A Brief Summary of the Recording of the Qur’aan in Writing and the Script Styles

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

The Qur'aan was revealed orally to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم who in turn related it orally to the Companions. A few of them were appointed as official scribes to write down the revelation whenever it occured so as to preserve Allaah's Uncreated Speech. The scribes wrote down the Qu'raan with the spelling conventions used at that time.

The Companions were extremely careful not to change or distort anything from Allaah's Speech. They were even reluctant to add the dots and vowels but due to the needs of the new non Arab Muslims and the mistakes that were being made they were added to the script.

Ibn Mas’ood said, “Keep the Qur’aan separate and do not mix anything with it.” Al Itqaan. P367

Nawawee said, “The dots and vowels in the mushaf are recommended because they protect it from mistakes and misinterpretations.” Al Itqaan. P368

{إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ} [الحجر : 9] 

Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian. [Hijr: 9]

Writing conventions passed through different stages from that time until now due to the needs of the growing Muslim population that included non Arabs.

1.       The basic shape of the letters without dots or vowels.

2.      The basic shape of the letters with vowels

Alee رضي الله عنه the fourth Khaleefah asked Abu al Aswad ad Du’alee d. 69AH, a taabi’ee, to add the vowels to protect the Qur’aan from being misread. He added a dot above for a fathah and a dot below the letter for a kasra and a dot to the left of the letter for a dhammah. The vowel system that we know today was then developed after that by Khaleel bin Ahmad (d. 170 AH). He was the teacher of the famous grammarian Seebawayh.

3.     The basic shape of the letters with vowels and dots.

Dots were added Officially by Abu al Aswad’s students to distinguish the letters from each other.

So while the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was still alive the Qur'aan had been memorized by many Companions and the whole of it had been written down on different pieces of writing materials. 

Then whilst the Companions were still alive the Qur’aan had dots and vowels added and they were all agreed upon that. The dots were marked in black and the vowels in red to separate out the additions from the original text. Hamzahs were also added sometime before 100AH.

The Mushaf was unified and standardised at the time of the Khalifa Uthmaan رضي الله عنه and since that time scholars have ruled that the Qur'aan can only be written according to the spelling conventions used at his time with the original standardised masaahif.

Some people mistakenly say and translate 'Rasm al 'Uthmaanee' as 'Uthmanic Script'. Script mostly describes the font and style of the writing (which is permissible to change). However what is really meant by 'rasm' is the spelling conventions used at that time such as not including the long alif vowel or writing the taa marbootah as a taa maftoohah etc.

Fonts and Script styles in English do not change the spelling system, just the aesthetic appearance.
For example:
 

Times Roman

Arial

Monotype Corsiva

Try reading the following sentence:

“Rd ths wtht vwls r dts”

‘Read this without vowels or dots’

It is possible if you are a native of the language for your brain to fill in the gaps.

Dots are very important though as they can change the letter and meaning completely.

A stick on its own could be a ta/ba/noon/tha or ya! 
(the Arabic letters below do not form a word, they only illustrate a point)

 تبنثيا
ت ب ن ث ي ا

Spelling System Used in the Qur’aan

There is a difference between the modern day spelling  of Arabic and the Uthmaanee Arabic spelling which even native Arabic speakers need to be aware of. The Uthmaanee spelling in the Qur'aan differs in a few areas such as added alifs, waw, yaa, open taa and the placement of the hamzahs.

A few examples are:

	Uthmaanee Spelling in the Qur’aan	Modern Standard Arabic Spelling	The difference
1	القرءان	القرآن	Hamzah
2	الكتب	الكتاب	Alif taken away
3	اليل	الليل	Laam taken away
4	رحمت	رحمة	Open taa
5	الحيوة	الحياة	Added waw
6	لشاىء	لشيء	Added alif
7	يئادم	ياآدم	Added hamzah
8	نعمت	نعمة	Open taa
9	الصلوة	الصلاة	Waw added
10	وءاتوا	وآتوا	Hamzah added
11	بأييدٍ	بأيدٍ	Yaa added
12	مؤمنت	مؤمنات	Alif taken away
13	الإنسن	الإنسان	Alif taken away

The scholars have said that it is not allowed to write the Qur'aan in other than the Uthmaanee spelling system so as to preserve the Qur'aan. Otherwise each generation would change the spellings according to the latest spelling systems and the Qur'aan would be open to mistakes.

Here are a few more examples given in the Nooraaniyyah Qaa'idah:

Examples of a few Arabic script styles:

Here are some pictures taken at the Qur'aan Exhibition in Madeenah of a few of the scripts used to write the Mushaf:

Hijaazi (first script style used)

Kufi (used in first century by calligrapher Khaalid bin Abee Hayyaaj on orders from the 6^th Umayyad Khaleefah al Waleed bin ‘Abdul Malik who ruled around 86-96AH)

Thuluth Muhaqqaq

Maghribi

Andalusi

Naskh (Used today in the Arab World but first introduced around 4^th Century Hijree. Calligrapher: Ibn Muqlah)

Nasta'leeq (Used today in the Asian Subcontinent but first introduced around the 7^th Century Hijree. Calligrapher: ‘Aamir ‘Alee Tabreezee from Persia)

Thuluth al Muhaqaq Script

 

Thuluth

Maghribi Script

Maghribi Script

Maghribi script on deer skin (nearly a thousand years old سبحان الله )

Andalusi Script on Deer skin

Andalusi Script

Nasta'leeq Script 1852CE/1268AH

Naskh Script

The Differences between the Madeenah Mushaf today and the Indo-Pak Majeedi Mushaf used in India and Pakistan.

Both produce the same results in terms of final pronunciation. However, each one uses a different system.

Both of the above masaahif are printed by the King Fahd Qur'aan Printing Complex in Madeenah Saudi Arabia.

A few examples of differences:

NB. Due to not having access to all the specific typesetting fonts of the two masaahif some of the symbols and vowels do not appear exactly as they do in the Mushaf. Please check the mushaf for the exact representation. This is just a rough guide.

If in doubt about how to pronounce anything listen to a skilled reciter and imitate them.
You can download a programme called Ayat onto your desktop, mobile or ipad.
Click here to go to the page.

	Madeenah  Mushaf Saudi Arabia Naskh Font Uthmaanee Spelling system	Majeedi Mushaf Indo Pak Subcontinent Nasta’leeq Font Uthmaanee Spelling system
1	Always writes hamzatul qat’ or wasl ﭐ ﺄ ﺇ ﺅ ﺉ ﺋ  ﺀ  ﻷ ﻹ	Does not use hamzatul qat' or hamzatul wasl.
2	The long vowel 'a' is sometimes not written and must be learned. The eg. Below is the closest I could find..but the head of the hamzah should be in between the laam and the alif and not on the alif. ﻷ ال أاصال = الأصال	A dagger alif or maddah sign is used الآصال
3	The lengthened hamzah is separate ء + ا القرءان ءامنوا ءاية	The lengthened hamzah is written with an alif with a maddah sign above it  آ  القرآن آمنوا آية
4	Silent letters carry a small circle أناْ  كفرواْ  أوْلئك	No sign on the silent letters…they must be learned انا  كفروا  اولءك
5	Long vowels are written without sukoon قالوا     قيل     قولوا	Long vowels have the sukoon written on them (due to fonts available they appear next to letter which is not correct) قاۡلوا     قيۡل     قوۡلوا
6	Small waw is placed after a word to indicate that it is lengthened ما له ۥ إنه ۥ	A backwards dammah is used to indicate lengthened vowel ما لهٗ انهٗ
7	Small ya is placed after a word to indicate that it is lengthened به ۦ ءايته ۦ إ  ۦلفهم	A vertical straight line under the long vowel is used بهٖ ءايتهٖ اٖ لفهم
8	Staggered tanween to indicate idghaam or ikhfaa tajweed rule	No difference made.
9	Idghaam of noon saakinah with wa or ya have no shaddah من وال	There is a shaddah placed on the wa and ya من وَّال
10	The second dhammah of tanween is removed and replaced by the letter ba صمُّۭ بكم	No difference made صمٌ بكم
11	No sign for the coming together of two vowelless letters. It has to be learned نوحٌ ﭐبنه	Noon qutni – a small letter noon is added to show how to read two vowelless letters نوحُ نِ ابنه

Comparison of the Appearance and Extras

	Madeenah  Mushaf	Majeedi Mushaf
1	Page numbers are centre bottom of the page	Page numbers are centre top of page
2	Al juz al awwal = 1st juz  right top	Name of the juz right top – الم ۱
3	Surah name only top left سورة البقرة	البقرة ۲ Top left surah name and number
4	Ayaah numbering and all page numbers etc are Arabic ٠١٢٣٤٥٦٧٨٩	Ayaah numbering and all page numbers etc are hindi/farsi (Number 7 should be on its side). ۰۱۲۳۴۵۶۷۸۹
5	Divided into 30 juz and 60 hizb each of which are further divided into quarters. Numbering appear in a decorated sign in the margin.	Divided into 30 juz written without a decorated symbol in margin. Divided into 7 manzil marked at the centre bottom of the page
6		Divided into ‘ruku’ paragraphs. Indicated by a large ع in the margin with numers on top (number of the ruku in that surah) and underneath (number of the ruku in the juz) and in the middle (number of aayaat in the ruku).
7	Sajdah is indicated by overlining and a small symbol at end of aayah and a decorated symbol in the margin.	Sajdah indicated in the margin without a symbol.

A Comparison of the Stopping Signs

		Madeenah  Mushaf	Majeedi Mushaf
1	ۘ	Must stop otherwise it will change the meaning	وقف لازم Must stop otherwise it will change the meaning
2	ج	Permissible to stop	Permissible to stop
3	ۖ	Permissible to stop but better to continue	Permissible to stop but better to continue
4	ۗ	Permissible to stop and better to stop	Permissible to stop and better to stop
5	ۛۛ	Either stop at the first set of dots or the second but not at both	مع معانقةEither stop at the first set of dots or the second but not at both
6	ط	-------	Stop because it is at the end of a thought or sentence
7	ز	-------	وقف مجوَّز no stop preferred
8	ص	-------	وقف المرخَّصPermissible to stop but go back to start
9	ق	-------	قد قيل it has been said to stop
10	صل	-------
11	قف	-------	Pause
12	س	Pause without taking breath	Pause without taking breath
13	وقفة	-------	Longer pause without taking a breath
14	لا	Do not stop	Do not stop
15	ك	-------	كذلك as before – see previous sign
16	وقف جبريل	-------	Where Jibreel stopped
17	وقف النبي	-------	Where the Prophet صلى عليه وسلم stopped
18	وقف غفران	-------	Stop of forgiveness

Some people say that the Indo-Pak Mushaf is easier for beginners as the script is bigger and in bold with more vowels added to ease pronunciation. However, personally speaking, whichever one you become used to and learn with a skilled teacher it should not make a difference. If the size of the script is an issue then the Madeenah Mushaf comes in A4 and even bigger.

One important point to note though is that if you start learning from the Madeenah Mushaf you have the advantage of easing the next step into the Arabic language as the hamzah's will be more apparent to you and the naskh script will help you to read Modern Arabic faster by Allaah's Permission. Allaahu alam.