Question:
Do you mind giving an explanation about the different readings in Quran 5:6 for wiping or washing the feet?
Answer:
Wa ‘alaykum assalam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.
I pray you are well.
The more commonly recited qira’a is understood by all to mean washing your face, arms, and feet and to wiping your head. There is another qira’a which some have understood to mean that one should wipe the head and the feet.
This came from the vowel on the word for feet being the same as the word for heads. The majority of scholars did not take this interpretation, and they said the ruling given by both readings is the same. The great mufassir (exegete) Zamakhshari explained the difference as being a way to highlight that one should not waste water in wudu. [Zamakhshari, al-Kashaf]
Please refer to our course “The Wisest Laws,” where the verse is discussed in detail.
https://seekersguidance.org/quran-studies-stream/#
May Allah bless you with the best of both worlds.
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani