The punishment imposed on Ibn Shanabūdh has often been associated with the practice of qirāʾāt shādhdhah. However, the existence of such readings does not necessarily render them unworthy of scholarly investigation. The more important question is why a reading that possessed a transmission tradition became contested when it was openly practiced and taught. This study aims to analyze the factors underlying the punishment of Ibn Shanabūdh, the role of Ibn Mujāhid’s authority and Abbasid political power, and the boundary between qirāʾāt shādhdhah as an object of scholarly inquiry and as a practice of Qur’anic recitation. This study employs a qualitative method with a historical-critical approach, based on a literature review of classical sources on qirāʾāt, history, biography, and contemporary scholarship. The findings indicate that Ibn Shanabūdh’s punishment was not caused solely by his dissemination of qirāʾāt shādhdhah, but was related to his practice of reciting readings that diverged from the ʿUthmānic muṣḥaf, teaching and reciting them publicly, and maintaining these readings when they were challenged. The conflict subsequently developed into an institutional issue through the involvement of Ibn Mujāhid and Abbasid political authority. These findings underscore the importance of distinguishing qirāʾāt shādhdhah as a field of scholarly knowledge from their practice as Qur’anic recitations claimed to be legitimate in the public sphere.