Rasm al-Mushaf wa Dabtuhu bayn al-Tawqif wa al-Istilahat al-Haditha
- Author died
- 1443 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Salam li-l-Tiba'ah wa-l-Nashr
Rasm al-Mushaf wa Dabtuhu bayn al-Tawqif wa al-Istilahat al-Haditha (The Orthography of the Mushaf and Its Vocalization Between Divine Prescription and Modern Conventions) is a scholarly treatise on Quranic orthography and diacritical notation by the Egyptian scholar Sha'ban Muhammad Ismail (d. 1443 AH / 2022 CE) .
Subject and Core Themes
The work investigates the origins, nature, and legal status of Quranic orthography (rasm al-mushaf) and vocalization (dabt), focusing on whether the 'Uthmanic script (al-rasm al-'Uthmani) is divinely prescribed (tawqifi) and binding or merely conventional (istilahi), and whether it is permissible to write copies of the Quran according to modern standard Arabic spelling rules (al-qawa'id al-imla'iyya al-haditha) .
The author reviews three historical positions among scholars on the status of the script:
- The position of the majority of scholars across generations, who consider the 'Uthmanic script to be tawqifi, making any alteration or departure from it forbidden .
- The view held by scholars such as Abu Bakr al-Baqillani and Ibn Khaldun, that the script was conventional rather than divinely fixed, allowing adjustments in accordance with modern orthographic rules .
- A middle position permitting modern spelling for the general public while maintaining the 'Uthmanic script for scholars, associated with figures such as Izz al-Din ibn 'Abd al-Salam and Badr al-Din al-Zarkashi .
The study argues for the binding nature of the 'Uthmanic script, maintaining that substituting modern spelling for the traditional orthography is impermissible .
Structure and Contents
The book is structured into several interconnected historical and thematic discussions :
- Historical Background of Quranic Inscription: Examines early Arabic writing, the compilation of the Quran during the caliphate of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, and the preparation and dissemination of official codices under 'Uthman ibn 'Affan, including the relationship between the written text and the seven ahruf (modes of revelation) .
- Orthographic Phenomena (Zawahir al-Rasm): Analyzes the structural principles of 'Uthmanic orthography, categorizing them into omission (hadhf), addition (ziyadah), substitution (badal), separation and joining (fasl wa wasl), and the rendering of the hamza . It refutes claims that orthographic peculiarities were scribal errors and responds to orientalist critiques regarding Quranic readings .
- Evidential Analysis and Juridical Rulings: Presents the detailed arguments for each scholarly position regarding the script, incorporating the resolutions of contemporary Islamic juridical bodies that mandate adhering to the 'Uthmanic script, including the Islamic Research Academy at al-Azhar, the Council of Senior Scholars of Saudi Arabia, and the Islamic Fiqh Academy of the Muslim World League .
- Vocalization and Division (al-Dabt wa al-Tahzib): Traces the evolution of diacritical marks (naqt al-i'jam) and vowel notation (naqt al-i'rab), the division of the Mushaf into sections (ajza' and ahzab), the history of early printed editions, and modern conventions of vocalization .
Publication
The work was published in Cairo by Dar al-Salam for Printing and Publishing, appearing in multiple printings, including a first edition in 1419 AH and a subsequent second edition .
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