30 different Qurans Until Cairo Decided on One Copy

DATES FOR THE CANONICAL QIRĀ’ĀT & RIWAYĀT

As you can see from these dates, these people never met Muhammad. 

Nāfiʿ al-Madanī (Qirā’a)

• Nāfiʿ: d. 169 AH / 785 CE

• Active in Medina

• His readings crystallized late 2nd AH, written down 3rd AH

Riwayāt

• Warsh ʿan Nāfiʿ

  • Warsh (ʿUthmān b. Saʿīd): d. 197 AH / 812 CE

  • Written transmission: early–mid 3rd AH (9th c.)

• Qālūn ʿan Nāfiʿ

  • Qālūn (ʿĪsā b. Mīnā): d. 220 AH / 835 CE

  • Written transmission: mid 3rd AH

• Isḥāq ʿan Nāfiʿ

  • Minor/early transmitter, late 2nd–early 3rd AH

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Ibn Kathīr al-Makkī (Qirā’a)

• Ibn Kathīr: d. 120 AH / 737 CE

• Mecca

• One of the earliest reciters

Riwayāt

• Al-Bazzī: d. 250 AH / 864 CE

• Qunbul: d. 291 AH / 904 CE

• Written/systematized: 3rd AH

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Abū ʿAmr al-Baṣrī (Qirā’a)

• Abū ʿAmr: d. 154 AH / 770 CE

• Basra

Riwayāt

• Ad-Dūrī: d. 246 AH / 860 CE

• As-Sūsī: d. 261 AH / 875 CE

• Written transmission: mid–late 3rd AH

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Ibn ʿĀmir ad-Dimashqī (Qirā’a)

• Ibn ʿĀmir: d. 118 AH / 736 CE

• Syria (Damascus)

Riwayāt

• Hishām: d. 245 AH / 859 CE

• Ibn Dhakwān: d. 242 AH / 856 CE

• Written transmission: 3rd AH

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ʿĀṣim ibn Abī an-Najūd (Qirā’a)

• ʿĀṣim: d. 127 AH / 744 CE

• Kufa

Riwayāt

• Ḥafṣ ʿan ʿĀṣim

  • Ḥafṣ: d. 180 AH / 796 CE

  • Became dominant only after Cairo 1924

  • Written form fixed 3rd–4th AH

• Shuʿbah: d. 193 AH / 809 CE

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Ḥamzah az-Zayyāt (Qirā’a)

• Ḥamzah: d. 156 AH / 772 CE

• Kufa

Riwayāt

• Khalaf: d. 229 AH / 844 CE

• Khallād: d. 220 AH / 835 CE

• Written transmission: 3rd AH

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Al-Kisā’ī (Qirā’a)

• Al-Kisā’ī: d. 189 AH / 805 CE

• Grammarian + reciter

Riwayāt

• Abū al-Ḥārith: d. 240s AH / mid-9th c.

• Ad-Dūrī (same transmitter as Abū ʿAmr): d. 246 AH / 860 CE

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Abū Jaʿfar al-Madanī (Qirā’a)

• Abū Jaʿfar: d. 130 AH / 747 CE

• Medina

Riwayāt

• Ibn Wardan: d. 160s AH / late 8th c.

• Ibn Jammaz: d. 170 AH / 786 CE

• Written transmission: early 3rd AH

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Yaʿqūb al-Ḥaḍramī (Qirā’a)

• Yaʿqūb: d. 205 AH / 821 CE

• Basra

Riwayāt

• Ruways: d. 238 AH / 852 CE

• Rawḥ: d. 235 AH / 849 CE

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Khalaf al-ʿĀshir (Qirā’a)

• Khalaf: d. 229 AH / 844 CE

• Also transmitter for Ḥamzah

Riwayāt

• Isḥāq: d. 286 AH / 899 CE

• Idrīs: d. 292 AH / 905 CE

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“22–30” ADDITIONAL SUB-TRANSMISSIONS

• Minor canonical paths recognized by later scholars

• Systematized mainly by Ibn al-Jazarī

  • d. 833 AH / 1429 CE

• This is where the rounded number “30” comes from in scholarly discussions

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TIMELINE SUMMARY (VERY IMPORTANT)

• Muhammad dies: 11 AH / 632 CE

• Main Qirā’a figures: 1st–2nd AH (7th–8th c.)

• Riwayāt transmitters: 2nd–3rd AH (8th–9th c.)

• Written standardization: 3rd–4th AH (9th–10th c.)

• Final canon lists: 10th–15th c. CE

• Global enforcement of Ḥafṣ: Cairo 1924

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ONE-SENTENCE TAKEAWAY

The Qur’anic readings were taught orally in the 7th–8th centuries, but their written forms and canonization were fixed centuries later through human scholarly decisions.

When and why Cairo chose it

• Year: 1924

• Institution: Al-Azhar–supervised committee (Egypt)

• Reason:

  • Schools were using different accepted readings

  • Students were marked “wrong” depending on region

  • Printing required a single, uniform text

➡ Cairo standardized one reading for education and printing.

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What happened to the others

• Other canonical readings (Warsh, Qālūn, Dūrī, etc.):

  • Were removed from public schooling

  • No longer printed for mass use

  • Left to academic study only

They were not declared false—they were set aside to enforce uniformity.

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Why this matters

• Ḥafṣ became dominant because of modern printing and policy, not because it was always the only Qur’an

• Today, about 90% of Muslims use Ḥafṣ ʿan ʿĀṣim

• Before 1924, multiple readings were commonly used across the Islamic world

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What Existed BEFORE Cairo 1924

1. Multiple Canonical Variants

Islamic scholarship recognized:

• 10 canonical Qirā’āt (recitations)

• Each with multiple Riwayāt (transmissions)

• Totaling about 30 recognized textual forms

These were not identical. Differences include:

• Different words

• Singular vs plural

• Verb tense changes

• Added or missing phrases

• Changes that affect meaning

All of these were considered valid Qur’an within Islam.

What Happened to the Other Variants?

They were:

• Removed from schools

• Banned from public recitation

• Excluded from printing

• Destroyed or archived

Egypt did this because:

• Children were being marked “wrong” in school

• Teachers disagreed on correct readings

• There was confusion across Islamic regions

This is documented by Muslim scholars, not critics.

Important Clarification (This Matters)

Muslims often say:

“There is only one Qur’an.”

But historically, the truth is:

• There were multiple canonical Qur’anic texts

• Cairo chose ONE for global uniformity

• Uniformity ≠ original singularity

Standardization happened because differences existed.

1) DID THE ḤAFṢ QUR’AN HAVE GRAMMAR ISSUES?

Yes — according to early Islamic sources themselves.

Why this happened

• Early Arabic had no vowel marks

• No dots to distinguish letters (b / t / th / y / n)

• Grammar was inferred from oral tradition, not the written text

As Arabic grammar later developed, problems were noticed in the written consonantal text (rasm).One-sentence summary

The Cairo edition of 1924 standardized the Qur’an to the single reading of Ḥafṣ ʿan ʿĀṣim, sidelining other previously accepted variants for the sake of uniformity.