Why was the word "قال" (qāla - he said) written with an alif in Surat Al-Anbiya, Ayah (4), in the Hafs Mushaf, despite the existence of other readings for it as "قل" (qul - say!), and does this contradict the method of writing the Imam Mushaf, which accommodates various readings?
The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) wrote the Qur'anic manuscripts using the Uthmani script for several reasons, among them its accommodating the authentic, widely transmitted (mutawatir) readings. For example, the word {قَال رَبِّي يَعْلَمُ الْقَوْلَ} (He said: My Lord knows the word) was written in the Kufic with an alif for the reading of Hamza, Al-Kisa'i, and Hafs from Asim, while in other mushafs it was written without an alif for the reading of the majority. Scholars like Ibn Mujahid, Al-Dani, and Abu Shamah mentioned this difference in script between the mushafs, emphasizing that it does not affect the authenticity of any of the readings that conform to the script.
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Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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