Resmü’l-Mushaf ve Dilbilimsel Açıdan Kıraat Vecihlerinin Tevcîhi, Mânaya Delâleti ve Meâllere Yansıması: Mü’min Sûresi 26. Âyet Örneği
The Justification of Qirāʾāt Variants in Relation to the Rasm al-Muṣḥaf and Linguistic Analysis, Their Semantic Implications, and Their Reflection in Qurʾān Translations: The Case of Sūrat al-Muʾmin Verse 26

Summary/Abstract: This study examines the qirāʾāt variants in Sūrat al-Muʾmin verse 26 in terms of their relationship with the rasm al-muṣḥaf (Qurʾānic orthography), their linguistic justification (tawjīh), their semantic implications, and their reflections in Turkish Qurʾān translations. The study focuses on the linguistic tawjīh of the variants permitted by the consonantal structure of the muṣḥaf and on the ways these are reflected in tafsir and translation literature. Sūrat al-Muʾmin verse 26 was selected because it contains both regional muṣḥaf differences that cannot be represented within a single orthographic form (َ /ْو وَأ (and structural variants within the same written form that transform the subject-object relationship (ُ َاد َس ْ ِض ْ الف َر َ ِ فى ْ الا َر َ ْظه َْن ي /َا َاد َس ْ ِض ْ الف َر َ ِ فى ْ الا ُ ْظِهر َْن ي ا(. Although previous studies have addressed the linguistic aspects of qirāʾāt, no separate study could be identified that examines this verse through an integrated framework combining the relationship between multiple variants and the rasm almuṣḥaf, linguistic tawjīh, semantic implications, and their reflections in translations. In this respect, the study aims to contribute to the evaluation of qirāʾāt within the framework of muṣḥaf orthography and to clarify the role of linguistic tawjīh in shaping meaning. Methodologically, the study adopts a qualitative approach based on document analysis and comparative textual analysis. Sources on ʿUthmānic muṣḥaf orthography, qirāʾāt and tawjīh literature, classical tafsir works, together with twenty widely used Turkish Qurʾān translations, were systematically examined. The scope is limited to farshī variants (word-specific variants) affecting meaning and excludes uṣūlī variants (systematic or phonetic variants) that do not directly alter meaning. The findings indicate that the qirāʾāt variants in the verse construct complementary layers of meaning. In readings employing the conjunction wa (َ و(, a simultaneous and inseparable relationship is established between the alteration of religion (tabdīl al-dīn) and the emergence of corruption (iẓhār al-fasād), reflecting Pharaoh’s fear of both occurring together. By contrast, readings with aw (ْ وَأ (shift the discourse toward probability, alternative possibility, or a staged threat and present corruption as a possible consequence following the alteration of religion. The variation between yaẓhara and yuẓhira also transforms the accusatory structure of the verse: in the transitive reading (yuẓhira), Pharaoh portrays Moses as the direct agent producing corruption, whereas in the intransitive reading (yaẓhara), corruption is presented as a social consequence emerging from the disruption of the religious order. The analysis of translations shows that most Turkish renderings conform to the muṣḥaf text printed and vocalized in Türkiye according to the Ḥafṣ transmission from ʿĀṣim, which limits the reflection of semantic nuances conveyed by other sound qirāʾāt. Nevertheless, a limited number of translations adopt alternative variants. While this offers a richer range of interpretive possibilities, it may also create a discrepancy between the translation and the commonly used muṣḥaf text unless the preferred variant is explicitly indicated. Therefore, preserving the dominant muṣḥaf reading in the main translation while presenting other sound qirāʾāt variants together with their Arabic forms in footnotes or brief explanatory notes appears to provide a more comprehensive and nuanced representation of meaning while maintaining text– translation coherence.

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