Abu Sa'id Uthman Ibn Sa‘id al-Qutbi, better known as Warsh (110-197AH), was a significant figure in the history of
Quranic recitation
In Islam, ''Qirāah'', (pl. ''Qirāāt''; ar, قراءات , lit= recitations or readings) are different linguistic, lexical, phonetic, Morphology (linguistics), morphological and syntactical forms permitted with recitation, reciting the h ...
(''qira'at''), the canonical methods of reciting the
Qur'an.
Alongside
Qalun, he was one of the two primary transmitters of the canonical
reading method of Nafi‘ al-Madani.
Together, their style is the most common form of Qur'anic recitation in the generality of African mosques outside of Egypt, and is also popular in Yemen
and
Darfur
Darfur ( ; ar, دار فور, Dār Fūr, lit=Realm of the Fur) is a region of western Sudan. ''Dār'' is an Arabic word meaning "home f – the region was named Dardaju ( ar, دار داجو, Dār Dājū, links=no) while ruled by the Daju, ...
despite the rest of
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
following the method of
Hafs. The method of Warsh and his counterpart Qalun was also the most popular method of recitation in
Al-Andalus. The majority of printed
Mushafs today in
North Africa and
West Africa follow the reading of Warsh.
He died in 812CE.
Warsh recitation
Warsh 'an Naafi' is one of the main canonical methods of reciting the
Qur'an. The recitations of the Quran, known in Arabic as
Qira'at, are conducted under the rules of the
Tajwid Science. It is attributed to Imam Warsh who in turn got it from his teacher
Nafi‘ al-Madani who was one of the transmitters of the seven recitations. The recitation of Warsh 'an Naafi' is one of two major recitation traditions. The second is
Hafs 'an 'Asim
Abū Amr Ḥafṣ ibn Sulaymān ibn al-Mughīrah ibn Abi Dawud al-Asadī al-Kūfī ( ar, أبو عمرو حفص بن سليمان بن المغيرة الأسدي الكوفي), better known as Hafs (706–796 CE; 90–180 AH according to the I ...
.
History
Imam Warsh (110-197AH) was born Uthman Ibn Sa‘id al-Qutbi in Egypt. He was called Warsh, a substance of milk, by his teacher Naafi' because he was light skinned. He learned his recitation from Naafi' at
Medina. After finishing his education, he returned to Egypt where he became the senior reciter of the Quran.
In the 10th century, the Muslim scholar
Ibn Mujāhid canonized the seven readings of the Quran including Warsh 'an Naafi'. However, only the transmission of Asim and Warsh remains influential. The Warsh 'an Naafi' recitation became widespread in North Africa, in large part because it was the preferred recitation of Imam Malik ibn Anas, whose Maliki school of jurisprudence predominated in that region of the world. In Medieval times, it was the main Quranic recitation in
Islamic Iberia. The Warsh 'an Naafi' transmission represents the recitational tradition of Medina.
Comparison of Warsh and Hafs recitation
The
Warsh 'an Naafi' recitation of the Quran differs from
Hafs 'an Asim in
orthography. The majority of differences do not affect the meaning. Yet in some cases the differences change the implications of the verse. In verse 2:184 Hafs recites the verse to be "... a ransom
s substitute
S, or s, is the nineteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ess'' (pronounced ), plural ''esses''.
History ...
of feeding a poor person...". On the other hand, Warsh reads it "... a ransom
s substitute
S, or s, is the nineteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ess'' (pronounced ), plural ''esses''.
History ...
of feeding poor people..."
[A.Brockett, ''Studies in Two Transmission of the Qur'an'', doctorate thesis, University of St. Andrews,Scotland, 1984, p.138] Other variants that go beyond orthography include :
Another major difference between Hafs and Warsh recitation of the Quran is the pronunciation of the words. Modern Qurans have diacritical marks (known as Tashkil) and in some cases pronouncing the word differently could imply different meaning. Here are some examples:
See also
Ten readers and transmitters
*
Nafi‘ al-Madani
**
Qalun
**Warsh
*
Ibn Kathir al-Makki
**
Al-Bazzi
**
Qunbul
*
Abu 'Amr ibn al-'Ala'
**
Ad-Duri
**
Al-Susi
*
Ibn Amir ad-Dimashqi
**
Hisham ibn Ammar
**
Ibn Dhakwan
*
Aasim ibn Abi al-Najud
**
Shu'bah
**
Hafs
*
Hamzah az-Zaiyyat
**
Khalaf
**
Khallad
*
Al-Kisa'i
**
Al-Layth
**
Ad-Duri
*Abu Ja'far
**'Isa ibn Waddan
**Ibn Jummaz
*Ya'qub al-Yamani
**Ruways
**Rawh
*
Khalaf
**Ishaq
**Idris
:Fa:قرائت ورش از نافع
References
{{Authority control
812 deaths
Quran
Quranic readings
Warsh recitation