A Historical Study on " Qirā at al-Ammat" and its Relationship with Asim's Qirā at as Transmitted by Hafs

Qirā’at of the Qur’an is one of the most important historical issues around the holy Qur’an. Shiite and Sunni Qur’an researchers have been divided on when the difference in Qirā’at first appeared، whether such difference is attributable to Prophet Muhammad or qurrā’، frequency of Qirā’āt، the seven Qirā’āt، etc. It seems that the methodology used so far in such researches by Muslim Qur’an researchers has been based on reliance on readings transmitted by the transmitters of Ummayid era. Given that historical reports are liable to forgery and falsification، it seems that it would be useful to use a methodology that is based on the study of documents and proof. This research aimed to answer the question whether there has been a generally accepted Qirā’at before the unification of copies of the Qur’an in Uthman’s time، and if Qirā’at by the general Muslim public is based on Asim’s Qirā’at as transmitted by Hafs in the early Islamic period. It is seen from the study of samples and evidence from commentary books from the 2nd century A. H. that the scholars at that time such as Fara’، Akhfash، Abu Ubaydah Mu’mar Ibn Muthana، etc. recognized a Qirā’at called “Qirā’at al-Ammat”، which Qirā’at conforms to today’s Qirā’at by Muslims. This study was carried out using the methodology of the historical study of documents and evidence. Another piece of evidence is provided through comparison of San’a’ Manuscript from Uthmani copies with Asim’s reading as transmitted by Hafs، while San’a’ copies are based on other Qirā’āt. Thus، there is a strong likelihood that difference in Qirā’at first appeared after the unification of copies by Uthman