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Why is the reading of Ibn Abbas, "yaṭawwaqūnahu" (يطوّقونه), not acted upon in Surat al-Baqarah, while all ten widely transmitted (mutawatir) readings are "yuṭīqūnahu" (يطيقونه) concerning fasting?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

This reading is narrated from Ibn Abbas and is an anomalous reading because it conforms to the rules and the soundness of the chain of transmission, but it deviates from the Uthmani script of the Mushaf. It can be used for interpreting the Quran, linguistic understanding, and deriving legal rulings, but its Quranic authenticity is not affirmed, and it should not be recited in prayer. The meaning of "يطوقونه" (yutawwiqūnahu) is that they are burdened by it beyond their capacity, like the elderly man or woman, and the pregnant or breastfeeding woman if they fear for themselves or their children. Scholars have differed regarding the ruling on pregnant and breastfeeding women if they break their fast, specifically whether they only need to make up the days (qada'), or both make up the days and feed the poor (qada' and it'am), or only feed the poor, or neither make up the days nor feed the poor. The view of Ibn Abbas is that they only need to feed the poor.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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