How can one reconcile the claim that the ten Quranic readings were transmitted successively (mutawatir) from the Prophet, and the Companions' knowledge of the different huruf (modes of recitation), with what was narrated about the disagreement between the two Companions Ibn Abbas and Muawiyah —or Amr ibn al-Aas— concerning the recitation of the verse: "عَيْنٌ حامِيَةٌ" (a hot spring) or "عَيْنٌ حَمِئَةٌ" (a muddy spring), to the extent of referring the matter to Ka'b al-Ahbar for judgment? And how can one explain the difference in Hafs' and Shu'bah's narrations for the same reciter (Asim) regarding the recitation of this verse?

The concealment of some recitation variants from certain Companions does not undermine their authenticity. The widely accepted view among the majority of scholars is that the seven or ten Qur'anic recitations are transmitted in an uninterrupted, successive manner (mutawatir) from the Prophet, peace be upon him. The Qur'an and the recitations are two distinct realities; the Qur'an is the revealed word, while the recitations are the variations in its wording. The mutawatir nature of the Qur'an is a matter of consensus. As for the recitations, there is disagreement regarding their mutawatir nature, though the prevalent view is that they are mutawatir from the seven imams. However, their mutawatir transmission from the Prophet, peace be upon him, down to the seven imams is debatable. The differing views among reciters regarding some recitation variants poses no problem and can be understood as each reciter having taught a different variant to each narrator.