al-Mabsut fi al-Qiraat al-Ashr
- Author died
- 381 AH
- Editions
- Academy of the Arabic Language
al-Mabsut fi al-Qiraat al-Ashr (The Expounded Treatise on the Ten Readings) is a foundational manual on Quranic variants composed by the Persian Quran scholar and traditionist Ibn Mihran (295–381 AH / 908–991 CE) .
Author and Context
The author, Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn al-Husayn ibn Mihran, originally from Isfahan and later settled in Nishapur, was an acknowledged master of Quranic recitation in his era . He traveled extensively to centers such as Baghdad and Damascus to collect recitation chains from leading scholars . Ibn Mihran authored several influential manuals on the subject, notably al-Mabsut alongside his more condensed manual al-Ghaya fi al-Qiraat al-Ashr and al-Shamil .
Scope and Structure
The work is dedicated to documenting the ten canonical readings (al-Qiraat al-Ashr) :
- Transmission chains (Asanid): The text opens with an extensive section establishing Ibn Mihran's chains of transmission back to the ten leading readers, beginning with the reciters of Medina—Abu Ja'far Yazid ibn al-Qa'qa' and Nafi al-Madani—and detailing the transmission lines through their major transmitters, such as Warsh and Qalun .
- Systematic rules (Usul): It outlines the overarching phonological and grammatical principles of recitation across the ten traditions, including assimilation (idgham) and vowel inclination (imala) .
- Surah-by-surah variants (Farsh al-Huruf): The book systematically analyzes the specific textual and vocalic variants throughout the Quran in order, placing Surat al-Fatiha at the opening of the surah-by-surah analysis and progressing sequentially through Surat al-Baqara to the end of the Quran .
Reception and Legacy
al-Mabsut became a standard early reference for the codification of the ten readings and served as a direct source for subsequent authorities on Quranic variants and linguistics, including Ibn al-Jazari and al-Muntajab al-Hamadhani .
Manuscripts and Editions
Manuscripts of al-Mabsut survive in repositories such as the Zahiriyya Library in Damascus . The book was edited by Subay' Hamza Hakimi and published in a single volume by the Arab Academy of Damascus in 1981, and later reissued by Mu'assasat Ulum al-Qur'an .
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