Question:
How would you explain to a person who has never heard of the science of the seven modes of recital in a way they understand?

Answer:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

English is spoken in many countries.  English is the official language in the United States, Great Britain, South Africa, Fiji, Jamaica, New Zealand and many other countries.  A word which is spelt the same way and written in the same manner will be pronounced differently by people dwelling in different areas.

For example, the word student is pronounced by some as ‘stewdent’ and by others as ‘stoodent’.  The word water is pronounced by some as ‘waughtah’, by others as ‘wearer’ and by others as ‘warter’.  Another famous example is the word vitamin.  Some people pronounce it as vyetamin.  Others pronounce it as vitamin and another group of people pronounce it as ‘vutamun’.

One language has the capacity to be pronounced in many ways.  A person’s geographical location and other factors affect his accent and thus his pronunciation.

The same understanding applies to Arabic language and thus the Qur῾ān.  The Arabs at the time of the Prophet salallahu alaihi wasallam and even today have different accents and dialects.  To accommodate all the Arabic accents and dialects, the facility of reciting in different methods keeping the same meaning was applied and taught.

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best