What is the reason for some scholars and the Tabi'un – such as Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Shu'bah – disliking Hamzah al-Zayyat's recitation, and did Shu'bah say about it that it was an innovation (bid'ah), and what are the names of the scholars who disliked this recitation?

The reading of Imam Hamzah al-Zayyat, who passed away in the. 156 AH, is one of the seven mutawatir (continuously recited) readings, approved unanimously by the Ummah. Many scholars praised it, including Imam Ahmad and Sufyan al-Thawri, who said: "Hamzah did not recite a single letter except based on an established tradition."

Despite the widespread nature of his reading and its being a foundation in some regions like Qayrawan and Kufa, it faced criticism from some scholars, such as Imam Ahmad, al-Thawri, Ibn Mahdi, Ibn Qutaybah, and others, due to the prevalence of imālah (slanting vowels), madd (lengthening), idgham (assimilation), and hamz (glottal stops) within it.

Scholars refuted these criticisms by affirming that Hamzah's reading is mutawatir, and that what is criticized about it is an exaggeration from the narrators, not from Hamzah's reading itself, as he himself forbade exaggeration in madd. Furthermore, imālah and idgham are Arabic linguistic features with which the Qur'an was revealed, and they are not exclusive to his reading alone.

Accordingly, Hamzah's reading is considered acceptable and has been received with acceptance by the Ummah, despite the words of some early Salaf concerning it.