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Refutations

Is the Word Wāqi' Distorted in the Qur'an? The Truth About Alif in Ancient Manuscripts

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Is the Word (Wāqi’) Distorted in the Qur’an? Why Is There No Extension of the Alif in Some Qur’anic Manuscripts?

Table of Contents

The Doubt — The Claim

The Claim Being Refuted One of the enemies of Islam claims that he reviewed the manuscripts of the Holy Qur’an and found there a distortion in the word (wāqi’) in the verse:

“And when We lifted the mountain above them as if it were a canopy, and they thought that it would fall upon them.”

This person claims that the verse contains the word (wāqi’) — meaning “falling” — and not (wāqi’) as we know it!

Response — Firstly Understanding Ancient Qur’anic Orthography

The Core Mistake of the Doubters Many of Islam’s deceitful enemies deceive the public by bringing Qur’anic manuscripts and then reading them using the current spelling method we learned in school. This is a mistake and a deception on their part; they should not have followed this method when reading ancient Qur’anic manuscripts.

The ancient Qur’anic manuscripts were written according to ancient spelling methods and ancient scripts of Arabic writing, not according to modern spelling conventions. Therefore, these ancient manuscripts should be read according to the pronunciation of their time — not according to our current pronunciation — because language evolves from era to era, and the method of spelling differs from one period to another.

This is why we go to the Qur’an memorization house to learn the pronunciation of the Holy Qur’an orally as it was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in the past.

Examples of Ancient Arabic Spelling Conventions

Example 1 — Doubled Letters Written Once In old spelling methods, the Arabs used to write the word (al-layl / night) like this: (al-layl) — where they would write the letter (l) once even if it was repeated. But they would pronounce the word as (al-layl) and not (al-lay).

So we have to learn how to read ancient spelling before we cite ancient Qur’anic manuscripts.

Example 2 — The Long Alif and Regional Pronunciation In the past, some Arabs did not pronounce the long alif in many words, while other Arabs did. However, both groups read the same word with the same pronunciation, even if they wrote it differently.

Today, we also do not write the long alif in many words, such as:

  • The word “this” (هذا)
  • The word “but” (لكن)
  • The word “these” (هؤلاء) — and others.

On the other hand, you will see that we write the long alif in other words and so on.

Orthographic Variation Does Not Equal Distortion

Example 3 — Regional Spelling Variation in the Modern Arab World Today, we also have different schools and spelling methods for writing a certain word, but we all pronounce the same word with the same pronunciation even if we differ in the way we write it. For example:
  • The people of Egypt write the word (shu’ūn) one way
  • The people of the Levant write it another way: (shu’ūn)
  • And some people write it yet another way: (shu’ūn)

All of these spelling methods are correct, but they differ from place to place. We all pronounce it with the same pronunciation even if we differ in the way we write it. This is not a distortion as some ignorant people think.

Example 4 — The Word “Zinā” (Adultery) Some people write the word “zinā” one way, while others write it as “zanā.” All of these spellings are correct, but they differ from place to place. Everyone pronounces the word the same way, even if the spelling is different.
The Governing Principle We must always keep this point in mind when dealing with ancient Qur’anic manuscripts. Each manuscript wrote the verses of the Qur’an according to the orthography of its country, but all Muslims pronounce the word the same way, even if they differ in the way they spell it.

This is because they learned the way to recite the Qur’an itself before the way it was spelled.

The Holy Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ orally — i.e., by voice. The method of dictating the Qur’an depends on each country’s system of dictation, but on the condition that the pronunciation of the Qur’anic word is not distorted.

The Word Waqi’ in the Manuscripts

The Refutation The word (wāqi’) in the Holy Qur’an — some Muslims wrote it without a long alif, and others wrote it with a long alif — but both groups pronounced the word the same. For this reason we will see some manuscripts that do not write a long alif in the word, because this is their style of spelling. But in many other manuscripts you will see a long alif written, such as the following ancient manuscripts:

is the word waqi distorted in the quran why is there no extension of the alif in some words in
is the word waqi distorted in the quran why is there no extension of the alif in some words in

Look at the word above the red line and you will find the long alif in it.

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Result You will find the word (wāqi’) with an extended alif in many manuscripts that depended on the style of placing an extended alif.

Conclusion

The Suspicion is Completely Refuted The presence or absence of the long alif in the word (wāqi’) across different Qur’anic manuscripts is not distortion — it is simply a reflection of the orthographic conventions of each region and era in which the manuscript was produced.

The Qur’an has always been preserved orally, transmitted generation to generation by voice, and spelling variation in manuscripts has never affected the pronunciation of a single word. This is the method Allah chose for its preservation — not ink alone, but the living chain of recitation.

The suspicion is completely refuted.