Page 159 - History of The Quranic Text | Kalamullah.Com

ARABIC PALAEOGRAPHY AND ORTHOGRAPHY IN THE QUR'AN 139

the same skeletal shape: n (0), kh (d, dhH, shC;), z (j),ya (,-?), b (y), th
(.;.,),j(J) and t (.;,.,). A total of ten characters. Concentrating on only the
first three inscriptions, which predate 'Uthman's Mushaf, we find that dots
were standardised into the same pattern that is in usage today.
Muhammad bin 'Ubaid bin Aus al-Gassani, Mu'awiya's secretary, states
that Mu'awiya asked him to carry out some tarqisli (J-Jj) on a particular
document. Inquiring what was meant by tarqish, he was told, "To give
every character its due dots." Mu'awiya added that he had done the same
thing once for a document he had written on behalf of the Prophet." Al-
Cassani is not well known in traditionist circles, and this weakens his nar-
rative." but we cannot discount this incident in light of the irrefutable facts
proving the early use of dots (however sparingly).

ii. The Invention of the Diacritical Markings

As mentioned earlier the diacritical marks, known in Arabic as tashkil
were invented by Abu al-Aswad ad-Du'ali (d. 69 A.H./688 C.E.). Ibn AbI
Mulaika reports that during 'Umar's reign, a Bedouin arrived asking for
an instructor to help him learn the Qur'an. Someone volunteered, but
began making such a string of mistakes while acting as tutor that 'Umar
had to stop him, correct him, then order that only those with adequate
knowledge of Arabic should teach the Qur'an. With such an incident no
doubt haunting his mind, he eventually requested Abu al-Aswad ad-
Du'all to compose a treatise on Arabic grammar.36
Ad-Du'ali took his assignment to heart, composing the treatise and
inventing four diacritical marks that could be posted on the concluding
letter of each word. These took the form of coloured dots (to differentiate
them from skeletal dots, which were black); initially they consisted of a
single colour (red in the example below), with each dot's position signifYing
its specific mark. A single dot placed after, on, or below the letter constituted
a damma.fathaor kasra, respectively. Similarly two dots placed after, on, or

34 Al-Khatib al-Baghdadt, al-Jami', i:269.
35 Refer to the chapter on Muslim methodology for greater details.
36 Ad-Danl, al-Muhkam, pp. 4-5, footnote 2, quoting Ibn al-Anbari, al-Iddh, pp. l5a-
l6a. An-Nadirn gives a detailed description of the manuscript of ad-Du'all's treatise
on grammar. He discovered it in Ibn Abl Ba'ra's library, consisting of four folios and
copied by the famous Grammarian Yahya bin Ya'mar (d. 90 A.H.l708 C.E.). It contained
the signature of another Grammarian, 'Allan an-Nahawi, and beneath it the signature
of an-Nadr bin Shumail. [an-Nadnn, al-Fihrist, p. 46.J These signatures established the
legitimacy of Abo. al-Aswad ad-Du'all's original authorship of the treatise.