Qirāʾa 1 of the Ten

Asim al-Kufi

Asim ibn Abi al-Najud al-Kufi (died c. 127 AH / 745 CE), one of the Ten canonical reciters. He received the qirāʾa through Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami from Ali ibn Abi Talib, and through Zirr ibn Hubaysh from Ibn Masud. He was renowned for precise articulation and distinctive recitation.

Reciters

1089

History of This Qirāʾa

The qirāʾa of Asim belongs to the Kufan school of Quranic recitation and traces an authenticated chain back to the Prophet ﷺ through noble Companions. It is distinguished by a range of phonetic rulings including the madd extensions and the rulings on nūn and tanwīn, and spread widely across the Islamic world through the Hafs transmission.

Main Geographical Areas

The Hafs transmission of Asim's qirāʾa is recited today in the vast majority of Muslim-majority countries and is used in the printing of the Madinah Mushaf. The Shuʿba transmission also spread in certain historical regions.

Its Riwāyāt

Hafs An Asim

Narrator: Hafs an Asim

1054 reciters

Hafs ibn Sulayman al-Kufi (90–180 AH / 708–796 CE), the stepson of Asim al-Kufi and the most famous transmitter of his recitation. He learned directly from Asim and conveyed it with great precision. His transmission is the most widely used in the Muslim world today.