Critical Questions on Qur’anic Readings in Ibn Khālawayh’s Al-Ḥujjah fī al-Qirāʾāt al-Sabʿ: A Compilation and Analytical Study

Abstract

Abstract:

Critical Questions on Qur’anic Readings in Ibn Khālawayh’s Al-Ḥujjah fī al-Qirāʾāt al-Sabʿ: A Compilation and Analytical Study

This study investigates the set of critical questions posed by the grammarian and philologist Ibn Khālawayh regarding variant Qur’anic readings, as documented in his seminal work Al-Ḥujjah fī al-Qirāʾāt al-Sabʿ (“The Proof in the Seven Readings”). The research compiles twenty-seven instances where Ibn Khālawayh raised interpretive or grammatical objections, only to then resolve them through detailed explanation and justification.

The paper is structured into a preface and two main sections. The preface offers brief biographical remarks on Ibn Khālawayh and an introduction to his book. The first section examines questions related to foundational linguistic principles (uṣūl) and is divided into three subtopics: glottalization (with one question), manifestation and assimilation (five questions), and vowel shifts between fatḥ and imālah (nine questions). The second section addresses questions related to individual variants (furūsh) and includes twelve examples. The conclusion highlights the major findings and provides recommendations for future research.