Are the modes of performance in the ten متواترة recitations (such as imālah, taqlīl, and ishmām) taken from the Prophet ﷺ, or are they a concession for reciting the Qur'an according to the language of the Arabs?

The Qur’an is ثابت (firmly established) by transmission from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with all its mutawatir (successively narrated) readings that became well-known among Muslims. This includes Imalah (slanting of the Alif sound), Taqleel (a lesser degree of Imalah), and Ishmam (partially voicing a vowel sound along with a consonant), which are among the seven modes (Ahruf Sab'ah) in which the Qur'an was revealed. Scholars have differed regarding the meaning of the seven modes, and the most prevalent opinion is that they are the aspects where variation and difference occur in the Qur'an, and they are seven aspects:

1. Variation in Nouns: in singularity, duality, and plurality. 2. Variation in Verb Conjugation: past, present, and imperative. 3. Variation in Grammatical Cases (I'rab). 4. Variation by Omission and Addition. 5. Variation by Precedence and Postponement. 6. Variation by Substitution: i.e., replacing one letter with another. 7. Variation in Dialects: such as Fath (opening of the mouth), Imalah, Izhar (clear pronunciation), Idgham (assimilation), and so on.

The majority of scholars held the view that what was narrated concerning Imalah and Ishmam is mutawatir. However, Ibn al-Hajib and those who followed him excluded from the mutawatir category what pertains to the manner of performance, such as lengthening (Madd), Imalah, and the lightening of the hamza. Yet, their intent was regarding the measures and specific ways of these, not the origin of Madd and Imalah, for these are definitively mutawatir. Imalah and Tafkheem (heavy pronunciation) are two linguistic features in which the Qur’an was revealed, and the Muslim Ummah has unanimously agreed upon adopting, reciting, and teaching them.