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Qiraat
Surah: Al-Fatiha (4)
Multiple Readings and Their Rhetorical Impact — Fundamental Semantic Differences
مَٰلِكِ يَوۡمِ ٱلدِّينِ
— الفاتحة الآية 4
Introduction:
Multiple mutawatir Quranic readings are not discrepancies — each is an independent rhetorical perspective adding meaning the other reading does not provide. Ibn Al-Jazari: "Every authentic reading provides a meaning that enriches interpretation."
Semantic examples:
Multiple mutawatir Quranic readings are not discrepancies — each is an independent rhetorical perspective adding meaning the other reading does not provide. Ibn Al-Jazari: "Every authentic reading provides a meaning that enriches interpretation."
Semantic examples:
- "Maliki/Maliki Yawm al-Din" (1:4):
- Reading "Maliki" (active participle — owner): Ongoing ownership — one who owns the Day of Judgment.
- Reading "Malik" (adjective — king): Inherent royalty — sovereignty and authority in the essence of being.
- Both together: Allah is owner and king — both attributes combined in each reading and in their totality.
- "Hatta yattahharna / yathurna" (2:222):
- "Yattahharna" (intensive): Actual purification and bathing — not permissible until they have bathed.
- "Yathurna" (simple): Cessation of menstruation — permissible immediately upon cessation.
- Practical jurisprudential difference: When does a woman become permissible to her husband after menstruation?
Source: Al-Jazari, Al-Nashr (2/197); Al-Zarkashi (1/318); Al-Zamakhshari (1/11)
Test Yourself
What is the semantic difference between the readings "Maliki" and "Malik" in Al-Fatiha?
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