THE ROLE OF DIFFERENCES IN QIRA’ATS ON THE CHANGE OF MEANING IN SURAH AL-KAHF

The knowledge of reciting the Qur'an deals with the ways of reciting and pronouncing the words of the Qur'an. Differences in recitation due to the differences in these methods can play an important role in understanding the words and verses of the Holy Quran. The role of “ikhtilafu’l Qiraat” [differences among recitations] can be examined from different aspects. This article intends to investigate the role of structural and conceptual differences in the meaning of the verses of one of the chapters of the Holy Quran based on data collection and descriptive-analytical method. Therefore, it has benefited.from the two commentaries of Al-Kashaf (by Zamakhshari) and Al-Tahrir and Al-Tanwir (by Ibn Ash'ur) as two famous Sunni commentaries and the commentary of Majma 'al-Bayan (by Tabarsi) and Tebyan (by Tusi) as two famous Shiite commentaries that pay special attention to the meaning of verses. Surah Al-Kahf is a suitable example for the mentioned subject due to having a suitable volume of differences in readings. From the point of view of these commentators, among the 110 verses of Surah Al-Kahf, in 44 verses, there is a difference in recitation. The differences were observed that in 21 verses, are limited to the utterance of words and cases of Sajavandi that have no semantic effect, and in 23 verses, the difference in reading leads to a slight semantic change that can be ignored and it is not considered evidence of the distortion of this divine book.