The phonetic lesson in the book “The Meanings of the Qur’an” by Al-Kisa’i (d. 189 AH)

Abstract

    The phonetic study is one of the main foundations in Arabic linguistic studies. It emerged amid the great care given to the recitation of the Holy Qur’an and the regulation of its pronunciation, in order to preserve the accuracy of performance and the clarity of meaning. Among the prominent figures in this field is Al-Kisa’i (d. 189 AH), who represented a significant pillar in the Kufan school, and whose phonetic efforts clearly appeared in his book Maʿānī al-Qurʾān. This research focused on the study of three main phonetic phenomena in his recitation: assimilation, merging (idghām), and inclination (imāla).

   Assimilation varied in his reading between progressive and regressive, direct and indirect, and it contributed to improving the phonetic rhythm and reducing muscular effort during speech. As for merging, Al-Kisa’i followed what Sibawayh and earlier Kufan grammarians had established, without significant additions. In contrast, inclination was a prominent field of his independent application, relying on dialectal differences, phonetic closeness between sounds, and the diversity of Qur’anic contexts. The study showed that these phenomena did not affect the Qur’anic

meaning but rather reflected the flexibility and richness of the Arabic language and its ability to combine aesthetic performance with semantic precision.