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Alternative Qirā’āt of the Qur’ān
Under the chapter entitled Alternat[ive] Qirā’āt of the
Qur’ān and Khātim, Farhan Khan argues that since nine of the ten
preserved qirā’āt [recitation styles] of the Qur’ān state khātim
instead of khātam, the meaning of khātim should apply as the last
one, meaning that the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa is being
entitled the Last Prophet 11 . He also quotes Hazrat Mirzā Bashīrud-Dīn
Mahmūd Ahmad ra who has emphasized the fact that the
Qur’ān states khātam, with the fatah [i.e., diacritical mark giving
an “a” sound] on tā’, instead of kasra [diacritical mark giving an
“i” sound], and that gives the meaning of seal.
First, it should be noted that the background to the qirā’āt
that Farhan Khan provides is not entirely accurate. It is true that
there were multiple dialects of Arabic at the time of the Holy
Prophet Muhammad sa . As a result, the Holy Qur’ān was
revealed with different qirā’āt to facilitate its learning and
memorization for Arabs of different tribes with different
dialects. However, by the time of Hazrat ‘Uthmān bin ‘Affān ra
[d. 656 CE] the Third Khalifah [Caliph or Successor], various tribes
11
Khan, With Love, 65
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