The vowel on the letter dal changes from a kasra to a fatha, shifting the word from an active participle (murdifīn: those who follow behind) to a passive participle (murdafīn: those who are made to follow / succeed one another).

The verb vowels change from Form II to Form I, shifting the subject of the action from God to the 'slumber' itself. Consequently, the word for slumber changes from an accusative object (ending in fatha) to a nominative subject (ending in damma).

Hafs uses the Form II verb with a shaddah, implying intensive or repetitive covering. The Variant uses the Form IV verb without a shaddah, indicating a single or standard act of covering.

Hafs reads the verb in Form II (yughashshīkumu, with a shadda), which implies intensity or covering tightly. The variant reading (by Nafi' and others) is Form IV (yughshīkumu, without a shadda), meaning simply to cover. Note: The provided Variant English happens to explicitly translate the intensive Hafs reading.

Changing the vowel on the hamza from a fatha (anna) to a kasra (inna) shifts the grammar from a subordinate clause ('that') to an independent emphatic clause ('indeed').

The verbal prefix changes from ya (third-person 'they') to ta (second-person 'you'), shifting the focus from the actions of the disbelievers to the actions of the believers.

The verb changes from the passive form 'turjaʿu' (are returned) in Hafs to the active form 'tarjiʿu' (return) in the variant, altering the vowels while keeping the consonantal skeleton identical.

The verb is read with the masculine third-person prefix (yā') in Hafs and the feminine third-person prefix (tā') in the Variant to grammatically agree with the feminine plural subject 'angels' (al-malā'ikah).

The verb changes from the 3rd person 'let them think' (starting with ya) to the 2nd person 'do you think' (starting with ta), shifting from a statement about the disbelievers to a direct address to the listener.

The variant reads the verb in Form II (with a shaddah and fat-hah on the ha'), which conveys an intensive meaning ('strongly terrify'), whereas Hafs reads it in Form IV with a sukoon.

A vowel change on the letter Dhad (from fatha to damma) shifts the interpretation from the abstract 'weakness' to referring to 'weak people'.