Are the issues of ishmam and rawm a matter of ijtihad (independent reasoning) or an integral part of the Quranic recitations (qira'at)? And why are there differences between printed Qurans and the recitations of the reciters, such as the sukoon (vowellessness) of the meem in the Basmala instead of its kasra (vowel of -i), despite it being grammatically governed by the letter ba (as a preposition), and yet none of the reciters recite it that way?

Ithmām and Rawm, and the characteristics of articulating the Quranic letters, are mutawatir (transmitted by multiple chains of narration), and are received orally from shaykhs across generations. All ten Qira'at (readings) are mutawatir, both in their principles (usūl) and specific wordings (farsh), and the manner of performance and the points of articulation of letters are taken by transmission, just as the orthography of the Mushaf is taken. This diversity in performance is a mercy and facilitation from Allah. The final letter Mīm in the Basmalah is to be pronounced with sukoon when stopping on it. However, when continuing, it is pronounced with kasrah.