in the variation of wording so long as the meaning was one. Things remained thus until many of them learned to write, their dialects gradually conformed to the tongue of the Messenger of Allah—may blessings and peace be upon him—and they were therefore able to preserve his exact phrasing. Once that became possible, it was no longer permissible for them to recite in any other manner.

Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr said:
“From this it becomes evident that the concession of the seven modes applied only during a specific period necessitated by circumstance. When that necessity ceased to exist, the ruling of the seven modes likewise lapsed, and the Qur’an returned to being recited upon a single mode.”

Abū Dāwūd transmits from Ubayy, who said that the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—told him:
“O Ubayy, I was taught the Qur’an, and it was said to me: ‘upon one mode or two.’ The angel who was with me said, ‘Say: upon two.’ It was then said to me: ‘upon two or three.’ The angel who was with me said, ‘Say: upon three,’ until the number reached seven modes. He then declared: ‘Each of them is healing and sufficient. Whether you say “All-Hearing, All-Knowing” or “Almighty, All-Wise,” so long as you do not mix a verse of punishment with one of mercy, or a verse of mercy with one of punishment.’”

Thābit ibn Qāsim related a similar ḥadīth through Abū Hurayrah, from the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—and reported comparable words from Ibn Masʿūd.

Qāḍī Ibn al-Ṭayyib (1) said: “If this narration—meaning the report of Ubayy—is authentic, it is to be understood that the allowance was originally unrestricted but was later abrogated. Accordingly, it is impermissible for people to substitute any of the divine names of Allah, Exalted is He, in any passage with another name, whether the substitute agrees with or differs from the original in meaning.”

The Second Opinion
Some scholars have said: The seven modes are seven dialects found in the Qur’an, representing the speech of all the Arab tribes, both southern (Yamanī) and northern (Nizārī). The Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—was unfamiliar with none of them, for he had been granted concise and comprehensive speech. The statement does not imply that every single word of the Qur’an possesses seven variant forms; rather, these seven dialects are distributed throughout the Qur’an: some passages are in the dialect of Quraysh, others in that of Hudhayl, others in that of Hawāzin, and others in that of the Yemen.

Al-Khaṭṭābī said:
“There are indeed verses in the Qur’an that have been recited in seven different ways, such as His saying:
‘and they worshipped the Tāghūt’ (Q 4:51),
and His saying:
‘Send him with us tomorrow that he may graze and play’ (Q 12:12),
for which several readings have been reported. It seems, therefore, that only some portions were revealed upon seven modes, not the entire Qur’an.”

To this view—that the Qur’an was revealed upon seven modes, meaning seven dialects—went Abū ʿUbayd al-Qāsim ibn Sallām, and it was likewise the preference of Ibn ʿAṭiyyah.

Abū ʿUbayd said: “And certain clans …”