Читать книгу The Holy Qur-an: Text, Translation and Commentary - Abdullah Yusuf Ali - Страница 7

Table of Contents

The following table shows the system which I have followed in transliterating the letters of the Arabic alphabet :—

ا Consonantal sound a

ء Consonantal sound a

ا Long vowel * ā

ب …………………… b

ت …………………… t

ث …………………… ṯẖ

ج …………………… j

ح …………………… ḥ

خ …………………… ḵẖ

د …………………… d

ذ …………………… ẓ

ر …………………… r

ز …………………… z

س …………………… s

ش …………………… sh

ص …………………… ṣ

ض …………………… ḏẖ

ط …………………… ṭ

ظ …………………… ẕ

ع …………………… ‘ (inverted apostrophe)

غ …………………… ḡ

ف …………………… f

ق …………………… q

ك …………………… k

ل …………………… l

م …………………… m

ن …………………… n

هـ ه …………………… h

و consonant w

و long vowel* ū

و diphthong au

ي consonant y

ي long vowel* ī

ي diphthong ai

Short vowels:

َ– (fatḥa) a ِ– (kasra) i ُ– (ḏẖamma) u

1. For the hamzā (ء) I have used no distinctive sign. An apostrophe for it and an inverted apostrophe for the ‘ain (ع), or vice versa, is confusing to English readers. As a moved consonant, it is sufficiently shown in English by the long or short vowel which moves it, e.g., ab, Raūf. Where it is a hiatus preceded by a fatḥa, I have shown it by a second a: thus, Iqraa, the cave of Hiraa. In other cases it has not been possible to show it without using a distinctive sign. The name of the Holy Book is usually written Qurān ; but I prefer to write Qur-ān.

2. The final h preceded by the short a is scarcely pronounced, and I have left it out. Hence Sūra, Fātiḥa, Hijra, etc., where the Arabic spelling would require Sūrah, Fātihah, Hijrah, etc.

3. In internationalised words and names I have used the spelling ordinarily current in English ; e.g., Mecca, Medina, Maulvi, Urdu, Islam, Israel, Abraham, Jacob. Here the boundary is thin and rather ill-defined, and possibly my practice and that of my proof-readers have not been absolutely uniform.

4. Some names, e.g., Ishmael, Hagar, etc., have acquired a contemptuous association in their European forms, while the persons they represent are sacred personages held in great honour in Islam. I have, therefore, avoided the European forms and used the Arabic forms, Ismā’īl, Hājar, etc.

 Where it is really pronounced long. Hence ḵẖalaqnā-kum but ḵẖalaqnal-insān ; Abū Sufyān but Abul-Qāsim ; fin-nār but fī-hi.