ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights the flexibility that existed in reading the Qurʾānic text in more than one way in the earliest period of Islam. It suggests that, if this flexibility was provided for reading the sacred text itself, perhaps this should be taken as an indication of some support for flexibility in interpreting the Qurʾān, particularly its ethico-legal content. While many Muslims may consider that such flexibility as provided by the Prophet in the recitation of the Qurʾān has no bearing on the question of interpretation, it is useful to reflect on this flexibility to accommodate the needs of the Prophet’s contemporaries with reference to their dialectical variations. In this, perhaps there is a lesson for us when we are approaching the issue of interpretation.
