Safahat fi Ulum al-Qiraat
- Author died
- -
- Editions
- al-Maktabah al-Imdādīyah
Safahat fi Ulum al-Qiraat (صفحات في علوم القراءات, Pages on the Sciences of Quranic Readings) is an introductory textbook on the sciences of Quranic readings (qiraat) authored by the contemporary scholar Abd al-Qayyum Abd al-Ghafur al-Sindi .
Background and Purpose
When Umm al-Qura University in Mecca instituted the course "Introduction to the Science of Qiraat" for students in the College of Da'wah and Usul al-Din as well as departments within the College of Arabic Language, the teaching was assigned to the Department of Qiraat . Al-Sindi began teaching the course in the second semester of 1408 AH . Finding no single existing textbook that covered all topics prescribed by the university syllabus, he compiled, abridged, and arranged material from classical and contemporary sources, adding complementary topics for students of the discipline . Following repeated requests from his students, he prepared the material for publication under the title Safahat fi Ulum al-Qiraat, completing the work on Monday evening, 18 Rabi' al-Thani 1414 AH in Mecca . It was published by al-Maktaba al-Imdadiyya in 1415 AH .
Structure and Contents
The book is arranged into five main chapters (fusul), each subdivided into sections (mabahith) :
- Chapter One: Definition and History of Qiraat (تعريف القراءات وتأريخها): Covers linguistic and technical definitions of qiraat, technical terms, the relationship of qiraat to the Quran and the ahruf (seven modes), stages of historical development, and Ibn Mujahid's canonization of the seven readings . It outlines the pillars of sound recitation, lists the seven canonical reciters with their transmitters (ruwah) and transmission lines (turuq), and discusses anomalous readings (al-qiraat al-shadhdhah), their legal status, and their narrators . It also examines the hadith of the seven ahruf, the types and wisdoms behind variant readings, and rebuts Orientalist and critical doubts regarding the origins and transmission of qiraat .
- Chapter Two: The Uthmanic Orthography (رسم المصحف العثماني): Discusses the definition, rules, and benefits of the Uthmanic script (rasm), followed by the legal positions regarding strict adherence to the Uthmanic orthography .
- Chapter Three: Tartil and Its Two Pillars (الترتيل وبيان ركنيه): Explores the concept, rulings, and ranks of tartil (measured recitation) . It analyzes its first pillar, tajwid (including its origins, phonetics, rules of lahn, points of articulation [makharij], and phonetic characteristics [sifat]), and its second pillar, waqf (endings and pausing, symbols, differences between waqf, sakt, and qat'), alongside literature on the subject .
- Chapter Four: Justification of the Readings (توجيه القراءات / علم الاحتجاج): Details the science of ihtijaj (grammatical and linguistic argumentation for readings), its historical evolution, authored treatises, and its applications across isnad (chains of transmission), Arabic grammar, usul (systemic reading rules), and farsh (individual word variants) .
- Chapter Five: Biographies of the Reciters (تراجم القراء): Contains biographical notices for the ten canonical reciters (Nafi', Ibn Kathir al-Makki, Abu 'Amr ibn al-'Ala, Ibn 'Amir al-Dimashqi, 'Asim ibn Abi al-Najud, Hamza al-Zayyat, al-Kisa'i, Abu Ja'far, Ya'qub al-Hadrami, and Khalaf al-Bazzar), the four anomalous reciters (Ibn Muhaysin, Yahya al-Yazidi, al-Hasan al-Basri, and Sulayman al-A'mash), and prominent scholars in the literature of qiraat, including Ibn Mujahid, Makki ibn Abi Talib, Abu 'Amr al-Dani, al-Shatibi, Ibn al-Jazari, al-Qastallani, and al-Banna al-Dumyati .
The book concludes with a list of cited references and a detailed table of contents .
Answer updated