Thread by @PhDniX

I sometimes talk about the difference between "Quranic spelling" and "Classical Arabic spelling" in posts on here. These two spelling systems (= orthographies) are obviously related, but also clearly distinct. In this thread I will illustrate some of the key differences.

Final ā in Classical Arabic may be written with ʾalif or yāʾ, compare: هدى 'he lead' versus دعا 'he called'. But if a suffix follows both are spelled with ʾalif: هداه 'he lead him' and دعاه 'he called him'. Quranic orthography keeps the yāʾ in this place, thus spelling هديه.

Word-internal ā is very often not written. When it is not written this is called "defective spelling". When it is and isn't written is chaotic, and can alternate within the same manuscript for the same word.
But some hard rules can be formulated for defective spelling:

- Plural active participles of the type: fāʿilūn/fāʿilīn/fāʿilāt: الكفرون not الكافرون
- The first person plural suffix -nā (if word-internal): انزلنه not انزلناه
- The feminine plural ending -āt: المومنت not المومنات
- The word qāla: قل not قال.

There are many other rules that could be formulated. For example, the vocative yā is never spelled with ʾalif: يموسى not يا موسى etc. Also certain words are always spelled defectively, while they fall outside the general rules formulated above. More study is needed.

In Classical Arabic an ʾalif is placed after every wāw that marks the plural verb. In Quranic Arabic, it simply occurs after ever word-final ū or aw, regardless of whether it is a mark of the plural. So: يدعوا not يدعو and ذوا not ذو.

The verbs raʾā "to see" and naʾā "to be far" are spelled را and نا rather than the Classical راى and ناى respectively (there are two exceptions to this in Sūrat al-Najm, where raʾā follows the Classical spelling.

There are a group of words that in Classical Arabic are written with ʾalif followed by tāʾ marbūṭah, which in Quranic Arabic are written either with wāw+hāʾ or yāʾ+hāʾ:
Waw-hāʾ: الصلوة, الزكوة, النجوة, منوة, الحيوة, المشكوة
yāʾ-hāʾ: التورية, مزجية, تقية

If bi- or li- precede a word that starts with a hamzah, followed by a yāʾ, the yāʾ is spelled twice. Thus we find:
- bi-ʾāyāt as باييت not بآيات
- bi-ʾayy as بايى not بأي
- bi-ʾayd as باييد not بأيد
- bi-ʾayyām as باييم not بأيام

A final one that one will commonly see if that šayʾ 'thing', especially in early manuscripts is usually spelled شاى, rather than شىء. There are many, many more other small subtle differences, but these are the ones that immediately strike the eye.

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