What is the Shar'i (Islamic legal) opinion on reading words from verses of the Holy Qur’an from right to left and vice-versa to demonstrate its miraculousness?
Verbal reversal, or "Qalb," is the reading of words from end to beginning, just as they are read from beginning to end, considering the written letters, not the pronounced ones. It is a formal verbal skill that does not inherently carry meaning, and its forced application can corrupt meanings.
Examples of "Qalb" in the Holy Quran include: { Kullun fi falak } (All in an orbit) and { Wa Rabbaka fakabbir } (And magnify your Lord).
Some scholars have considered this type of Badi' (rhetorical embellishment) among the aspects of the Quran's inimitability. However, it has no relation to the inversion of the Quran's letters and words, which is forbidden.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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