Numerous treatises have been written on this subject, and the consensus on what is correct has remained unbroken; thus the promise Allah made to preserve His Book has been fulfilled. This is the position of the early Imams and the verifying scholars, such as Qāḍī Abū Bakr Ibn al-Ṭayyib, al-Ṭabarī, and others.

Ibn ʿAṭiyyah said:

“Generations and lands have passed by, holding fast to the Seven Readings, and it is by them that the prayer is performed, for their authenticity is established by consensus. As for irregular (shādh) readings, one does not pray with them, because the community has not unanimously accepted them. Whatever of those readings is reported from the Companions—may Allah be pleased with them—and from the learned among the Successors is regarded only as a transmission on their authority; nothing more is to be believed about it. As for what is attributed to Abū al-Sammāl[1] and those of a similar stripe, it is not reliable.”

Another scholar said:

“Any irregular reading that departs from the mass-transmitted codices is not Qur’an, nor may it be acted upon as such. The best way to understand it is as an exposition of the interpretive view of the one to whom it is ascribed, like Ibn Masʿūd’s reading: ‘then fasting three consecutive days.’

If, however, the transmitter explicitly states that he heard it from the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—the scholars have differed over acting upon it, holding two opinions: rejection and acceptance. The reason for rejection is that the transmitter related it not as a Prophetic report but as Qur’an; since its Qur’anic status is unproven, it cannot be treated as such. The second view maintains that, although it is not established as Qur’an, it is established as Sunna, and therefore must be acted upon like any other solitary report (khabar al-āḥād).”

Section: Clarifying the meaning of the ḥadīth of ʿUmar and Hishām
[concerning the Qur’an having been revealed according to seven aḥruf]

Ibn ʿAṭiyyah said:

“Allah, exalted is He, granted His Prophet—peace be upon him—the permission to use these seven aḥruf, and Gabriel—peace be upon him—reviewed them with him during the reviews, in the form that preserves the Qur’an’s inimitability and perfect composition. The license contained in his statement, ‘So recite whatever is easy for you of it,’ was not an allowance for each Companion, whenever he wished to exchange a word from one of these dialects, to introduce it on his own initiative. Had that been permitted, the Qur’an’s miraculous nature would have vanished and it would have been vulnerable to alteration, until it became other than what was revealed from Allah. Rather, the concession of the seven aḥruf was granted to the Prophet—peace be upon him—so that he might thereby bring ease to his community. Accordingly, he taught Ubayy on one occasion with what Gabriel had reviewed with him, and he taught Ibn Masʿūd on another occasion with what Gabriel had likewise reviewed. Upon this understanding are to be explained ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb’s recitation of Sūrat al-Furqān and the recitation of