- الرحلة العلمية في خطاب علماء القراءات - قراءة أدبية في أسفار ابن الجزري

Scholarly Travel in the Discourse of Qurʾānic Readings Scholars: A Literary Analysis of Ibn al-Jazarī’s Travel Writings

Abstract

This study examines and analyses a central dimension in the development of Islamic sciences, namely, the role of scholarly journeys (riḥlāt ʿilmiyya) in the emergence, consolidation, and dissemination of the science of Qurʾānic readings (ʿilm al-qirāʾāt). It adopts Imām Ibn al-Jazarī (d. 833 AH) as a representative case through which this scientific and pedagogical phenomenon is clearly manifested. The study proceeds from the premise that scholarly travel occupied a foundational position in Islamic intellectual culture, serving as a primary means for acquiring knowledge, verifying transmission, and ensuring methodological rigour. This practice was not confined to ḥadīth scholars but extended to all disciplines, including Qurʾānic readings, where travel became a criterion of scholarly authority, perseverance, and precision in transmission. The core of the study focuses on the chronological stages of Ibn al-Jazarī’s life, which are divided into five distinct periods to facilitate a clearer understanding of his biography and extensive travels. Each phase is examined in terms of its major stations, circumstances, and decisive moments. Drawing primarily on Ibn al-Jazarī’s own works—Ghāyat al-Nihāya fī Ṭabaqāt al-Qurrāʾ and Jāmiʿ al-Asānīd—the study demonstrates that his journeys constituted a comprehensive scholarly project that contributed significantly to the codification of Qurʾānic readings, the authentication of transmission chains, and the expansion of scholarly networks across the Islamic world. The article concludes that Ibn al-Jazarī’s experience represents a paradigmatic model of scholarly travel as an essential mechanism for preserving the integrity of Qurʾānic transmission.

Corresponding Author:

dzevad6@hotmail.com   

Conflict of Interest:

The author(s) declare that there are no competing or potential conflicts of interest regarding the research, authorship, and publication of this article.

Participant Consent:

Not applicable. This study does not involve human participants.

Funding:

This research did not receive any specific grant from public, commercial, or non-profit funding agencies.

Data Fabrication/Falsification Statement:

The author(s) declare that no data have been fabricated, falsified, or manipulated in this study.

Copyright:

Copyright (c) 2026 Dr Jawad Khalil Gholosh