The Anomalous Qur’anic Readings Attributed to Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Sulamī (d. 74 AH): From the Beginning of Sūrat al-Shuʿarāʾ to the End of Sūrat al-Ṣāffāt: A Collection and Analytical Study

Abstract

The study aimed to collect and analyze the anomalous Qur’anic readings attributed to Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Sulamī, from the beginning of Sūrat al-Shuʿarāʾ to the end of Sūrat al-Ṣāffāt. Anomalous readings constitute an important source of evidence in the Islamic and Arabic linguistic sciences, as exegetes, jurists, and grammarians refer to them and derive legal rulings and linguistic evidence from them. This makes their investigation and documentation particularly important. To achieve the objectives of the study, the researchers employed methodological approaches appropriate to its nature, namely the inductive, descriptive, and analytical methods. The study reached several findings, most notably that 31 anomalous readings were identified within the scope of the study. The findings also demonstrated that anomalous readings have significant scholarly value in both the Islamic and Arabic sciences. They play an essential role in elucidating the meanings of Qur’anic verses, explaining rare or unfamiliar vocabulary, accounting for grammatical phenomena, clarifying juristic rulings, and other related aspects. The study recommends further attention to the impact of al-Sulamī’s anomalous readings on the interpretation of Qur’anic meanings, the derivation of juristic rulings, and the identification of appropriate stopping and starting points in Qur’anic recitation.