The Narrations of Al-Duri and Al-Susi from Abu Amr — Their Differences

Abu Amr ibn Al-Ala (d. 154 AH):
Imam of Basra — the most widely narrated and moderate reader. Two main narrators:

1. Narration of Al-Duri (Abu Umar Hafs Al-Duri — d. 246 AH):

• Madd munfasil: 4 counts (tawassut/moderate).
• Imala: tilting of kasra in certain alifs.
• Major idgham: the famous idgham of Abu Amr — assimilation of identical, similar, and adjacent letters.
• Sin/sad: sin becomes sad before emphatic letters (ishman).

2. Narration of Al-Susi (Abu Shu'ayb Salih ibn Ziyad — d. 261 AH):

• Madd munfasil: only 2 counts (qasr/short) — this is the most distinctive difference between the two narrations.
• Imala: same as Al-Duri.
• Major idgham: same as Al-Duri.

Key distinction:
The main difference: Al-Duri extends madd munfasil 4 counts — Al-Susi shortens it to 2. For madd muttasil, both extend 4 or 5 counts.