Dammah of Haa’ Ad-Dameer in Riwayah of Hafs

Dammah of Haa’ Ad-Dameer in Riwayah of Hafs
[ضمّ هاء الضمير في رواية حفص]

Qur’anic Counseling _ استشارات قرآنيّة

By Ibtesam Azad

The first reply was on Friday, Shawwal 25, 1440 - June 28, 2019
Last amendment on Tuesday, Dhul Hijjah 3, 1442 – July 13, 2021

Q: (From Australia) Assalaamu 'alaikum wa rahmatullaah. I have a question. Why it says we have to read with Damma in ﴾عَلَيْهُ﴿when it's already Damma in Quran ? How is it an exceptional rule ? Jazaakillaahu khaira.

Answer:

Wa ‘alaikumus salāmu wa raḥmatullāhi wa barakātuh sister.

Alḥamdulillāhi waṣ ṣalātu was salāmu ‘alā Rasoolillāh, ’ammā ba’d.

(1) Haa’ Ad-Dameer means Haa’ of pronoun that refers to masculine gender third person.

(2) The original Harakah of Haa’ Ad-Dameer in Arabic language is that it is read with Dammah[1]. But maximum Arabs have read this Haa’ with Kasrah for it’s being preceded by Yaa’ Sakinah or Kasrah; and that is due to Mujanasah (مُجَانَسَة - resemblance); therefore for it’s being easier to pronounce as well[2].

(3) In Soorah Al-Fath : Ayah 10, the pronoun of singular masculine third person ‘Haa’/هــ’ in the word ﴾عَلَيْهُ﴿ is read with Dammah (ُ) according to the Riwayah of Hafs as shown in image (1).

(4) Likewise the word ﴾أَنْسَانِيْهُ﴿ in Soorah Al-Kahf: Ayah 63, the pronoun of singular masculine third person ‘Haa’/هــ’ is read with Dammah (ُ) according to the Riwayah of Hafs as shown in image (2).

(5) Dammah of Haa’ Ad-Dameer in Riwayah of Hafs for these two mentioned words ﴾عَلَيْهُ﴾ و﴿أَنْسَانِيْهُ﴿ is applicable in both Tareeqs : Ash-Shatibiyyah and Taiyyibatun Nashr[3].

(6) Due to the presence of Dammah on the letter Haa’, after the gradual stages of An-Naqt (النّقْط – dotting letters to distinguish one from another) and Ash-Shakl (الشّكْل – putting Harakahs to distinguish a vowel from another) in our Mushafs today, a contemporary reader might not understand the reason of the word ﴾عَلَيْهُ﴿ being special; particularly if he is among those who have not gone through the linguistic researchon Dammah – of it’s being the original Harakah of Haa’ Ad-Dameer.

(7) And these two examples ﴾عَلَيْهُ﴾ و﴿أَنْسَانِيْهُ﴿ differ from others in two aspects[4]:

[1] Haa’ Ad-Dameer in these two words has been read with Dammah(ُ), regardless of the other Riwayahs where Haa’ Ad-Dameer in the same two words has been read with Kasrah (ِ), due to Mujanasah (مُجَانَسَة - resemblance).

[2] Haa’ Ad-Dameer in these two words has been read with Dammah (ُ), regardless of the other similar words in the same Riwayah (of Hafs) where Haa’ Ad-Dameer has been read with Kasrah (ِ), due to Mujanasah (مُجَانَسَة – resemblance).

Allah knows best.