A Critical and Analytical Study of Orientalist Objections on the Seven Canonical Qirā’āt

قراءاتِ سبعہ پر مستشرقین کے اعتراضات کا تحقیقی و تنقیدی جائزہ

Abstract

This research paper presents a critical and analytical study of the objections raised by Orientalists against the Seven Canonical Qirā’āt (قراءاتِ سبعہ) of the Qur'an. Orientalist scholars have long scrutinized various aspects of Islamic texts, particularly the Qur'an, often questioning its unity, preservation, and transmission. Among their contentions, the issue of variant readings (Qirā’āt) has been used to challenge the authenticity and consistency of the Qur'anic text. This study examines the methodologies, sources, and argumentative approaches adopted by Orientalists, and responds to them through classical Islamic scholarship—particularly the works of the Qur'ān commentators, Hadith scholars, and expert Qurra’ (reciters). The research establishes that the Seven Canonical Qirā’āt are part of the authentic and Mutawātir tradition of Qur'anic transmission, upheld by scholarly consensus (ijmā‘) and practiced throughout Islamic history. The aim of this paper is to expose the methodological flaws in Orientalist critiques and to reaffirm the integrity and divine preservation of the Qur'anic Qirā’āt within the framework of Islamic tradition.

Keywords: Qirā’āt, Orientalism, Qur’anic Preservation, Mutawātir Recitation, Islamic Scholarship