Article Series
A summary of the first of Shaykh Salih al-Azhari's courses in manuscript studies, on the skills and tools for reading Arabic manuscripts. Its sessions cover the method of sound reading, the science of vocalisation marks (dabt) and its symbols, including the differences between Eastern and Maghribi practice, how copyists corrected their errors, and how they wrote numerals. It is the foundation on which the later courses in these summaries, prepared by the site's author, build.
Series parts
In the opening lecture of the course, Shaykh Salih al-Azhari lays out the theoretical and methodological foundations for reading Arabic manuscripts, from copyists' conventions and orthography to the role of long, supervised practice.
Shaykh Salih al-Azhari presents the science of vocalization (dabt) as a companion to orthography in reading manuscripts, covering its functions, the differences between Maghribi and Mashriqi practice, and the symbols copyists used.
This lecture examines how copyists corrected errors in manuscripts, classifying the common types of copying errors and the symbols and conventions used to repair them without tampering with the original text.
Shaykh Salih al-Azhari explains how copyists wrote numerals in Arabic manuscripts, how old numeral forms and place-value dots can mislead editors, and which classical references help in reading them correctly.