Ili kuzingatia tofauti mbalimbali zilizokuwepo kati ya lahaja za Kiarabu, Allah aliteremsha Qur'aan katika namna saba tofauti. Namna hizo zililingana na lahaja za makabila saba yafuatayo: Quraysh, Huthayl, Thaqeef, Hawaazin, Kinaanah, Tameem, na Yemen. 21 Namna hizi mbalimbali hazikuwakilisha Qur'aan tofauti, kwa kuwa Jibreel alipeleka tu aya kutoka Qur'aan moja iliyoandikwa katika ubao uliohifadhiwa (al-Lawh al-Mahfooth) mbinguni.

In order to take into account the various differences which existed among the Arabian dialects, Allaah revealed the Qur’aan in seven different forms. The forms matched the dialects of the following seven tribes: Quraysh, Huthayl, Thaqeef, Hawaazin, Kinaanah, Tameem, and Yemen. 21 These various forms did not represent different Qur’aans, as Jibreel only conveyed verses from a single Qur’aan written on a protected tablet (al-Lawh al-Mahfooth) in the heavens.

Hata hivyo, Jibril aliagizwa kuwasomea aya alizoleta kwa namna saba, sambamba na lahaja za makabila makuu. Namna hizo mbalimbali ziliwakilisha njia tofauti ambazo neno moja lingeweza kutamkwa kulingana na lahaja mbalimbali. Hata hivyo, maana zote zilibaki zile zile. Mtume (ﷺ) aliwajulisha masahaba wengi (sahaabah) kuwepo kwa visomo mbalimbali ili tofauti katika visomo vyao zisilete mtafaruku wala mgawanyiko miongoni mwao. Sahaba Ibn ‘Abbaas alipokea kutoka kwake kwamba alisikia Mjumbe wa Allaah (ﷺ) akisema

However, Jibreel was instructed to recite the verses that he brought in seven forms corresponding to the dialects of the major tribes. The various forms represented the various ways in which the same word might be said according to the various dialects. However, the meanings were all stated the same. The Prophet (ﷺ) informed most of his companions (sahaabah) of the existence of various readings so that the variation in their readings would not create any discord or division among them. The sahaabee Ibn ‘Abbaas reported that he heard Allaah’s Messenger (ﷺ) say

Hata hivyo, sio masahaba wote walikuwa wanafahamu usomaji mbalimbali kwa wakati mmoja. Kwa sababu hiyo, kulitokea baadhi ya tofauti ndogo ndogo, ambazo zilitatuliwa na Mtume (ﷺ) mwenyewe. Mfano wa matukio kama hayo unapatikana katika tukio lifuatalo lililosimuliwa na mmoja wa masahaba wa karibu zaidi wa Mtume. 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab alisema: "Siku moja wakati wa uhai wa Mjumbe wa Allaah (ﷺ), nilimsikia Hishaam ibn Hakeem akisoma Suratul-Furqaan katika swalah, nikagundua kwamba alikisoma tofauti na jinsi Mtume (ﷺ) alivyonifundisha."

However, not all of the companions were aware of the various readings at the same time. Consequently, some minor disagreements did take place, which were resolved by the Prophet (ﷺ) himself. An example of such cases can be found in the following incident narrated by one of the Prophet’s closet companions. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab said, “Once during the lifetime of Allaah’s Messenger (ﷺ), I heard Hishaam ibn Hakeem reciting Soorah al-Furqaan in salaah, and I noticed that he recited it differently from the way in which the Prophet (ﷺ) had taught me.

Nilikuwa karibu kumrukia wakati wa swalah yake, lakini nilijizuia hasira yangu hadi alipomaliza swalah yake. Alipomaliza, nilimshika shingoni kwa vazi lake na kusema, 'Nani alikufundisha sura hii niliyokusikia ukiisoma?' Akajibu, 'Mjumbe wa Allaah ﷺ ndiye aliyenifundisha!' Nikasema, 'Wewe ni mwongo, kwa kuwa Mjumbe wa Allaah ﷺ amenifundisha kwa namna tofauti na jinsi wewe ulivyoisoma!' Kisha nilimvuta hadi kwa Mjumbe wa Allaah ﷺ na kusema, 'Nimemsikia mtu huyu akisoma Sura al-Furqaan kwa namna tofauti na ile uliyonifundisha wewe.' Mjumbe wa Allaah ﷺ akasema, 'Mwachie, ee 'Umar! Soma, ee Hishaam!' Hishaam akasoma kwa namna ile ile niliyomsikia akisoma hapo awali. Kisha Mjumbe wa Allaah ﷺ akasema, 'Ilishushwa hivi!' Kisha akasema, 'Soma wewe, ee 'Umar!' Nilipomaliza kuisoma kama alivyonifundisha yeye, akasema,

I was on the verge of jumping on him during his salaah, but I managed to control my anger until he completed his prayer. Upon its completion, I grabbed him by the neck of his cloak and said, ‘Who taught you this soorah that I heard you reciting?’ He replied, ‘Allaah’s Messenger (ﷺ) taught it to me!’ I said, ‘You are a liar, for Allaah’s Messenger (ﷺ) has taught it to me in a different way from the way you recited it!’ I then dragged him to Allaah’s Messenger (ﷺ) and said to him, ‘I heard this person reciting Soorah al-Furqaan in a different way from the way that you taught me.’ Allaah’s Messenger (ﷺ) then said, ‘Release him ‘Umar! Recite Hishaam!’ Hishaam recited in the same way that I heard him reciting previously. Then the Messenger of Allaah (ﷺ) said, ‘It was revealed in this way!’ He then said, ‘Recite ‘Umar!’ When I completed reciting it the way he had taught me, he said,

Ibn ‘Abdul Barr alisema, kwa kutegemea tukio hili, kwamba tafsiri ya herufi saba kuwa ni lahaja saba za makabila si sahihi, kwa kuwa ‘Umar na Hishaam wote walitokana na kabila la Quraysh. Yeye alilitafsiri kuwa ni maana saba zinazopatana zinazowasilishwa kwa maneno tofauti; kwa mfano, maneno kama halumma, t‘aala, na aqbil, ambayo yote yanamaanisha ‘njoo.’ Ibn Hajr, baada ya kumnukuu, alitoa maoni kwamba tafsiri hizo mbili hazipingani. Huenda tofauti hiyo ikawa ni maneno tofauti kwa maana zilezile, na kwamba tofauti hizo zinatokana na lahaja za makabila saba ya Kiarabu.

Ibn ‘Abdul Barr argued on the basis of this incident that the interpretation of the seven forms as meaning seven tribal dialects is flawed, since ‘Umar and Hishaam were both from the Qurayshee tribe. He interpreted it as meaning seven facets of harmonious meaning conveyed by varying words; for example, words like halumma, t‘aala, and aqbil, which all mean ‘come.’ Ibn Hajr, after quoting him, offered the opinion that the two interpretations are not mutually contradictory. It may be that the variation consists of differing words for the same meanings and that the variations are from the dialects of seven Arabic tribes.

Ibn Qutaybah alipendekeza tafsiri tofauti ya zile aina saba.

Ibn Qutaybah proposed a different interpretation of the seven forms:

1. tofauti za alama za irabu, ilhali herufi na maana havibadiliki; kwa mfano laa yudaarra na laa yudaarru katika aya ya 282 ya Suratul-Baqarah:

1. variations in vowel markings, while the letters and meaning are unchanged; for example laa yudaarra and laa yudaarru in verse 282 of Soorah al-Baqarah:

2. tofauti katika umbo la kitenzi; kwa mfano: ba‘‘ada na baa‘id katika aya ya 19 ya Suratu Saba’:

2. variations in the form of a verb; for example: ba‘‘ada and baa‘id in verse 19 of Soorah Saba’:

Tofauti katika mfano huu iko katika vipengele viwili: kati ya wakati uliopita na amri, na kati ya umbo la pili na umbo la tatu la mzizi, yaani fa‘‘ala na faa‘ala.

The variation in this example is in two aspects: between the past tense and the imperative and between the second form and the third form of the root, i.e. fa‘‘ala and faa‘ala.

3. tofauti za nukta za herufi zenye umbo la msingi linalofanana; kwa mfano, raa’ na zaa’ katika maneno nunshiruhaa na nunshizuhaa, ambazo ni namna mbili tofauti za usomaji wa aya ya 259 ya Suratul-Baqarah:

3. variations in dots of letters that have the same basic shape; for example, raa’ and zaa’ in the words nunshiruhaa and nunshizuhaa, two variant wordings of verse 259 of Soorah al-Baqarah:

Neno lenye tofauti ya matamshi, nunshiruhaa, lina maana ya ‘Tunawarudisha kuwa hai.’

The variant wording, nunshiruhaa, means ‘We restore them to life.’

4. tofauti zinazotokana na kubadilishwa kwa herufi moja na nyingine ambayo hutamkwa kutoka sehemu iliyo karibu mdomoni au kooni; kwa mfano 'ayn na haa’ zote zinatoka katikati ya koo. Katika aya ya 29 ya Suratu al-Waaqi‘ah, neno talhin (migomba au aina fulani ya mkasia) pia husomwa tal‘in (kiganja cha mtende).

4. variations due to substitution of one letter for another that is pronounced from a nearby location in the mouth or throat; for example 'ayn and haa’ both originate from the middle of the throat. In verse 29 of Soorah al-Waaqi‘ah, the word, talhin (banana trees or a kind of acacia tree) is also recited tal‘in (spadix of a palm tree).

5. tofauti zinazotokana na kubadilishwa kwa mpangilio wa maneno katika kifungu; kwa mfano, katika aya ya 19 ya Suratu Qaaf,

5. variations due to the transposition of words in a phrase; for example, in verse 19 of Soorah Qaaf,

Usomo tofauti lililonasibishwa kwa Abu Bakr ni:

a variant recitation attributed to Aboo Bakr is:

6. tofauti zinazotokana na kuongezwa au kupunguzwa kwa herufi au maneno; kwa mfano, katika aya 1-3 za Suratu al-Layl:

6. variations due to the addition or subtraction of letters or words; for example, in verses 1-3 of Soorah al-Layl:

Usomaji wa Ibn Mas‘ood na Aboo ad-Dardaa’ uliacha maneno matatu ya kwanza ya aya ya 3, wa maa khalaqa, (na [kwa] Yeye aliyeumba). Baadhi ya visomo viliongeza maneno kwa yale yaliyorekodiwa katika Mus-haf ‘Uthmaan. Al-Bukhaaree alikusanya kauli ya Ibn ‘Abbaas, “Aya hii ilipoteremshwa,

The recitation of Ibn Mas‘ood and Aboo ad-Dardaa’ omitted the first three words of verse 3, wa maa khalaqa, (and [by] Him Who created). Some recitations added words to what is recorded in the Mus-haf ‘Uthmaan. Al-Bukhaaree collected the statement of Ibn ‘Abbaas, “When the verse was revealed,

Mtume wa Allaah (r) alitoka, akapanda juu ya kilima cha as-Safaa na kupaza sauti...” 24 Aya inayorejelewa na Ibn ‘Abbaas ni aya ya 214 ya Suratu ash-Shu‘araa’. Hata hivyo, ni nusu yake ya kwanza tu, “Waonye jamaa zako walio karibu zaidi,” ndiyo inayopatikana katika Mus-haf ‘Uthmaan. Baadhi ya wanazuoni husema hili ni mfano wa naskh (kufutwa kwa usomaji).25

the Messenger of Allaah (r) went out, climbed atop the hill of as-Safaa and shouted...” 24 The verse referred to by Ibn ‘Abbaas is verse 214 of Soorah ashShu‘araa’. However, only the first half of it, “Warn your clan of nearest relations,” appears in the Mus-haf ‘Uthmaan. Some scholars say this is really an example of naskh (abrogated recitation).25

7. tofauti zinazotokana na matumizi ya kisawe kimoja badala ya kingine. Hii ndiyo aliyokuwa akiirejelea Ibn ‘Abdul Barr. Mfano wa hili ni usomaji wa Ibn Mas‘ood wa {كَالصُّوفِ}, badala ya {كَالْعِھْنِ الْمَنْفُوشِ}, katika aya ya 5 ya Suratul Qaari‘ah. Misemo yote miwili ina maana ya ‘kama sufu iliyochanwa.’ 26

7. variations due to the use of one synonym in place of another. This is what Ibn ‘Abdul Barr was referring to. An example of this is Ibn Mas‘ood’s recitation of .كَالصُّوفِ recited he ,كَالْعِھْنِ الْمَنْفُوشِ of Instead .ah‘Qaari-al Soorah of 5 verse ِوشُفْنَمْالBoth phrases mean ‘like carded wool.’ 26

Wanazuoni wengine, kama Ibn al-Jazaree na Abul-Fadl ar-Raazee, walipendekeza tofauti zao wenyewe juu ya kanuni hiyo hiyo. Ar-Raazee aliandika, "Tofauti za lugha hazitoki nje ya vipengele saba:

Other scholars, such as Ibn al-Jazaree and Abul-Fadl ar-Raazee, proposed their own variations on the same principle. Ar-Raazee wrote, “The variations of language do not go outside seven aspects:

1. tofauti za nomino kati ya umoja, wawili (dual) na wingi, na kati ya jinsia ya kiume na ya kike;

1. variations of nouns between singular, dual and plural and between masculine and feminine;

2. tofauti katika nyakati za vitenzi kati ya wakati uliokamilika (uliopita) na wakati usiokamilika (wa sasa na wa baadaye)

2. variations in verb tenses between perfect (past), imperfect (present and future)

na amri (kitenzi cha amri);

and imperative (command);

3. tofauti za i‘raab (miisho ya vokali inayoonyesha nafasi ya neno katika sentensi);

3. variations in i‘raab (vowel endings that indicate the role of the word in the sentence);

4. kuongeza na kufuta herufi;

4. addition and deletion of letters;

5. mpangilio wa maneno uliogeuzwa;

5. flipped word order;

6. kubadilisha neno moja kwa jingine;

6. substitution of one word for another;

7. tofauti za matamshi kama al-imaalah, al-fat-h, at-tarqeeq, at-tafkheem, al-idghaam na al-ith-haar.27

7. variations in pronunciation such al-imaalah, al-fat-h, at-tarqeeq, at-tafkheem, al-idghaam and al-ith-haar.27

Ibn Hajr alieleza kwamba kuna mwingiliano mkubwa kati ya maelezo haya mbalimbali yote.28

Ibn Hajr pointed out that there is considerable overlap between all these various explanations.28

23 Imekusanywa na al-Bukhaaree (Sahih Al-Bukhari, juzuu ya 6, uk. 482, namba 514) na Muslim (Sahih Muslim, juzuu ya 2, uk. 389-390, namba 1782). Hadithi zinazofanana zimepokewa kwa mapokezi ya Ubay ibn Ka‘b, ‘Abdur-Rahmaan ibn ‘Awf na Abu Hurayrah. Kwa hakika, Ibn al-Jazaree alikusanya simulizi kuhusu jambo hili na akagundua kwamba masahaba kumi na tisa waliripoti hadithi hii. Kwa hiyo inachukuliwa kuwa hadithi ya mutawaatir kwa maana yake.

23 Collected by al-Bukhaaree (Sahih Al-Bukhari, vol. 6, p. 482, no. 514) and Muslim (Sahih Muslim, vol. 2, pp. 389-90, no. 1782). Similar hadeeths are reported on the authority of Ubay ibn Ka‘b, ‘Abdur-Rahmaan ibn ‘Awf and Aboo Hurayrah. In fact, Ibn al-Jazaree collected the reports on this issue and found that nineteen of the sahaabah reported it. It is thus considered a mutawaatir hadeeth in its meaning.