Abu Ruwaym Ibn ʽAbd ar-Rahman Ibn Abi Naʽim al-Laythi (Arabic: أبو رويم بن عبدالرحمن بن أبي النعيم الليثي)(70-169AH), better known as Nafiʽ al-Madani, was one of the transmitters of the seven canonical Qira'at,[1] or methods of reciting the Qur'an.
[2] Outside of Egypt, his method of Qur'an recitation is the most popular in Africa in general,[3] and his chain of narration returning to the companions of the Islamic prophet Muhammad is well-attested.
[4] His method of recitation via his two most famous students, Qalun and Warsh, is the most common Quran reading mode in North Africa, West Africa and Qatar.
He had a total of four canonical transmitters of his recitation; in addition to Qalun and Warsh, he also transmitted his reading to Isma'il bin Ja'far al-Ansari and Ishaq bin Muhammad al-Musayyabi.
[7] Nafi's style of reading became so popular that it eventually eclipsed that of his teachers in Medina.