however,
occasionally they are not accurate in what they learn. Hafs is the
dialect and recitation of the Quran, not a version. Likewise, Warsh is a
Quranic dialect and recitation rather than a version.
We
learn that the Quran is being recited in a number of different ways. The two
most well-known versions go by the names Hafs and Warsh. There is
no change in the general essence of the message between them despite minor
differences in word choice, Harakat, and ayah numbers. The "Hafs"
recitation is followed by more than 95% of Muslims, making it the most
well-liked in the Muslim world. The Warsh recitation is followed by 3%
of Muslims worldwide (mostly in North Africa), while the other 2% adhere to
obscure recitations.
The Tajwid Science is followed when reciting the
Quran, whether it be in Hafs or Warsh. The differences are in the pronunciation
of some words, like American and British English.
Muslims
have engaged in conflict and disagreement over Quranic interpretation
throughout history. Many sects and groups have developed as a result. Yet, no
Muslim or group has ever claimed to possess an alternative version of the
Quran. The Quran has been in public from the beginning. The Prophet Muhammad,
peace be upon him, recited it aloud. In three of the five daily congregational
prayers, it was and is still being recited loudly. The entire Quran was recited
during the congregational prayer Taraweeh in the month of Ramadan under
the reign of the second Caliph, Hazrat Umar.
If
there were any differences of opinion over what to be and what not to be
included in the Quran, they would have surfaced much earlier and led to a lot
of discussions. However, if you read Islamic literature, you will discover that
the main conflicts are over how the passages of the Quran should be understood,
not over the existence of several versions and dialects of the Quran.
Variations in readings and recitations are labelled as Hafs or Warsh
or others as a result.
Why
has the Quran been revealed in so many dialects and readings? The next hadith,
which asserts that diverse readings were meant to comfort the public at the
time, provides this response.
Hazrat
Umar Bin Al-Khattab Narrated:
I
heard Hisham bin Hakim reciting Surat Al-Furqan during the lifetime of
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) and I listened to his recitation and
noticed that he recited in several different ways which Allah's Messenger
(peace be upon him) had not taught me. I was about to jump over him during his
prayer, but I controlled my temper, and when he had completed his prayer, I put
his upper garment around his neck and seized him by it and said, "Who
taught you this Sura which I heard you reciting?" He replied,
"Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) taught it to me." I said,
"You have told a lie, for Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) has taught
it to me in a different way from yours." So I dragged him to Allah's
Messenger (peace be upon him) and said (to Allah's Messenger (peace be upon
him), "I heard this person reciting Surat Al-Furqan in a way which
you haven't taught me!" On that Allah's Apostle said, "Release him,
(O `Umar!) Recite, O Hisham!" Then he recited in the same way as I heard
him reciting. Then Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "It was
revealed in this way," and added, "Recite, O `Umar!" I recited
it as he had taught me. Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) then said,
"It was revealed in this way. This Qur'an has been revealed to be recited in
seven different ways, so recite of it whichever (way) is easier for you (or
read as much of it as may be easy for you). (Sahih al-Bukhari 4992)
The
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) commanded us to carefully abide by the orders of his
companions. After giving a stringent directive to adhere to the standard copy,
Hazrat Uthman dispatched knowledgeable reciters with the standard copy to
remote locations. Because Muslims around the world have complied with Hazrat
Uthman's order to follow the accepted Quranic dialect since his time,
95% of Muslims today recite the Hafs.
Hafs was chosen because it was undoubtedly the best and
original dialect of the Quraishi people and the Prophet (pbuh).
The Quraishi made up the majority of the Meccans who guarded the Kaaba.
Hafs was the simplest of 10 dialects spoken by Arabs in Africa, from
Egypt to Iraq to Sudan, who were also well-versed in the Quraishi
dialect due to Mecca's long history as a centre of pilgrimage and Allah's
revelation of the Quran in seven dialects for their understanding.
Once
Islam became widely practised and had reached China, India, deep Africa, and
non-Arab nations, there first emerged disparities in recitative styles among
Iraqi reciters, as may be observed in the following hadith:
Alqama
reported:
I
met Abu Darda', and he said to me: To which country do you belong? I said: I am
one of the people of Iraq. He again said: To which city? I replied: City of Kufa.
He again said: Do you recite according to the recitation of 'Abdullah b.
Mas'ud? I said: Yes. He said: Recite this verse (By the night when it covers)
So I recited it: (By the night when it covers, and the day when it shines, and
the creating of the male and the female). He laughed and said: I have heard the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) reciting like this. (Sahih Muslim)
Narrated
Ubayy bin Ka'b:
"The
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) met Jibra'il and said: 'O Jibra'il!
I have been sent to an illiterate nation among whom are the elderly woman, the
old man, the boy and the girl, and the man who cannot read a book at all.' He
said: 'O Muhammad! Indeed the Qur'an was revealed in seven modes.'" (Jami`
at-Tirmidhi 2944)
We
may see how Prophet Muhammad PBUH wanted to make it simpler for his nation to
memorise and understand the Quran by employing seven dialects until their faith
became strong by analysing a number of hadiths, including the one above and
other hadiths. In 650 AD, Caliph Uthman RA reaffirmed the Quran into the same
standardised Quraishi dialect as Caliph Abu Bakr had done in 633 AD, when it
was with Hafsa, as soon as Islam had expanded over the Middle East and entered
Azerbaijan. Later on, Hazrat Caliph Uthman burnt all other dialects and pieces
of manuscripts that could cause unnecessary differences.
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Kaniz
Fatma is a classic Islamic scholar and a regular columnist for New Age
Islam.
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/hafs-version-quran-standard/d/129424
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