How can Muslims claim that their Book is preserved and falsehood cannot approach it, when they differ concerning the authentic narrations of the Qur’an, such as the ten Nafi’i recitations, and especially their difference regarding the pronunciation of the word "hīt" in His (the Most High) saying: "She said: 'Hīt! come to you!'"?

A distinction should be made between the Qur'an and the qira'at (readings). The Qur'an is the revealed text, established as authentic by tawatur (consecutive transmission), while the qira'at are narrations and methods of recitation, some of which are mutawatir (consecutively transmitted), some sahih (authentic), and some da'if (weak). This does not imply a complete separation; rather, the mutawatir among the qira'at is part of the Qur'an, and most of the Qur'an's words are rendered in a single way.

The variations among the qurra' (reciters) do not signify disorder in the Qur'an or contradiction between the qira'at. Instead, it is a diversity that enriches the meaning. An example of this is the variation among reciters regarding the word (hayta), for which there are multiple methods of pronunciation without contradiction.

There are unique vocabulary items for the ten Nafi'iyah readings in five places (three in izhar (clarification), one in the omission of the nun, and one in reporting), which do not contradict the ten major qira'at. Rather, they are of the same type as the sevenfold differences that revolve around linguistic phenomena and enrich the meaning.

The tawatur of a reading among one group is proof against those for whom it is not mutawatir. An example of this is the basmala in Al-Fatiha. Similarly, what exceeds the ten famous qira'at may be mutawatir among some people but not others, such as the Maghrebis and the Mashriqis.

Reasons for the variation in the tawatur of some methods between the Maghrebis and the Mashriqis include: the Mashriqis' engagement with other readings, the lack of stability of their scholars in the Maghreb, Al-Dani's non-reliance on these methods in Al-Taysir, Ibn Al-Jazari's unawareness of them in the Maghreb, and the scarcity of those interested in and proficient in the qira'at.