Abu'l-Abbas al-Mehdevi in terms of its place and importance in the history of 'lim al-Qirâ'ah

Abu'l-Abbas Ahmed b. Ammar el-Mehdevi, who lived in Kairouan and Andalusia, two of the classic centers of Islamic sciences in the second half of the fourth century of the Hijra and the first quarter of the fifth century, is one of the important scholars who left their mark on the history of tafsir and recitation with his works. It is remarkable that the time period and geography in question were especially distinguished by scholars who were well-trained in the field of recitation. Among these scholars, Mahdawi's contemporary and friend Mekki ibn Abi Talib (d. 437/1045) and Abu Amr al-Dani (d. 444/1053), as well as Abu'l-Hasan al-Kabisi (d. 403/1012), Muhammad ibn Sufyan (d. 415/1024), who also taught these important names, stand out. The recitators in question left behind excellent works that influenced the literature of the field in question and served as a source for subsequent periods. Here, Mehdevi, who makes a name for himself by criticizing Ibn Mujahid's seven-fold classification, offers his viewpoint on basic issues like the "seven letters", "seven recitations", "resmü'l-mushaf", "classification and being Quranic of recitations", which never lose their actuality, as well as minor issues like "vaqf-ibtidâ", "mehâric-i hurûf", "sıfât-ı hurûf", and "addü'l-ây", which have always been included in the literature. This viewpoint merits further investigation because Dani has authored works that essentially refute Mehdevi's assertions regarding some recitation-related topics. The fundamental boundaries of this research will be established by evaluating Mehdevi's opinions on the subjects raised and his method of recitation in light of his writings on both interpretation and recitation. On the basis of this framework, an attempt will be made to shed light on the important role the author performed in bridging the gap between earlier and later literature. Furthermore, when necessary, the areas of emphasis, methodology, and style of the works of eminent recitation scholars from the same time and region, Mekki and Dani, will be examined in the context of a comparative basis, with an emphasis on the significance of Mehdevi's writings for both his own and later periods.