This Is Islam Uncovered

Quranic Relativity: When God Says Ten Different Things About One Verse

❓ The Claim

“The Quran was revealed in multiple qirāʾāt (recitations), all valid, all from Allah.”

Muslim scholars and apologists claim that the different Quranic recitations — 10 officially canonized ones (Hafs, Warsh, Qalun, Al-Duri, etc.) — are divinely revealed and equally authentic. They insist:

No contradictions exist between them.
Differences are minor: pronunciation, dialect, or vocalization.
All versions come from the Prophet Muhammad.

But is that really true?

What happens when the same verse has multiple meanings across qirāʾāt?

The answer is clear:
You get Quranic relativity — where Allah is made to say different, even contradictory things, in different versions of the same verse.

📚 What Are the Qira’at?

The qirāʾāt are different textual versions of the Quran.
Each qirāʾa includes:
- Vocabulary differences
- Grammatical changes
- Speaker shifts
- Legal implications
These are not just reading styles; they are different Arabic texts.

The most common today are:

Hafs ‘an ‘Asim (used by ~90% of the Muslim world)
Warsh ‘an Nafi‘ (used in North Africa)
Others include Qalun, Al-Duri, Khalaf, etc.

Each qirāʾa was canonized in the 10th–14th centuries — long after Muhammad.

🧾 Real Examples of Quranic Relativity

Let’s look at verses where God says different things — depending on which version you're reading.

🔁 Surah 2:125

Hafs: “Take the Maqām of Abraham as a place of prayer.”
Warsh: “Take the Maqām of Abraham as a place of prayers.”

👉 Singular vs. plural — impacts how many prayers must be performed.

🧠 Surah 21:4

Hafs: “He said: My Lord knows...”
Warsh: “Say: My Lord knows...”

👉 Hafs narrates a past event.
Warsh commands the reader to say it.
Different grammar, different speaker, different intent.

💬 Surah 3:146

Hafs: “And many a prophet fought...”
Warsh: “And many a prophet was killed...”

👉 Completely different historical meanings.
Did prophets fight? Or were they killed?
This affects Islamic theology on martyrdom and divine protection.

🔄 Surah 43:19

Hafs: “Did they witness their creation?”
Warsh: “Did we witness their creation?”

👉 Hafs = rhetorical question to humans.
Warsh = God speaking about Himself.
That’s a total shift in speaker — and meaning.

⚖️ Surah 6:115

Hafs: “None can change His words.”
Qira’at Al-Kisa’i: “None can change our words.”

👉 Singular vs. plural pronoun.
“His” suggests distance; “Our” is more direct.
This subtle change raises questions on divine voice, formality, and unity.

🧠 What This Means Logically

If the Quran is one book, revealed by one God, how can the same verse say different things in different versions?

This is not a matter of dialect or pronunciation.
These are meaningful, semantic, and theological differences.

God does not stutter.
God does not contradict Himself.
If He revealed multiple meanings for one verse — then either:

One is right and the rest are wrong (making them false attributions to God), or
They’re all partially true, which makes the Quran unclear, ambiguous, and self-conflicting.

⚖️ Logical Syllogism

Syllogism A – Unity vs. Relativity

A perfect divine book cannot contain multiple meanings for the same verse.
The qira’at present different meanings for the same verses.
∴ The Quran, as transmitted today, is not a perfect or singular book.

Syllogism B – Revelation or Reconstruction?

If the qira’at are from Allah, then He revealed multiple meanings for the same verses.
If He did not, then humans later invented conflicting versions.
∴ Either Allah created confusion, or the Quran was corrupted by human transmission.

📉 Even Classical Scholars Admitted the Problem

Ibn al-Jazari:

“Each qira’a is a separate Quran.”
— An-Nashr fi Qira’at al-‘Ashr, Vol. 1

Al-Dani (d. 1053 AD):

“Differences in qira’at include changes in meaning, grammar, and legal rulings.”
— Al-Taysir fi al-Qira’at al-Sab‘

Al-Suyuti:

“The seven qira’at differ in over 1,000 places.”
— Al-Itqan fi Ulum al-Quran, Vol. 1

This is Quranic relativity — ten different meanings for one revelation.

✅ Final Verdict

The qira’at are not just stylistic readings. They are competing versions of the Quran.
Each one says something slightly — or significantly — different.

If each version is from Allah, then Allah speaks with relativistic uncertainty.

If they’re not all from Allah, then some are fabrications — and the Quran has been corrupted.

Conclusion:

You can have 10 qira’at or one perfect Quran — but not both.