The Refinement of the Rules of Ḥamzah and Hishām Regarding Pausing، According to the Principles of Harmonization and Arrangement By the esteemed and pious Sayyid ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad al-Sharafī (d. 1319 AH): A Study and Critical Edition

Abstract

This research presents a study and critical edition of the manuscript Al-Tahdhīb li-Qawāʿid Ḥamzah wa-Hishām fī al-Waqf ʿalā al-Tawfīq wa-al-Tartīb (The Refinement of the Rules of Ḥamzah and Hishām Regarding Stopping, According to the Principles of Tawfīq and Tartīb), authored by the eminent scholar ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad al-Sharafī (d. 1319 AH). The manuscript belongs to the field of Qur’anic readings (ʿIlm al-Qirāʾāt) and addresses the rules governing stopping on the hamzah according to the reciters Ḥamzah and Hishām. This subject is characterized by its technical complexity, the diversity of its issues, and the variations in its recitational rulings.

The research aims to introduce the author and highlight his scholarly standing, demonstrate the significance of the subject addressed in the manuscript, and examine the work by establishing its attribution to the author, verifying its title, identifying its subject matter and the reasons for its composition, and describing the extant manuscript copy. It also aims to produce a critical edition of the text in accordance with established scholarly principles of manuscript editing.

The research is divided into two main parts. The first part is devoted to the study of the manuscript and includes an introduction to the reciters Ḥamzah and Hishām, as well as the two transmitters of Ḥamzah; a biographical account of the author; an explanation of the significance of stopping on the hamzah and a review of the principal works devoted to this subject; and an examination of the manuscript to establish its attribution and verify its title. The second part presents the critical edition of the complete text, including orthographic standardization, documentation of Qur’anic verses, attribution of quotations to their original sources, identification of persons mentioned in the text, verification and vocalization of the verses of al-Shāṭibiyyah, and explanation of passages requiring clarification.

The research highlights the significance of this work in the field of Qur’anic readings and illustrates the complexity of the rules governing stopping on the hamzah, the variety of possible recitational forms, and the precision required to establish and document them. It also demonstrates the author’s reliance on al-Shāṭibiyyah and its commentaries, as well as his attention to the rules of recitational performance, including rawm and ishmām. By critically editing this manuscript, the research contributes to the preservation and revival of the scholarly heritage of Qur’anic readings, makes the text accessible to researchers and students in the field, and provides a basis for further study of the rules governing stopping on the hamzah