A Treatise on Qur’anic Pauses, Beginnings, and Stopping Places by Quṭb al-Dīn al-Rāwandī (d. 573 AH)

(An investigation and study)

Abstract

This research presents a critical study and edition of a treatise on pausing and beginning in the Holy Qur’an by Sa‘id ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Husayn ibn Hibat Allah, known as Qutb al-Din al-Rawandi (d. 573 AH). The treatise belongs to the field of Qur’anic pausing and beginning and sheds light on scholarly methodology and terminology in the sixth century AH. The research consists of an introduction, a preface, two chapters, a conclusion, and a bibliography. The introduction addresses the significance of the research, its problem, questions, objectives, previous studies, methodology, and structure. The preface briefly introduces the science of Qur’anic pausing and beginning. The first chapter comprises two sections: the first examines the author’s life, scholarly status, teachers, students, works, and death; the second studies the treatise in terms of its title, attribution, scholarly value, sources, methodology, and manuscript description. The second chapter presents a complete critical edition of the manuscript.

A prominent feature of al-Rawandi’s methodology is his combination of theoretical principles and practical application. He establishes rules concerning pausing and beginning and applies them to selected Qur’anic passages. He also discusses aspects of recitational performance when pausing and employs terminology reflecting usage in his era. The research concludes that al-Rawandi was a distinguished and versatile scholar, particularly in Qur’anic studies, exegesis, jurisprudence, and Arabic. It also finds that he addressed both pause locations and their performance, and did not assign verse endings an independent ruling when they were grammatically or semantically connected to what followed. The study recommends further critical editions of manuscripts on Qur’anic pausing and beginning and comparative studies of their terminology.