Uṣūl al-Qirā´āt: A Brief Overview of the Science of Qur´ān Recitations and Its Formation from the Position of Traditional Qirā´āt Literature

The study deals with the oral transmission of Qur´ān recitations representing a particular area of Qur´ān studies, called cilm al-qirā´āt. It still receives rather marginal attention in Western research, while some Orientalists view the Qur´ān as a mere historical literary work. At the same time, Muslim scholars emphasize the great importance of studying the recitation and its oral tradition. The first closer conclusions regarding the historical study of various ways of Qur´ān recitation were presented by Shady Hekmat Nasser, whose examination represents a valuable contribution to Western Qur´ān research. However, some of his conclusions (e.g., concerning the origin of seven aḥruf) are supported by weak narrations, which are not accepted by Islamic practice and do not participate in the formation of the majority Muslim tradition. Therefore, the present study examines what the tradition has to say about itself, and thus the authenticity of my sources does not need to be addressed. The main contribution of this article is to present a comprehensive view of the formation of the science of Qur´ān recitations from the position of traditional qirā´āt literature with regard to classical Sunni sources and to provide a clear picture of how today´s Qur´ān students can master it. It has been found that recitation is perceived as the original way of communicating God´s message and all accepted recitations as an integral part of Revelation. Their rules are preserved in several methodological poems, which are intended to be memorized by Qur´ān experts just like the Qur´ān itself.