How to compare Qur’an passages in Q19
Read two passages side by side, distinguish exact words from shared roots, and examine each occurrence in context.
- Open two passages
Keep both texts visible as you explore.
- Choose a match
Examine exact words or shared roots.
- Read in context
Compare the wording and the surrounding verses.
- Keep a finding
Save the reference and your open question.
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Start with a specific question
Choose something to examine: does a particular word recur? Does the verb change form? Do shared words appear in different constructions? A specific question makes the comparison more useful than a similarity score alone.
You can start with Al-Baqarah 3 and Ibrahim 31. They contain two forms from the root «ن ف ق»: «ينفقون» and «ينفقوا».
Open the verses together
In the Reader, open Connections and choose Open beside for a linked verse. The first verse stays visible while the second appears alongside it, with shared words highlighted. You can swap their positions or make the second verse your main reading position.
To choose two passages yourself or compare several verses, open Compare passages. Enter each passage reference and run the comparison.
Choose the appropriate comparison
| View | What it helps you see |
|---|---|
| Exact words | Identical written word forms in the two passages. |
| Shared roots | Words belonging to one root, even when their forms differ. |
In this example, the difference between «ينفقون» and «ينفقوا» matters. Do not expect Exact words to treat them as an identical word. Use Shared roots to examine their connection.
Highlighting locates the words identified by your selected comparison. A lack of highlighting does not establish that two verses have no connection in meaning.
Read the differences as well as the similarities
Read each complete verse, then compare who is addressed, the verb form and the surrounding qualifications. Open the text in Read when you need the preceding or following verses.
A shared root or similarity score is a starting point for examination, not a final judgment about meaning. QI may offer a proposed reading; distinguish it from the Qur’anic wording it discusses.
Keep the question with the finding
Save the comparison or collect the two verses. Add a short note about what is similar, what differs and what needs wider reading. If you share a comparison link, another reader can open the same passages after signing in.
Open the side-by-side example · Learn to follow a word and its root
Details about indexes, comparison methods and review are available in How Q19 works.