Qur'anic orthography (rasm)

In Sheikh Omar Abdelkafy's lessons the Sheikh reflects on differences in how some words of the Qur'an are written, such as the dropped ya in «al-muhtadi» in Surat al-Isra and in «atumiddunani» in Surat al-Naml, and finds meaning in these differences ^{1 2}. He says the Qur'an is miraculous in its writing and even in its movement ².

The Sheikh points to a difference in how the word «al-muhtadi» is written in two places in the Qur'an: in Surat al-Isra it is written without the final ya, and in another sura (which the transcript attributes to Al Imran) it is written with a ya ¹.

He notes that the committee for correcting copies of the mushaf approved both spellings, and asks why the word is spelled differently in the two suras when the agent and the object are the same ³.

The Sheikh's view is that Surat al-Isra is also called the sura of the Children of Israel, and that the Children of Israel are short of breath in guidance, so the final ya is dropped in the spelling there (the Sheikh's view) ⁴.

He adds that the signs sent to them, such as locusts, lice and frogs, did not make their guidance last, so the guidance in Surat al-Isra concerns the Children of Israel, the name of the sura, and he compares this to a short breath in someone who reads two verses in a row and stops abruptly (the Sheikh's view) ⁵.

The Sheikh explains that the word «sahibahuma» (their companion) in the place where unrighteous parents order their righteous child to commit shirk is written with an alif, and he sees the alif here as a separator between the righteous child and his parents ⁶.

He contrasts the cave episode, saying that the word «sahibihi» describing Abu Bakr with the Prophet ﷺ is written without an alif and its letters are joined, which he takes as a sign of Abu Bakr's closeness to the Prophet's heart ⁷.

He says the word came with an alif where the Prophet tells Quraysh that their companion is not mad, and he sees in this a barrier between them and the Prophet ⁸.

He takes up the story of the owner of the two gardens, noting that the owner assumes the poor man shares his own way of thinking, so the word is written with its letters joined and no alif when he speaks to him ⁹.

He then says that when the believer answers his companion in the same verse the word comes with an alif, and explains this as no personal quarrel but a dividing line: you are an unbeliever who denies God's favour and I am a believer in it; he marvels at the Qur'an's precision ¹⁰.

He says Sulayman answered the gift of the Queen of Sheba in diplomatic language, calling what was sent to him a gift though he regarded it as a bribe, because diplomacy requires answering people in their own terms ¹¹.

He observes that the final ya of the word «atumiddunani» is dropped in its spelling in Surat al-Naml, and says the Qur'an is miraculous in eloquence, legislation, knowledge and writing, and even in movement ².

The Sheikh explains the dropped ya as hinting at haste in returning the gift and the bribe so that they went back quickly to their senders, leaving no room for reflection or for consulting ministers, and then he returns to Surat al-Nazi'at ¹².

He takes up how the word «tagha» is written in the command to Musa to go to Pharaoh, compares it with how it is written in the verse about the water's surge in the flood, and says it is written there with an alif ¹³.

The Sheikh's view is that the flood's tagha was a vertical rising from below to above and so was written with the extended alif, while Pharaoh's tyranny was horizontal on the earth, oppressing everyone, killing and crucifying, and so the spelling differs (the Sheikh's view) ¹⁴.