Saturday 1 June 2024

the new edition on 848 pages with 13 lines

After 14 impression of a Taj Company Ltd edition with 13 lines, the Waterfaal Islamic Institute made a page identical type set version.
I like the Uṯmān Ṭaha like font.
I like that they moved و/wa/and from the end of (many) lines to the place where it belongs: just before the word of which it is really a part.
I think it horrible that they always place the upright fatha before hamza/alif instead of putting it above or after. First line from the new edition -- the others from Indonesia, Medina and Pakistan:
Unfortunately there are other mistakes:
(third line:) ۵ stands for non-Kufī (mostly Baṣrī, occasionaly Ḥimsī or Madanī) end of āya
It is an excellent idea, that "A small circle on a letter denotes that such a syllable mut not be pronounced during continual recital, but should be recited when pausing"
but WII does not apply this ("their") rule:

I checked nine places, where the letter/the syllable is mute:
on top five: always mute --> no sign (accoring to the Indian rule, and the WII rule) bellow four: not mute ater a pause --> a circle according to the WII rule
Twice they did it the wrong way:
(in the middle column another 848page edition (written by Ḫalīq Asadī), as well two mistakes)
Here is the last page with the qurʾānic text


Wednesday 29 May 2024

India 1888

In 1306/1888 a folio with 1152 pages with nine huge lines with the Arabic text and two small lines with Persian and Urdu (by Rafīʿ-ad-Dīn Dihlawī again), plus on the margin Tafsīr-i Ḥusainī by Ḥusain Waʿiẓ Kāšifī was printed in Delhi.
This edition has small letters common from Istanbul to Batavia until about 1950, which I will point out here. Above the incirceld 30 you see head of ʿain ء for ruquʿ on the margin and ے for ten, twenty, thirty ...
above عب for a ten عشر in non kufī-numbering (normally baṣrī, but possible ḥimsī or madanī) and تب for a non kufī pause تام
again an ء pointing to the ruquʿ on the margin
connection between a word in red an an explanation on the margin
خب : while the main numbering (kufī) is 46, another (Baṣrī has 45)
لب above and in detail below lam+bāʾ: no end of verse in Baṣra ( ج allows a pause)

Sunday 26 May 2024

India 1870

In that year three editions were published of which the British Library has a copy:
one with the Arabic text, one with the Arabic text plus the Urdu translation of Shah ‘Abd al-Wahhāb Rafi ad-Din ad-Dihlawī (1749‒1818 completed in 1776), one of the sons of Shah Waliullah Dehlavi (1703‒1762).
one with the Persian translation (by his father?) as well.
First the "simple" one by مولوي محبوب ۤلي عبد الحفيظ محمد مخدوم
it has 1113 pages, and has features that occured often between Indonesia and Istanbul, but are not understood by many today.
above on the left margin هـ for (Kufī) 5
خب for Baṣrī 5 -- "Baṣrī" is mostly Baṣri, but can be Šāmi, Ḥimsī, Madanī
يب Baṣri: end of Aya, the opposite of ۵ "heart-5" , so the non-Kufī system disagree
ء a hint to the ruqūʿ ع sign on the right margin
لب Baṣri: no end of aya
on the left: (هـ) 5 or 15 or 25 ...
خب Baṣrī 10 (or 20 or 30 ...)
on the right: these signs refer to text on the right margin and to the rukūʿ sign
last on the right: turned what is written above ۵ لا "šāmī aya": end of verse in the system of Damascus
on the bottom left: 10, 20, 30

تب Baṣrī end of Aya
عب Baṣrī tener
هـ fiver
خب Baṣrī fiver
عب Baṣrī ten
note sign
the first two sign refer to marginal text
5er
Baṣrī tener, no pause


















Next the bilingual version printed in Kanpur (in Oudh/Awadh):
here pages from the threelingual version

India 1868

This Arabic only muṣḥaf was the cheapest printed so far: 1 1/2 Rs. the price of 30 ser of split lentils or 24 ser of milk according to Ulrike Stark, The Empire of books. p.68f.
1 ser = 870 gr = 28 oz

Būlāq 1299/1881/2

As far as we know the first Egyptian muṣ­ḥaf was type set in 1299/1881/2 in der Govern­ment Press Būlāq it did not have verse numbers but...