Phonetic Study in the Book of Qira’at by Abu Ubaid al-Qasim ibn Sallam (224 AH)

Abstract

Qur’anic readings are a source of linguistic study at its four levels, and indeed the highest among them, as they derive their sanctity from the sanctity of the Qur’an. Abu Ubaid al-Qasim ibn Sallam (224 AH) was the first recognized imam to compile the readings in a book, as mentioned by Ibn al-Jazari (833 AH). Due to the importance of this book and its subject, it became the focus of my study in this research. I relied on the doctoral thesis that reconstructed this lost book, from which the texts of the book and the phonetic issues that formed the field of my research emerged. These issues include: letter and vowel substitution (Ibdal), assimilation (Idgham), inclination (Imala), emphasis (Tashdid), and the glottal stop (Hamza).