Grammatical Interpretation of Maymūnah Al-Madanīyahs Narrations of Qur'anic Readings

Authors

  • Yousuf Abdallah Aljawarneh

    Department of Arabic Language, Faculty of Arts, Yarmouk University, Irbid 21163, Jordan

  • Mahmoud Salem Khresat

    Department of Arabic Language, Faculty of Arts, Yarmouk University, Irbid 21163, Jordan

  • Ibtisam Hussein Mohammad

    Department of Arabic Language, Faculty of Arts, Yarmouk University, Irbid 21163, Jordan

  • Ghadeer Ali Alrafayah

    Language Center, Yarmouk University, Irbid 21163, Jordan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i12.12234
Received: 25 September 2025 | Revised: 27 October 2025 | Accepted: 4 November 2025 | Published Online: 17 November 2025

Abstract

This research sought to catalog the Qurʾānic narrations attributed to Maymūnah AlMadanīyah, specifically those whose chains of transmission trace back to Abū Jaʿfar al-Madanī, one of the ten recognized canonical readers. In addition to documenting these narrations, the study examined their primary sources and explored their linguistic orientation at both the sentence and structural levels, aiming to shed light on Maymūnah's role as both a narrator of Qurʾānic readings and a reciter of the Qurʾān. To achieve these objectives, the study employed a combination of statistical and descriptive-analytical methodologies. Fifty-eight narrations were cataloged across all levels of linguistic analysis, with fifteen selected as a focused sample for an in-depth examination of their grammatical features. The analysis revealed that Maymūnah's narrations exhibit linguistic characteristics that can be interpreted in accordance with classical Arabic grammatical conventions, including case endings, interpretive nuances, elision, as well as rules governing pause and continuation, among other features. The findings suggest that the readings under consideration do not constitute a singular, distinctive model within Maymūnah AlMadanīyah's broader engagement with Qurʾānic readings. Nonetheless, her close relationship with her father, coupled with her continued interaction with both him and, later, her husband, appears to have influenced her engagement with these narrations. Consequently, certain narrations aligned closely with her father’s readings, while others diverged; in both cases, the narrations were transmitted through AlHudhali, who meticulously recorded and preserved them in his book Al-Kāmil fī al-Qirāʾāt al-Khamsīn.

Highlights

  • Maymūnah's narrations reveal the diversity of Qurʾānic reading traditions.
  • Her narrations offer precise grammatical guidance, integrating syntax and meaning.
  • They confirm women's active role in preserving and transmitting Qurʾānic readings.

Keywords:

Maymūnah; Qur' anic Readings; Syntax; Grammatical Analysis

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How to Cite

Aljawarneh, Y. A., Khresat, M. S., Mohammad, I. H., & Alrafayah, G. A. (2025). Grammatical Interpretation of Maymūnah Al-Madanīyahs Narrations of Qur’anic Readings. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(12), 1171–1184. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i12.12234