al-Imla wa al-Tarqim fi al-Kitaba al-Arabiya
- Author died
- 1396 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat Gharib
al-Imla wa al-Tarqim fi al-Kitaba al-Arabiya (Orthography and Punctuation in Arabic Writing) is an educational treatise on Arabic spelling rules and punctuation marks by the Egyptian educator Abd al-Alim Ibrahim (d. after 1396 AH / 1976 CE) .
Purpose and Approach
The author composed the work to provide a clear and accessible guide to correct Arabic orthography for students, teachers, and professionals . In his introduction, Abd al-Alim Ibrahim argues that Arabic orthography is consistent, well-regulated, and characterized by few irregularities compared to many other languages, rejecting claims of its undue complexity . Recognizing that earlier scholarly disagreements over particular spelling conventions could cause confusion, he avoided contentious points by adhering to the simplest and most widespread standard forms .
A central aim of the book was to integrate orthographic subject matter with pedagogical methodology (al-madda wa-l-tariqa), equipping educators with practical teaching techniques alongside theoretical rules . In articulating his method, the author emphasized four foundational principles: aligning orthography with actual pronunciation as closely as possible, preserving compatibility with printed classical heritage, minimizing exceptions, and systematically connecting spelling rules to Arabic grammar and morphology .
Contents and Structure
The book is arranged into thematic sections (abwab) covering pedagogy, spelling rules, and punctuation:
- Orthography in Education (al-Imla fi al-majal al-tarbawi): Explores the linguistic, educational, and aesthetic objectives of spelling instruction, the cognitive and physical faculties involved (hand, eye, ear), classifications of dictation (transcribed / manqul, observed / manzur, auditory / istima'i, and test / ikhtibari), individual remedial techniques, common causes of spelling mistakes, and correction methods .
- The Hamza (al-Hamza): Discusses the initial hamza (both hamzat al-wasl and hamzat al-qat'), the medial hamza (al-mutawassita), and the terminal hamza (al-mutatariffa), highlighting the phonological distinction between the hamza and the soft alif (al-alif al-layyina) .
- The Soft Alif (al-Alif al-layyina): Details the spelling of medial and final soft alif in nouns, verbs, and particles .
- Letters Omitted in Writing (al-Huruf al-llati tuhdhaf min al-kitaba): Outlines contexts in which letters such as alif (including in ibn and ibna), lam, nun, and weak letters are dropped in script .
- Connected and Separated Words (Ma yusal bi-ghayrih wa-ma yufsal): Expounds the rules governing word junction and disjunction based on the general syntactic principle of what can or cannot begin or end an utterance .
- Punctuation Marks (Alamat al-tarqim): Explains modern Arabic punctuation signs (such as the period, comma, semicolon, question mark, and brackets), defining their roles in marking pauses, clarifying sentence structure, and conveying tonal or emotional context .
Reception and Publication
The work was issued in Cairo by Maktabat Gharib (and Dar Gharib), with editions published in 1975 CE and 1980 CE . Scholars of Arabic writing, such as Muhammad Salih al-Shanti, noted the work for its pedagogical clarity, structured presentation, and selection of examples .
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