Nine Contradictions, Errors and Assumptions of

Shady Hekmat Nasser
[1]He Tries to Undermine the Mutawatir Status of Qur’anic Words by Ignoring the
Corroborative Evidence (1)
Shady Hekmat overlooks and ignores the matching of different recitations of the 10 reciters
and corroborative effect of other means of transmission of variants.
  For example the variant ‘arjalakum’ [wash](Surah 5) recited by Asim is also
transmitted by Ibn Amir (Damascus), Nafi (Madinah), Yakub (Basra), and Kisai
(Kufa). Is there some type of conspiracy in different cities to create exactly the same
variants?
He also ignored numerous narrations of Quranic verses in sirah (biographical) and ahadith
literature that show the same variants through separate channels:
 For example, the word ‘maalik’ [owner](Surah 1) we have ahadith that report this
same variant: Imam Wahidi’s Asbab ul Nuzul and Sahih Muslim through other
chains. Did all these people collaborate together? (not to mention it is already
transmitted in different cities eg. Yakub in Basra and in Kufa: Asim, Khalaf, Kisai
etc.)
[2] He Does Not Understand the Difference Between a Registered Isnad (Chain of
Narration) and Unregistered isnads.(2)
He assumes that recitations (qiraat) are isolated odd recitals transmitted by questionable
people. For example, he falsely assumes that the choices Asim makes are ONLY related by
Asim. This is possibly his biggest mistake. This is false as the same choices are also
transmitted by many others (please see point 1)
For example, we have unregistered chains for variants eg. we have ahadith that report this
same variant ‘maalik’: Imam Wahidis Asbab ul Nuzul and Sahih Muslim through other
chains. We also have 100s of Shawadhdh recitals that mostly overlap (note shadh readings
are only shadh or odd on a small minority of their choices not the majority)
Also take a modern day example to prove Shady’s assumptions wrong: in 2020, our current
year and era, we have people on registered chains for Asim’s recitations for example
Shaykh Manasee in USA.  But we also have for example, me, maybe you and millions of
other Muslims who recite Fatiha according to Asim’s recitation, but who are not registered!
This is the same in every generation and century.
[3] He Exaggerates the Quantity and Effect of Quranic Variants (Qiraat).
He frequently says the Qur’an cannot be ‘accessed’ without the variants [3] however qiraat
affect only 1 % of the Quranic words[4]. For example, if we take Surah Fatihah there is no
accepted variants on the words ‘Arrahman ar raheem’ or ‘qul aozzubil rabil naas’ as well
as around 99% of the Quranic words. Therefore, as the fact the qiraat-variants are only
focused on a minority of places in itself shows something.

[4] His Approach is Loaded and Overly Critical.

For example, Shady uses the qiraat-variants to undermine all the Quran but doesn’t indicate
if any of the other words where there is no disagreement are reliable (‘Arrahman ar
raheem’ or ‘qul aozzubil rabil naas’ etc). Is Shady saying every word of the Qur’an is
doubtful? Even the bits where there is no disagreement on variation? [5]
This shows his approach is purposely over critical for academic/career benefit. If it were not
he would of course make positivistic- constructive conclusions rather than purely negative.
[5] He Misquotes and Exaggerates the References of Classical Scholarship
For example, he quotes Ibn Atiyyah saying the rasm (Quranic consonants) is defective and
people made their own decisions by adding vowels generating the variants and words[6].
This quote is misrepresented as pointed out by other websites and researchers[7]. In another
place he falsely gives the impression Ibn Jaziri ‘changed his view’ that the recitations
were mutawatir [8](multiply attested/reported) when he actually stated that he says he
‘changed’ his view that mutwatir wasn’t a necessary condition for a recitation to be
accepted and used [3]. It was not that ibn Jaziri did not grade the recitations and mutawatir
[6] He Misunderstands the Nature of a ‘Reading’ or a ‘Qiraat’
A qiraat or recitation is a choice of mutawatir and widespread variants on a minority of
areas of the Qur’an. The Quranic reader (eg. Asim, Ibn Kathir etc) chooses a reading from a
shared pool of well known and multiply transmitted readings. The reader just selects from
these and combines them.
[7] He Misunderstands the Nature of Shadh (irregular) Recitations.
Shadh (irregular) recitations are viewed as probable readings from the Prophet narrated
from by a singular chain or we have multiple reports for but it was abrogated.
[8] He falsely labels periods of canonisations which were not canonisations.
For example, Ibn Mujahid doesn’t include Yakub’s choices and recitation in 10th century
yet it had no effect on its acceptability and it was recognised as mutawatir by ibn Jaziri in
the 13th century. Muslims did not consider these works as restrictive or as a criteria [9]. For
example, Ibn Mujahid’s book did not restrict the use of Khalafs nor Yakubs etc. Similar
even to Ibn Jaziri. This is well recognised. Muslims use a rational criteria to judge on a
variants certainty-probability of being ascribed to the prophet.
[9] He characterises Shadh (irregular) recitations as ‘complete’ different versions
when they are not as mostly they overlap with mutawatir-recognised ones and each
other.
Two examples show this:
– Khalaf’s recitations of the 700ish variants are exactly the same as Asims or hamzas.
– Yazidis choices are 99% the same as Abu Amr’s apart from 10 words.[10]

[1] He says ’for there is no proof of tawatur’ p 115 and ‘for these readings were all
transmitted through single chains’ p115 [‘The Transmission of the Variant Readings of the
Qur’an’]
[2] Chapter 4 of his book
[3] See interview https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/bottled-petrichor/e15-the-quran-
and-its-auJ128jQfkZ/
[4]These represent pronunciation difference of 703 places of 77,400 [Yasin, Dutton, Orality,
Literacy and the Seven Ahruf Hadith, 2012]
[5] p179 – He lists variants in the surahs and shows most words don’t have variants! So are
these Tawatur?:
Surah Naas only3 places of variation according to Shady -p179
Surah Ikhlas only 3 places of variation according to Shady.
Surah Masad only 2 places
[6] p40 of ‘the Transmission…’
[8] p36 of ‘the Transmission…’
[7]https://yaqeeninstitute.org/ammar-khatib/the-origins-of-the-variant-readings-of-the-quran
“However, in the provided reference, Ibn Aṭiyyah actually says nothing of the sort. What
Ibn Aṭiyyah actually says is that the seven canonical readers used their ijtihād to select
whatever variation from the aḥruf they found would conform to the mushaf, not that the
variation itself was invented by ijtihād. Ijtihād was thus in selection, not invention. See Ibn
ʿAṭīyah, al-Muḥarrar al-wajīz (Beirut: DKI, 2001), 1:48.”
[3] Ibn Jaziri actually says: ‫ فهي إضافة اختيار ودوام ولزوم ال‬،‫[ فلذلك أضيفت إليه دون غيره من القراء‬The
Impact of the Differences of the Fourteen modes of recitation on the Islamic Creed and
Jurisprudence’ , Dr Waleed al Manesee quoting Ibn Jaziri – ‫) النشر انظر‬٢٥/١)]
[9] Ibn al-Sam’aani said in al-Shaafee: ‘There is nothing from the sunnah or from the
statements of the salaf to support limiting oneself to only the qiraa’aat of the seven well-
known reciters to the exclusion of any others. The grouping of these seven was only
something done by one of the later scholars, and only after that did this view that it is not
permissible to add any others spread.’ ‫ولذلك لم يتنازع علماء اإلسالم المتبوعين من السلف واألئمة في أنه ال‬
‫يتعين أن يقرأ بهذه القراءات المعينة في جميع أمصار المسلمين ; بل من ثبت عنده قراءة األعمش شيخ حمزة أو قراءة‬
‫ ] بها بال نزاع بين‬393 :‫يعقوب بن إسحاق الحضرمي ونحوهما كما ثبت عنده قراءة حمزة? والكسائي فله أن يقرأ [ ص‬
‫العلماء المعتبرين المعدودين من أهل اإلجماع والخالف ; بل أكثر العلماء األئمة الذين أدركوا قراءة حمزة? كسفيان بن‬
‫عيينة وأحمد بن حنبل وبشر بن الحارث وغيرهم يختارون قراءة أبي جعفر بن القعقاع وشيبة بن نصاح المدنيين وقراءة‬
‫ ـ‬. ‫ …البصريين كشيوخ يعقوب بن إسحاق وغيرهم على قراء حمزة? والكسائي‬Following from that, there is no
difference of opinion among the scholars of the earliest generations or the later imams that it
is not mandatory to only recite with the seven well-known qiraa’aat in all of the Muslim
lands. On the contrary, those who consider the qiraa’ah of al-‘Amash – the teacher of
Hamzah – or the qiraa’ah or Ya’qub ibn Ishaaq al-Hadhrami or others like these to be
reliably transmitted, just as others affirm the validity of the qiraa’ah of Hamzah or of al-
Kisaa’i, then he can recite with those qiraa’aat.