Qawaid al-Imla
- Author died
- 1408 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat al-Anjlu al-Misriyyah
Qawaid al-Imla (The Rules of Orthography) is a concise guide to standard Arabic spelling rules written by the Egyptian philologist and manuscript editor Abd al-Salam Harun (1327–1408 AH / 1909–1988 CE) .
Background and Purpose
Harun composed the book in response to the practical needs of writers and educators seeking an accessible manual that combines conciseness with comprehensiveness, clear methodology, and guidance on avoiding common pitfalls and orthographic ambiguities . In his introduction, he defends the traditional conventions of Arabic orthography (fann al-rasm), asserting that classical scholars established these rules upon coherent, stable principles designed to facilitate the writing of frequently used words, eliminate ambiguities between similar terms, and reflect underlying morphological structures .
Structure and Content
The handbook systematically breaks down key orthographical topics, pairing core rules with clarifying exceptions and examples:
- The Hamza (al-Hamza): Divided according to its position in words, covering initial hamzas (hamzat al-wasl and hamzat al-qat'), final hamzas (al-hamza al-mutatariffa), and medial hamzas (al-hamza al-mutawassita) written on an alif, waw, ya', or on the line (nabrah or isolated) depending on vocalization and surrounding phonetic environments .
- The Flexible Alif (al-Alif al-Layyinah): Discusses the spelling of the weak alif in medial positions—whether inherent or incidental—and final positions in nouns, verbs, and particles .
Throughout the work, Harun emphasizes practical clarity and illustrates rules with accessible and contemporary phrasing alongside classical linguistic references .
Reception and Editions
Qawaid al-Imla is widely regarded in Arabic pedagogical literature as a standard introductory reference on orthography, distinguished by its brevity, simplicity, and focus on resolving central orthographic difficulties . Later scholars of Islamic studies and Arabic language, such as Bakr Abu Zayd, have recommended it alongside classic works like Husayn Wali's Kitab al-Imla and Ahmad al-Hashimi's al-Mufrad al-Alam as an essential manual for correct writing .
The book has been printed in multiple editions by several publishers, including Maktabat al-Amal in Cairo (second edition, 1967), Maktabat al-Khanji (fourth edition, 1399 AH), and Maktabat al-Anglo al-Misriyya (1993) .
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