Dear Friends,

May you allow me to share with you this short study on the grammatical problems in the Arabic text of the Quran. The English reader may not fully recognize the importance of diacritical points in the Arabic language. We will cover this in our study. To begin, it must be emphasized (as has been done) that the Quran was originally written in the Arabic language WITHOUT DIACRITICAL POINTS, as this was the nature of Arabic writings at the inception of Islam. The diacritical points were added to the text of the Quran many years after what is called the "Divine Inspiration" of the Quran. So, many years passed seeing a Quran without diacritical points. The importance of this fact will be adequately recognized as we study the relationship of the diacritical points to the Arabic language.

In the many examples that follow, you will see that the addition or subtraction of diacritical points RADICALLY ALTERS the meaning of the entire text. Therefore, those men who added the diacritical points to the Quran long after it was first written assumed the responsibility of interpreting the entire book, and were in the position to change and rewrite anything that they did not agree with. This occurrence is unique to Islam and its holy book. The Bible is widely available in its original texts, both Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, for any and all who want to research it. To read the Quran as it was originally written would leave the reader to interpret and choose for themselves from the thousands of possible meanings available in the Arabic when it is without diacritical points.

We begin by looking closely at the nature of several Arabic words and how the diacritical points change their meanings. The English word "girl" in Arabic is "bent". The Arabic word "bent" is composed of three letters which are "Ba", "non", and "Ta". When these three letters are written connected to each other without the diacritical points they will appear quite identical. They will look like three adjacent crescents facing upwards. The difference between them is nothing. Only the diacritical points can differentiate between them. Here is how it works:

• If you put one point below any one of them, it's "Ba"
• If you put two points below any one of them, it's "ya"
• If you put one point above any one of them, it's "non"
• If you put two points above any one of them, it's "Ta"
• If you put three points above any one of them, it's "Tha"

Therefore one can imagine the multitude of possible alternatives that could arise from the varying arrangements of diacritical points on each of the three letters. Many of these alternatives are meaningful. For example:

1. If you put one point below the first, one above the second, two above the third, it's "bent" which translates as "girl" in English.
2. If you put one point below the first, two points below the second, two above the third, it's "Bayt" which translates as "home" in English.
3. If you put two points below the first, one below the second, and two above the third, it's "yabet" which translates as "he makes a decision" in English.
4. If you put one point above the first, one below the second and two above the third, it's "nabat" which translates as "was planted" in English.
5. If you put one point below the first, two below the second and one above the third, it's "Bayn" which translates as "between" in English.
6. If you put one point below the first, three points above the second and two points above the third, it's "Bathat" which translates as "she broadcast" in English.
7. If you put two points below the first, one below the second, and three above the third, it's "yaboth" which translates as "he broadcast" in English.
8. If you put two points above the first, two points below the second, one point above the third, it's "teen" which translates as "figs" in English.
9. If you put two points above the first, one below the second, and one point above the third, it's "tebn" which translates as "hay" in English.
10. If you put three points above the first, one below the second, two above the third, it's "thabbat" which translates as "strengthens" in English.
11. If you put three above the first, one above the second and two above the third, it's "thanat" which translates as "shy bent" in English.
12. If you put two above the first, one above the second, one below the third, it's "tannob" which translates as "to prevent" in English.
13. If you put two points below the first, three above the second, and one below the third, it's "yatheb" which translates as "he jumps" in English.
14. If you put one point above the first, three above the second and one below the third, it's "natheb" which translates as "we jump" in English.
15. If you put one point above the first, one below the second and three above the third, it's "nabath" which translates as "utters few letters" in English.

The list could go on. The number of Arabic letters that need diacritical points are 22 out of a total 28 Arabic letters. They are "Ba, ta, Tha, Geem, Ha, Kha, Dal, Zal, Ra, Zeen, Seen, Sheen, Sad, dzad, Ta, dza, 'ein, ghein, Fa, Gaf, non, and ya when it is the first or middle letter in a word". 22 letters out of 28 have no possible sound without diacritical points!! Remember, the Quran was first written without any diacritical points on these 22 letters!!

OTHER VOCALIZATION MARKS AFFECT MEANINGS

The second important point is: In addition to the diacritical points, there are other forms of vocalization marks that change the pronunciation and the meaning of the given word. These marks are Damma, Fathha, kassra, shadda, scoon, madda, and other less important marks. They are put above or below the letter to affect its pronunciation. Please realize that the same word will vary in its pronunciation and meaning according to the positioning of these marks. For example:

1. The same form of the word "bent" (A girl in English) will become "banat" by putting "Fathha" on the second letter, which means "she built" in English.
2. The same form of the word "bayn" (between in English) will become "bayan" if we add "shadda" on the first and the second letters, which means "He manifests" in English.
3. The same form of the word "Bayt" (home in English) will become "bayat" if we add "shadda" on the second letter, which means "he intends" in English.
4. The same form of the word "nabath" (utters some letters) will become "naboth" if we add "shadda" to the second letter, which means "we broadcast" in English.
5. The same form of the word "nabat" (was planted) will become "nabot" if we add "shadda" to the second letter, which means "we make a decision" in English.

Therefore even after adding diacritical points above and below the Arabic letters, the meaning of the word will not be explicit with certainty except after adding the vocalization marks. Both the diacritical points and the vocalization marks were not used in the ancient Arabic writings of the pre-, post-, and Quranic period. For a matter of simplification to the English reader, you may ponder the difference between (to & too) (too & two) (girls & girl's) (its & it's), although in Arabic things are even more complicated.

After this hurried analysis of the formulation of Arabic words, it may become clear to the reader to what extent the words will be meaningless without these points and marks. And that any attempt to add these diacritical points and vocalization marks to non-punctuated text of the Quran may result in countless numbers of readings.

This is the language in which the Quran was first written and we can imagine the enormity and scope of the problems that faced the later Muslims, many years after the early beginning of Islam, when they started putting diacritical points and vocalization marks on every letter in the Quran. They may have been experts in the Arabic language, experts in Arabic grammar, but they definitely did not receive Divine Inspiration to guard them against making mistakes, or to ensure that the original wordings and meanings of the Quran were unchanged.

These ideas that have drawn my attention are not merely an offensive attitude against the Quran. No. There is a very explicit example that manifests the dangers of the issue under discussion. There is a Quranic verse that states: "ALM Sabbeh Raboka Al Azzaam", which translates as: "ALM praise your glorified God". We ask the question what is ALM? Nobody answers. The scholars say it's just a divine symbol that has no definite meaning and it should be accepted as such. In an attempt to explain it some claim that it may be a part of the succeeding word "Sabbeh" which translates as "praise", but then the formulation of the sentence will not be grammatically correct. If we remembered the previous facts about the diacritical points and apply them to this verse we shall find that the letter "Ba" in the word "ALM saBBeh" was originally not punctuated. So, it may be "Ba" if one point is put below it, or it may be "ya" if you add a second point below it. This second point below the letter "Ba" would only slightly change the form of the sentence but it would radically change the meaning 180 degrees in the opposite direction. Changing this one letter would turn the whole story, history, and faith of Islam upside down! Do you know why? Let's read the sentence after adding just one point below the letter "Ba", changing it into "ya". The sentence will be, "ALMsyyh Raboka Al 'Azzaam." Just this one diacritical point will turn over the entire Islamic religion because the sentence now means: THE CHRIST IS YOUR GLORIFIED GOD!!!

Remember, the original Quranic language was not punctuated. Punctuation was added later by non-divinely inspired laymen who were fluent in the Arabic language and nothing more. This confession is very logic for us, the Christians. But if this was the confession of Muhammad and his Quran, what would then be the outcome? Ponder, think, then decide. It is fascinating to consider that the story of the Quran can be given a completely different direction and the history and religion of Islam can be turned over by just one diacritical point. Only one point can turn the entire Islamic world upside down. Not one Muslim scholar, teacher or Mullah in the entire world can attest to the presence or absence of this little point in the original text of the Quran before Muslims started to punctuate it. Oh God, just one diacritical point can vanquish an entire religion with its holy book and prophet.