The Role-Playing of "Man" and "Mā" In the Historical Context of the Emergence of Quranic Readings

Subject Areas : -

RUHALLAH  NAJAFI ¹ (Assistant Professor, Department of Quran and Hadith, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran.)

Received: 2019-07-18 Accepted : 2019-11-30 Published : 2020-08-22

Keywords: Quran recitation, causes of the difference in recitation, Arabic symbols, history of Quran,

Abstract :

To understand the historical contexts of the emergence of Qur'anic readings, it is important to examine the repetitive patterns of reading differences. For this purpose, in the present article, we will look at the position of "Man" and "Ma" in the difference of readings, and by examining various evidence of the differences among the readers, we will recognize the role of "Man" and "Ma" in the emergence of readings. In the readings of the Qur'an, the various pronunciation of  "Man" as Man or Min is repeatedly seen . On the other hand, sometimes in readings outside the official Muṣḥaf, "Man" is replaced by "Ma". In addition, the hesitation between considering the wording or the meaning of "man" or "ma" has led to differences in the masculine or feminine readings of some verbs. In the present study, we want to defend the hypothesis that the flexibility of Arabic language structures, along with the fact that the official Qur'an was devoid of punctuation and Arabic symbols, led to the emergence and development of differences in readings.