The Orthographic Identity of Rasm ʿUthmānī in the Qur’an: Tracing Substitution, Hamzah, and Word Structure
Keywords:
Rasm ʿUthmānī, Qur’anic orthography, Word connection, Letter substitutionAbstract
This study explores the orthographic characteristics of Rasm Uthmānī, the codified Qur’anic script established during the caliphate of ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān, focusing on three core features: al-Badl (letter substitution), Ahkām al-Hamzāt (rules governing the glottal stop), and al-Faṣl wa al-Waṣl (word separation and conjunction). Using a descriptive-linguistic and historical-contextual approach, the research analyzes how these features differ from modern Arabic orthography and how they accommodate phonetic diversity, syntactic fluidity, and theological nuance. The findings reveal that the Uthmānī script’s allowance for phonological variation and orthographic flexibility facilitates the preservation of multiple qirāʾāt without compromising semantic clarity. This integrative system enables the faithful transmission of the Qur’an’s oral and written dimensions across generations. The study concludes that Rasm Uthmānī serves not only as a static textual representation but also as a dynamic tool for interpreting the linguistic and theological foundations of the Qur’anic message. Its continued relevance in pedagogical and scholarly contexts underscores the enduring significance of early Islamic textual engineering.
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