Lataif al-Isharat li Funun al-Qiraat
- Author died
- 923 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat Awlād al-Shaykh lil-Turāth
Lataif al-Isharat li Funun al-Qiraat (لطائف الإشارات لفنون القراءات, Subtleties of Indications for the Arts of Variant Readings) is an encyclopedic work on the fourteen Quranic readings composed by the Egyptian Shafi'i scholar Shihab al-Din al-Qastallani (851–923 AH / 1448–1517 CE; another report gives his death in 932 AH) . It incorporates the ten canonical readings alongside the four anomalous (shadhdh) readings, functioning as an expansive treatise and commentary on Ibn al-Jazari's al-Nashr fi al-Qira'at al-'Ashr .
Composition and Authorship
Al-Qastallani noted in his preface that the science of Quranic readings was the earliest discipline he undertook prior to reaching puberty, describing it as an enduring companion . He composed the book to synthesize the scattered aspects of the discipline, comprehensively laying out the transmission paths (turuq), narrations (riwayat), and grammatical justifications (i'rab) of the variant readings .
The attribution of the work to al-Qastallani is attested across biographical dictionaries and cross-references in his other writings . He cited Lataif al-Isharat in his work al-Fath al-Mawahibi, while referencing several of his other compositions within Lataif al-Isharat, including al-Mawahib al-Ladunniyyah, his supercommentary on al-Shifa, and al-Kanz fi Waqf Hamzah wa-Hisham .
Structure and Method
The work encompasses the full scope of reading-related Quranic disciplines and is arranged into three overarching divisions :
- Introductory Quranic Sciences: A comprehensive preliminary section addressing the definition and virtues of the Quran, the proper etiquette of learning and teaching it, and the transmission chains (asanid) and source texts documented in al-Nashr (with minor adjustments) . It includes dedicated chapters on tajwid (proper recitation), pausing and starting (al-waqf wa-al-ibtida'), 'Uthmanic orthography (rasm al-khatt), and verse numbering ('add al-ay) .
- General Principles (Usul): Chapters systematically organizing and clarifying the overarching rules and phonetic principles of the readers according to a distinct rubric while adhering closely to the text of al-Nashr .
- Individual Variations (Farsh al-Huruf): A verse-by-verse survey arranged in the order of the Quran's surahs, detailing specific variant pronunciations, grammatical justifications, orthographic notes, verse division, and pause points .
Alongside the ten canonical readings, al-Qastallani incorporated the four non-canonical readings attributed to al-Hasan al-Basri, Ibn Muhaysin, al-A'mash, and al-Yazidi .
Reception and Editions
The book served as the primary model and foundation for Ahmad al-Banna al-Dimyati (d. 1117 AH), who followed al-Qastallani's methodology, corrected certain points, and abridged the material in his treatise Ithaf Fudala' al-Bashar bi al-Qira'at al-Arba'ah 'Ashar (also titled Muntaha al-Amani wa-al-Masarrat fi 'Ulum al-Qira'at) .
The first volume of Lataif al-Isharat was edited by 'Amir al-Sayyid 'Uthman and 'Abd al-Sabur Shahin and published in Cairo in 1392 AH; following 'Amir's death, Shahin continued the editing process to complete the remainder of the work .
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