If you have heard a North African imam recite and thought it sounded different from what you are used to, you have already met the qira'at. Nothing is wrong with either reading. Both are part of how the Quran was revealed and taught.

Where the qira'at come from

The Prophet ﷺ said that the Quran was revealed in seven ahruf (modes) to make it easier for the community to recite. The best-known report is the incident between 'Umar ibn al-Khattab and Hisham ibn Hakim, who recited Surah al-Furqan differently. The Prophet ﷺ listened to both and approved both (al-Bukhari 4992, Muslim 818).

The Companions taught these readings to their students, who taught theirs. Over the first centuries, certain teachers became known for the precision and reliability of their recitation. Their names became attached to the readings they taught.

The "seven ahruf" and the "ten qira'at" are related but not the same thing. The relationship is a detailed topic in Quranic sciences, and scholars have explained it in different ways. What is agreed is that the ten qira'at are authentic and fall within what was revealed.

The ten readers and their narrators

The first seven were gathered by the scholar Ibn Mujahid in the fourth Islamic century and later set into verse by Imam ash-Shatibi in his famous poem. Imam Ibn al-Jazari confirmed the authenticity of the three additional readings and documented all ten.

What makes a reading valid?

Scholars accepted a reading only if it met three conditions:

1. It is transmitted through an authentic, widely attested chain back to the Prophet ﷺ.
2. It agrees with the Arabic language.
3. It fits the written form of at least one of the mushafs sent out by 'Uthman ibn 'Affan.

Readings that fail these tests are called shadhdh (irregular) and are not recited as Quran in prayer.

What do the differences look like?

Most differences are in pronunciation: how long a madd is, whether a hamza is softened, whether a vowel leans toward "e" (imalah). Some affect the wording, always in a way that adds a shade of meaning rather than contradicting:

• مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ (Master of the Day of Judgement) and مَلِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ (King of the Day of Judgement), al-Fatiha 1:4.
• فَتَبَيَّنُوا (verify) and فَتَثَبَّتُوا (make sure), al-Hujurat 49:6.
• يُخَادِعُونَ and يَخْدَعُونَ, al-Baqarah 2:9.

Scholars of tafseer often use these variations to explain a verse more fully, since each reading is part of the Quran.

Which one is read where?

• Hafs 'an 'Asim: the large majority of the Muslim world, including South Asia, the Middle East, Turkey, Southeast Asia and Muslim communities in the West.
• Warsh 'an Nafi': much of North and West Africa, including Morocco and Algeria.
• Qalun 'an Nafi': parts of Libya and Tunisia.
• ad-Duri 'an Abi 'Amr: parts of Sudan and neighbouring regions.

Should I learn other qira'at?

For most students, no, at least not yet. Learn one reading thoroughly, usually Hafs, with full tajweed. Studying the other qira'at is an advanced specialisation, normally taken up by people who have memorised the Quran and want to teach at a higher level. It ends with an ijazah in the readings studied.

At Online Study Quran Academy we teach Hafs 'an 'Asim by default. Hafiz Waqas Junaid, our Qira'at and Tajweed instructor, works with advanced students who want to go further. If you are not there yet, the tajweed course is the right first step.