Between East and West: The Ḥijāzī-Tamīmī Cleavage and Non-Uniformity of the Qur’anic Reading Traditions

Abstract The recitations of two of the eponymous Qur’an-masters, the Medinan Nāfiʿ and the Kufan Ḥamzah, are compared in light of prominent differences between the early Ḥijāzī and Tamīmī dialects. Although the qirā ʾ āt do not reflect pure dialects (as observed by Van Putten), nevertheless I find that local linguistic phenomena exert a sub-stratal influence on the Qur’an reading traditions. I address the disagreement between Arab grammarians and many modern Western scholars as whether the imālah is Ḥijāzī or Tamīmī, and conclude that although the data is open to different interpretations, nevertheless the imālah likely had a presence in both geographic areas, and the ostensible dispute can be resolved by realizing that both views are correct, but in different time periods. I further conclude that the non-uniformity of qirā ʾ āt is partially due to the geographical dynamics of knowledge transmission.