Önde Gelen Matbu Mushaflarda Vakf İşaretlerinin Kullanımı ve Yaklaşım Farkları
Usage of Pause Signs in Leading Printed Muṣḥafs and Differences in Approach

Summary/Abstract: Purpose: The aim of this study can be expressed as identifying the systems of waqf (pausal) signs employed in prominent muṣḥafs of the print (matbuʿ) period and determining the differences in approach that emerged in this regard. Since the first copies transcribed during the time of Hz. Osman, numerous muṣḥafs have been copied across various periods and regions; following the invention of the printing press, these activities continued through typographic means. The scholarly corpus that gradually developed around the Qurʾānic text throughout history found concrete expression in the muṣḥafs. One component of this accumulated knowledge is the discipline of waqf wa-ibtidāʾ (pausing and commencing). From the early period onward, this field of study investigated the lexicalsemantic relationships between Qurʾānic clauses and their implications for interpretive determinations of meaning. The theoretical framework formed within this epistemic domain was put into practice through the implementation of waqf signs. In this context, various systems of signs emerged and were applied in the scribal and later printed production of muṣḥafs across different historical periods and geographical regions. In this article, a number of printed muṣḥafs—namely the Muḥallilāt Muṣḥaf, the Muṣḥaf of Şekerzâde Seyyid Mehmed Efendi, the Muṣḥaf of Kayışzâde Ḥāfiẓ ʿOsmān Efendi, the Muṣḥaf of Kadırgalı Muṣṭafā Nāẓif Efendi, the Tāj Muṣḥaf, the Kazan Muṣḥaf, the Amīriyya Muṣḥaf, the Shimerlī Muṣḥaf, the Fahd Muṣḥaf, and the Azhar Muṣḥaf—are examined with regard to the use of waqf signs and the differences in their methodological approaches. Method: A qualitative research methodology was adopted in this study, and the analysis was conducted through selected visual samples from prominent printed muṣḥafs. Since waqf signs were first employed in manuscript muṣḥafs, their usage in handwritten copies was examined within a sample of manuscripts dated to the period after the late fourth century AH. On this basis, the study sought to determine whether a parallelism exists between manuscript and printed muṣḥafs with regard to the use of waqf signs. Moreover, given that printed muṣḥafs predominantly adhere to the system of Muhammed Tayfûr esSecâvendî (d. 560/1165), particular emphasis was placed on this system. The study also aimed to explore the extent of the contributions made by Secāwendī’s followers to the development of the system. The samples analyzed in this context were selected from some of the earliest printed muṣḥafs dating to the nineteenth century CE. Findings: With regard to the use of waqf signs, printed muṣḥafs adhered to the practices established in manuscript muṣḥafs; consequently, three principal systems of waqf were followed. These are the systems of Abī Muhammed el-Umânî (d. 450/1058), Secāwendī, and Ibn Abī Jumʿa al-Habtī al-Sumātī (d. 930/1523).Among these, the Secāwendī system achieved clear predominance. Muṣḥafs printed in the Ottoman domains, in Turkey, and in the Indian subcontinent demonstrated full adherence to this system, whereas the Kazan, Emîriyye, Şimerlî, King Fahd, and Azhar muṣḥafs exhibited partial adherence. In contrast, the tradition of following Hebtī’s system of waqf was maintained in the muṣḥafs of the Maghrib region. Conclusion: Printed muṣḥafs predominantly adhere to the waqf systems of al-Sajāwandī and al-Hibtī. In certain applications of al-Sajāwandī’s system, the developmental changes introduced through commentators and scribes have been taken into consideration, while in others, only partial adherence to the system has been observed. In the muṣḥafs of the Maghrib region, the tradition of adhering to the Hibtī system has been preserved. Although there are instances in which the ʿUmānī waqf sign system is employed, apart from a few examples, it did not achieve widespread adoption.

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