Imam At-Tabari (310 AH) – may Allah have mercy on him- wrote an encyclopedic book in Qira’at which has not reached us. Imam Makki ibn Abi Talib (437 AH)– a great scholar of Qira’at- quotes At-Tabari from his Qira’at book.

He quotes him (may Allah have mercy on him) saying, “Everything that has been authentically established, according to us, from the Qira’at that Allah’s Messenger (may Allah’s praise and peace be upon him) taught his Ummah, is from the seven Ahruf which Allah has allowed for him. They (i.e. the Muslim Ummah) are allowed to recite the Quran with them. We are not allowed to consider incorrect anyone who [recites] from it what is in accordance to the script of the Mushaf. If it goes against the script of the Mushaf, we do not recite it, and we withhold from it and from talking about it.” [Al-Ibanah, by Makki ibn Abi Talib, p. 53]

‎قال الإمام المكي في الإبانة ص 53 نقلا عن الإمام الطبري في كتاب القراءات: (كل ما صح عندنا من القراءات، أنه علمه رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لأمته من الأحرف السبعة التي أذن الله له، ولهم أن يقرءوا بها القرآن، فليس لنا أن نخطئ من كان ذلك به موافقا لخط المصحف. فإن كان مخالفا لخط المصحف لم نقرأ به، ووقفنا عنه، وعن الكلام فيه).

He further says in his book on Creed, “Sareeh As-Sunnah” regarding his view on the Quran the Muslims recite:

” 12) The first thing we will say regarding this, is that according to us: the Quran is the Speech of Allah and His revelation; since it is from among the significances of His Oneness. The correct view among the [various] statements about that, according to us, is that the Speech of Allah is not created regardless of how it is written, wherever it is recited, and whichever place it is read; [whether] found in the heaven, or memorized on earth, or written in the Preserved Tablet, drawn on the small writing tablets of children, etched on stone, hand drawn on a sheet of paper, memorized in the heart, or uttered with the tongue. Whoever says something else or claims that there is a Quran on earth or in heaven other than the Quran which we recite with our tongues or that we write in our Mushafs, or a person believes something else in his heart, or he conceals it in himself, or says it with his tongue while believing in it, then he is a disbeliever whose blood is permissible; he is free from Allah and Allah is free from him, due to His statement, the Most Mighty and Exalted:

“Rather it is a Glorious Quran in a Preserved Tablet.” [Al-Burooj, 22]

And He, the Most Mighty and Exalted, said, and His words are the Truth:

“And if anyone of the polytheists seek refuge, then grant it until he hears the Speech of Allah.” [At-Tawbah: 6]

13) So He, may His praise be exalted, informed (us) that it (i.e. the Quran) is written in the Preserved Tablet and that it can be heard from the tongue of Muhammad (may Allah’s praise and peace be upon him)- and that the Quran heard from Muhammad (may Allah’s praise and peace be upon him) and that is written in the Preserved Tablet is one single Quran; likewise it is that which is memorized in the hearts and recited with the the tongues of the young and old.”

‎الْقَوْلُ فِي الْقُرْآنِ وَأَنَّهُ كَلَامُ اللَّهِ

‎12 – فَأَوَّلُ مَا نَبْدَأُ بِالْقَوْلِ فِيهِ مِنْ ذَلِكَ عِنْدَنَا: الْقُرْآنُ كَلَامُ اللَّهِ وَتَنْزِيلُهُ؛ إِذْ كَانَ مِنْ مَعَانِي تَوْحِيدِهِ، فَالصَّوَابُ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ فِي ذَلِكَ عِنْدَنَا أَنَّهُ: كَلَامُ اللَّهِ غَيْرُ مَخْلُوقٍ كَيْفَ كُتِبَ وَحَيْثُ تُلِيَ وَفِي أَيِّ مَوْضِعٍ قُرِئَ، فِي السَّمَاءِ وُجِدَ، وَفِي الْأَرْضِ حَيْثُ حُفِظَ، فِي اللَّوْحِ الْمَحْفُوظِ كَانَ مَكْتُوبًا، وَفِي أَلْوَاحِ صِبْيَانِ الْكَتَاتِيبِ مَرْسُومًا، فِي حَجَرٍ نُقِشَ، أَوْ فِي وَرِقٍ خُطَّ، أَوْ فِي الْقَلْبِ حُفِظَ، وَبِلِسَانٍ لُفِظَ، فَمَنْ قَالَ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ أَوِ ادَّعَى أَنَّ قُرْآنًا فِي الْأَرْضِ أَوْ فِي السَّمَاءِ سِوَى الْقُرْآنِ الَّذِي نَتْلُوهُ بِأَلْسِنَتِنَا وَنَكْتُبُهُ فِي مَصَاحِفِنَا، أَوِ اعْتَقَدَ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ بِقَلْبِهِ، أَوْ أَضْمَرَهُ فِي نَفْسِهِ، أَوْ قَالَهُ بِلِسَانِهِ دَائِنًا بِهِ، فَهُوَ بِاللَّهِ كَافِرٌ، حَلَالُ الدَّمِ، بَرِيءٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ، وَاللَّهُ مِنْهُ بَرِيءٌ، بِقَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: {بَلْ هُوَ قُرْآنٌ مَجِيدٌ فِي لَوْحٍ مَحْفُوظٍ} [البروج: 22] ، وَقَالَ وَقَوْلُهُ الْحَقُّ – عَزَّ وَجَلَّ -: {وَإِنْ أَحَدٌ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ اسْتَجَارَكَ فَأَجِرْهُ حَتَّى يَسْمَعَ كَلَامَ اللَّهِ} [التوبة: 6] .

‎13 – فَأَخْبَرَ، جَلَّ ثَنَاؤُهُ، أَنَّهُ فِي اللَّوْحِ الْمَحْفُوظِ مَكْتُوبٌ، وَأَنَّهُ مِنْ لِسَانِ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَسْمُوعٌ، وَهُوَ قُرْآنٌ وَاحِدٌ مِنْ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَسْمُوعٌ، فِي اللَّوْحِ الْمَحْفُوظِ مَكْتُوبٌ، وَكَذَلِكَ هُوَ فِي الصُّدُورِ مَحْفُوظٌ، وَبِأَلْسُنِ الشُّيُوخِ وَالشَّبَابِ مَتْلُوٌّ.

‎[ص:19]

Translation and Post courtesy of my colleague and brother Dr. @Ahmad ibn Samih Abdelwahab