The ten qiraat: a map of the readings
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A qiraah is a complete, mass-transmitted way of reciting the Quran — precise down to every vowel length and every pause — carried from the Prophet ﷺ through named chains. Ten are canonical, each named for a master reciter of the first centuries and carried by two principal transmitters each. The criteria the scholars fixed: an unbroken authentic chain, agreement with the Uthmani script, and soundness in Arabic. A reading is not a style or an accent; it is a transmission that passed a three-part test.