contradict those [traditions] that are proven sound. It is for this reason that it is not important to discuss the chains of transmission of these reports, for [contradicting the sayings of the Imams] is the first thing that makes a tradition fall short of being reliable and authoritative [evidence in deriving legal decisions on its basis]. Add to this the disagreement and inconsistency among them, and the incongruity in some of them between the questions and the answers.

The Incoherence of the Traditions

Among the inconsistencies is that some of the traditions indicate that Gabriel taught the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) one J:tarf of reading, and that the Prophet asked him to increase the J:tarfs, and the angel did so, till the number of the J:tarfs reached seven. This indicates that the increase was gradual. But in some tradi‌ tions, the increase occurs all at once in the third instance; in others, God commanded the Prophet in the third instance to recite in three J:tarfs, and the command to recite it in seven /:tarfs was in the fourth instance.
Among the contradictions is that some traditions indicate that all the increases [to seven J:tarfs] were made in one instance, and that the Prophets request for the in‌ crease was on Michaels advice. Thus, Gabriel increased it until the number reached seven. Other traditions indicate that Gabriel left and returned each time [to receive Gods response to the Prophets request].
Another inconsistency is that some traditions narrate that Ubayy entered the
mosque and saw a person reciting [in a version] contrary to his reading. In other narratives, he was in the mosque when two persons entered and recited the Quran [in a version] contrary to his reading. There is contradiction as well in what the Prophet said to Ubayy, and so on.
An example of the incongruity between the questions and the answers occurs in
the tradition [related] by Ibn Masad, where Ali (peace be upon him) reportedly said, "The Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his progeny) commands you to recite the way you were taught." This response has no connection with the subject of the argument regarding the dispute over the number of verses. In addition to all that, the tradition does not refer to the seven J:tarfs in any rational sense, nor does it afford the observer any accurate understanding of the expression "seven J:tarfs."

The Interpretations of the Seven Harfs

A number of interpretations have been given to explain the revelation of the Quran in seven /:tarfs. We will refer to the important ones, discuss them, and demonstrate their incorrectness.

The Approximation Interpretation

[First], the expression "seven J:tarfs" refers to different words that are close in mean‌
ing, such asajjil, asri ,and is a (all meaning "move quickly"). These J:tarfs remained