Rasm al-Mushaf al-Uthmani wa Awham al-Mustashriqin fi Qiraat al-Quran al-Karim
- Author died
- 1422 AH
- Editions
- مكتبة وهبة
Rasm al-Mushaf al-Uthmani wa Awham al-Mustashriqin fi Qiraat al-Quran al-Karim (The Uthmanic Quranic Orthography and the Illusions of the Orientalists Concerning Quranic Readings) is a scholarly treatise in Quranic studies authored by Abd al-Fattah Ismail Shalabi (d. 1422 AH / 2001–2002 CE) . Completed in 1379 AH / 1960 CE, the work investigates the relationship between the orthography (rasm) of the Uthmanic codices and the variant Quranic readings (qiraat), specifically refuting orientalist claims that the readings were arbitrary vocalizations born out of ambiguities in early unpointed Arabic script .
Background and Motivation
The primary impetus for the treatise was Shalabi's critical engagement with the thesis advanced by the Hungarian orientalist Ignaz Goldziher in his work Die Richtungen der islamischen Koranauslegung (Madhahib al-Tafsir al-Islami) . Goldziher asserted that the absence of diacritical points and vowel markers in early Arabic orthography was the primary cause of reading variations, arguing that the variants arose as textual completions and conjectural readings rather than revealed revelation .
Shalabi recognized that this assertion fundamentally undermined the authoritative oral transmission (isnad) of the Quran and the authenticity of the readings as part of the revealed "seven modes" (al-ahruf al-sabah) . Approaching the problem through rigorous linguistic and Quranic analysis—informed by his prior academic research on phonetics (imâlah) and grammatical treatises—Shalabi completed the book on 21 Sha'ban 1379 AH / 18 February 1960 CE, noting that it was the first dedicated study written specifically to address this orientalist challenge .
Structure and Arguments
The book begins with an introduction outlining the meaning of Quranic orthography and tracing its historical development from the compilation initiated under Caliph Abu Bakr to the standardization of the codices (al-mushaf al-imam) under Caliph Uthman ibn Affan . Shalabi emphasizes that Quranic recitation is an established oral tradition followed by succession (sunnah muttabaah) rather than a product derived from written forms .
Key topics and sections of the book include:
- Linguistic and Recitation Analysis: Examining the stances of early grammarians and Quranic readers toward the orthography of the Mushaf, the rules governing reciters' selections (ikhtiyar), and demonstrating the absence of any dependency between phonetic phenomena like imâlah and orthographic representations .
- Appendices on al-Ibanah: The first three appendices draw upon Makki ibn Abi Talib's al-Ibanah an Maani al-Qiraat, highlighting classical explanations for the differences in readings and presenting practical examples from Surah al-Fatihah .
- Refutation of Doubts (Daf Shubuhat): The fourth appendix refutes claims regarding alleged grammatical solecisms (lahn) in the Quranic text, addressing problematic narrations attributed to Said ibn Jubayr and Caliph Uthman . Shalabi clarifies the classical linguistic meaning of lahn as referring to dialectal variant (lughah) or recitation mode, proving that these words align with the authentic rules of the Arabic language .
- Status of Uthmanic Orthography: The fifth appendix reviews the scholarly dispute over whether adhering to Uthmanic orthography is strictly obligatory or if modern conventional spelling rules may be used, concluding with the author's reasoned evaluation and samples of historical Quranic manuscripts .
Sources and Publication
In establishing his proofs, Shalabi drew upon early grammatical, exegetical, and orthographic authorities, including Sibawayh, al-Kisai, al-Farra, Abu Hatim al-Sijistani, Ibn Mujahid, Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari, al-Zajjaj, al-Zajjaji, al-Rummani, Abu Ali al-Farisi, Ibn Jinni, Makki ibn Abi Talib, Abu Amr al-Dani, al-Qastallani, and Ibn al-Jazari .
The book has been printed in several editions, including publications by Maktabat Wahba in Cairo and Dar al-Manarah in Jeddah .
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