reynolds-the-quran-in-its-historical-context-2

168 Gerd-R. Puin(Q 51 :47). Here, it is likely that the orthography has a different plural in mind whichwould match with the (existing) secondary plural~~ (cf. the dictionaries).Although there is no longer any trace of it in the Standard Text, the old manuscriptshave preserved almost totally the orthography of 'ayatu" (sg.) or 'ayiitu"(pl.) written with two yii 's instead of one. We propose to interpret the conventionalword Ao!l as ~·I; the regular plural would then be~·\, its modern vocalizationin the Standard Text being~~~ and~~~-In the early manuscripts, however, the singular ~I is - according to our sources- always written as ~1, which is possibly the clue for understanding that the firstyii' represents the imiila, and so we assume: . .(87) ~I 'j eyyah ('eya), singular, as in 3:49, 20:47 (ms. A), 3:50 (ms. A), 7:106 ·(ms. J), 13:38 (mss. CDF).Theoretically, the reading...;:.\ 'JayY-ah (' iiya) seems to be also possible, but incase we would rather expect a writing with one yii' only, i.:_!•l, like in the :Stailld:ardText today. ·· The plural in the manuscripts is generally ~I or ~I or ~I or ~1, which I:should interpret, in the light of the singular, as .::41 or ~I or ~I or ~1, as'eylitin, 'eylitihi, 'eyatr, 'eylitinii, in the more conventional transcription.(88) ~ J rigeylu" (rigelun), instead of j~-:! in the StT (Q 72:6) occurs in manuscriptD;(89) .,..,!. feyba (teba), instead of .;..11. in the StT (Q 4:3) in ms. A. 20{ ~l_]{D (=DAM 01-28:1), Siira 10:90;again the word 'ili5ha, in the center.Vowel/etters and ortho-epic writing in the Qur 'iin 169Pre-Islamic rock inscription from Urnmig-gimal published by E. Littmann, drawingfrom Grolunann, Paliiographie II, 17. Thename in the first line has been read as :Abdal-Ulayh, "Servant of the little God". In fact,it is :Abd al-lleh.. ~more general sense it seems worthwhile to investigate the extent of the imiilaprOJluncta1t!On in the different "readings," not only in the center of a word, as in theof Abraham 1but also at the end, as in the prepositions J~ or J&., or any other'-a/if, as in .s..U.I or