The Phenomenon of Istidrak in Mushaf Orthography Literature: Example of Ibn al-Qadi al-Miknasi (d. 1082/1672) and His Book Named Bayanu'l-Khilaf

Abstract

The orthography of the Muhafs, which were transcribed during the time of the khalifa Uthman, known as Masahif al-'Uthmaniyye, exhibits differences in certain aspects compared to the advanced orthography that evolved with the progression of writing. The concept of rasm al-'Uthmani, representing the orthography of the Muhafs, differs from the advanced orthography represented by the concept of rasm al-qiyasi, as it does not encompass the alignment of writing and reading and lacks uniformity in orthography. Due to the consensus of the companions, there has been a general acceptance in subsequent scriptural studies to base it on rasm al-Uthmani. Therefore, investigations into determining rasm al-'Uthmani have been ongoing since early periods, resulting in a literature on the subject. The literature that has emerged within the framework of theoretical considerations regarding how the articulation of Qur'anic words should be and the practical orthographic knowledge based on the application in the Muhafs often presents a sense of unity. However, this unity may give way to differences in the orthography of certain words. This difference can be the result of one text not referring to the orthographic feature mentioned in another text or the consequence of some texts providing incomplete or incorrect information. This situation necessitates conducting extensive source research for determining an orthographic feature and including texts written with the purpose of identifying and correcting information deficiencies and errors in the examination, thus engaging in scrutiny. One of the texts containing this type of scrutiny is the work of Ibn al-Qadi al-Miknasi, a Maghreb scholar from the 11th century, titled shortly Bayanu'l-khilaf ve't-tashhir ve'l-istihsan. The majority of the fundamental texts in this field were authored by Maghreb scholars. Due to various reasons causing a certain shift in the transmission of texts reflecting the orthography accumulation of the east, the Maghreb's experience gained prominence. In this context, the rich experience in the field of Mushaf orthography among the scholars of the Maghreb, can be attributed to their adherence to the Qira'ah and the influence of the Maliki school on practical jurisprudence. Oral information received from Imam Nafi' and bookish sources like Ghazi b. Qays's (d. 199/814) Hija'u's-sunne played pivotal roles as pioneering texts in this experience. Pioneering texts, offering both oral and written information, and based on practical applications in the Muhafs, have been systematically presented in the field of Mushaf orthography by Abu 'Amr al-Dani's (d. 444/1053) al-Muqni' fi ma'rifati marsumi mesahifi'l-amsar and Abu Dawud Sulaiman b. Najah's (d. 496/1103) Mukhtsaru't-tabyin li-hijai't-tanzil, assuming the role of foundational texts. Abu'l-Hasen 'Ali b. Muhammad al-Muradi al-Belensi's (d. 564/1169) Kitabu'l-mun.if complements Abu Dawud's work by partially incorporating its content, and Qasim b. Firruh al-Shatibi's (d. 590/1194) 'Aqiletu Etrabi'l-Kasaid serves as a supplementary text with partial additions to al-Dani's al-Muqni'. Muhammad b. Muhammad al-Kharraz's (d. 718/1318) Mavridu'-zam'an fi rasmi'l-qur'an has undertaken the mission of consolidating the accumulated knowledge in the field, especially where the aforementioned four foundational texts differ on certain aspects based on specific criteria. However, within this literary framework, certain gaps have emerged. One of the prominent gaps is the omission of information on how orthography should be in places where Abu Dawud remained silent and the oversight of Kharraz in addressing the orthography of certain words. Another gap has manifested itself as a disparity between the information provided in sources and current practices. Consequently, commentary studies on Kharraz, who gained a certain dominance in later period literature, have sought to address these gaps. One of the texts embodying this type of examination is Bayanu'l-khilaf ve't-tashhir ve'l-istisan, authored by Ibn al-Qadi. In this article, the examination conducted by Ibn al-Qadi in his mentioned work will be discussed under main headings related to istidrak, and from there, the necessity of resorting to secondary texts for information and evaluations when determining and establishing orthography will be emphasized. As the article revolves around orthography, the diacritic system, which can be expressed as the system of marks, will be excluded, and therefore, Ibn al-Qadi's evaluations related to diacritics will be left for other studies. Given the absence of a dedicated study on Ibn al-Qadi in our country, the article will begin by providing a concise overview of Ibn al-Qadi's life before delving into the dimensions of his istidrak.