Internal Rhymes as Evidence for Old Hijazi: Difference between revisions

The loss of Hamzah (glottal stop) (in Arabic ء) and the loss of nunation (the addition of an "N" sound) and final short vowels except in the genetive (possession-showing) noun construct form. In classical Arabic, final short vowels and nunation are only lost when the word is in a pausal position, i.e., when the word is at the end of utterance. This would mean that unlike classical Arabic, the original language of the Quran entirely lacked noun-final nunation and final short vowels except in the genetive construct form.  This means that the last word in a sentence always lacks nunation and a final short vowel while all the words before it don’t lack them. A careful examination of the Quran reveals that if all words were treated in the same way as the words in pausal positions are treated, this would lead to the appearance of hundreds of hitherto unknown internal rhymes.

When a word is in a pausal position, it receives special treatment in Classical Arabic: Neither a final short vowel nor nunation can be attached to the word.  

In this example, the final short vowel ‘u’ and nunation 'n' are added to the word kitāb (book) making it “kitābun” (spelled in Arabic as kitāb since that nunation is not usually written). The endings are part of the i'rab إعراب, the Arabic system of noun cases markings. There are three possible cases, the nominative, genetive, and accusative. These cases indicate how the noun is used the sentence, either as a subject, an object of a preposition, or an object of a verb. These case endings are written in certain texts such as the Qur'an but are not necessary for understanding the sentence and as such in spoken forms of Arabic are usually omitted. They consist, mostly, of unwritten short vowels and thus are also not usually written except in certain texts such as the Qur'an. Grammatically, the word “jadīd” (new) should also receive the same “un” as it is in the nominative case, but since that the word “jadīd” is at the end of the sentence, “un” is not added (though the rules of grammer call for it, and it is written but not pronounced), which leaves the word in its original form: jadīd.  

Most of Arabic singular feminine nouns and adjectives end with “ah”. As in: madrasah مدرسة (school). But when anyth noun case marking or attached possessive pronoun is pronounced at the end of these words, the final ‘ah’ turns into ‘at’. As in: madrasatī (my school).

The word madrasah is the subject of this sentence so it received a final ‘u’ vowel. And since a short ‘u’ vowel was attached to the end of the word, the feminine ‘ah’ of “madrasah” turns into ‘at’: madrasatu. It is incorrect to pronounce the word with the noun case marking as “madrasahu”.  

The feminine adjective jadīdah (new) is describing the word “madrasatu” so the word “jadīdah” should also receive the same final short vowel ‘u’ that the word “madrasah” received. But since that the word jadīdah is at the end of the sentence, it didn’t receive the final short vowel. And since that nothing was attached to the word, the feminine ‘ah’ doesn't change to ‘at’ so the word remained in its original form: Jadīdah.  

The word Kitāb is the object of the verb in the sentence so it receives a final ‘a’ vowel. The word is also indefinite so it also received nunnation, an ‘an’. The word “jadīd” describes the word “kitaban” so it should also receive the same final “an”, but since that the word is at the end of the sentence, the “an” is turned into a long ‘a’ vowel: jadīdā.  

<span lang="en" dir="rtl">﴿وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ <u>أَغْنَى وَأَقْنَى</u>﴾</span> {{Quran|53|48|}}

<span lang="en" dir="rtl">﴿لَوْ أَنْزَلْنَا هَذَا الْقُرْآنَ عَلَى جَبَلٍ لَرَأَيْتَهُ <u>خَاشِعًا مُتَصَدِّعًا</u> مِنْ خَشْيَةِ اللَّهِ﴾</span> {{Quran|59|21|}}

<span lang="en" dir="rtl">﴿وَالصَّابِرِينَ فِي ‌<u>الْبَأْسَاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ</u> وَحِينَ الْبَأْسِ﴾</span>  

<span lang="en" dir="rtl">﴿‌نَاصِيَةٍ كَاذِبَةٍ خَاطِئَةٍ ۝﴾</span>  

<span lang="en" dir="rtl">﴿ أُولَئِكَ هُمُ <u>الْكَفَرَةُ الْفَجَرَةُ</u>۝﴾ {{Quran|80|42|}}</span>  

<span lang="en" dir="rtl">﴿إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ وَيَدْعُونَنَا <u>‌رَغَبًا وَرَهَبًا</u> ۖ وَكَانُوا لَنَا خَاشِعِينَ۝﴾</span>  

{{Quran|56|37|}}<span lang="en" dir="rtl">﴿‌عُرُبًا أَتْرَابًا۝﴾</span>   

<span lang="en" dir="rtl">﴿وَلَا يَلِدُوا إِلَّا <u>فَاجِرًا ‌كَفَّارًا</u> ۝﴾</span>  

<span lang="en" dir="rtl">﴿إِنَّهَا تَرْمِي ‌بِ<u>شَرَرٍ كَالْقَصْرِ</u>۝﴾</span>  

<span lang="en" dir="rtl">﴿وَيْلٌ لِكُلِّ ‌<u>هُمَزَةٍ لُمَزَةٍ</u> ۝﴾</span>   

<span lang="en" dir="rtl">﴿مِنْ شَرِّ <u>الْوَسْوَاسِ الْخَنَّاسِ</u>۝﴾{{Quran|114|4|}}</span>