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Fatwa CenterWho invented the short vowel marking in the Quranic text?
Question
Assalam Alaikum, Would you please enlighten me as to who invented "Fathha, Kasra and Damma" and introduced them into Quranic (Arabic)?? Awaiting your valued answer - ASAP
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
The historians agreed that the Arabs at their first era did not know any dots or short vowel markings on the letters and words, let alone using them. That is because they had no need for it as they were well-versed in the Arabic language. However, when other nations embraced Islam while not knowing the Arabic language, mistakes in pronunciation started to occur. Rather, when Abul-Aswad Ad-Du’ali heard someone reciting the verse of Allaah {أَنَّ اللَّهَ بَرِيءٌ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ وَرَسُولُهُ} (which means): {Allaah is disassociated from the disbelievers, and [so is] His Messenger.}[Quran 9:3], but instead of putting a Dhammah (the short vowel [U] on the top of the letter ل of the word رسوله; he put a Kasrah (the short vowel [I] below the letter ل , making the word mean that “Allaah is disassociated from the disbelievers and from His Messenger.”, then he said to the man: “Glory be to Allaah above being disassociated from His Prophet.” [Meaning that Allaah will never be disassociated from His Prophet]. Therefore, he endeavored to put some short vowel markings on the letters and words of the Quranic text, so he put the “Fat'hah” [the short vowel A] as a dot on top of the letter, and the “Kasrah” [the short vowel I] as a dot below the letter, and the “Dhammah” [the short vowel U] as a dot beside the letter, and he made the “Sukoon” [a marking indicating that the consonant is not followed by a vowel] as two dots.
Then people started to develop and change these markings until ‘Abdul Malik Ibn Marwaan came and put the short vowel markings (Fathah, Kasrah and Dhammah) instead of the dots, and this was easier for people. No doubt, putting these marks has protected the Quran against incorrect pronunciation and this was among Allaah preserving His Book as Allaah Says (what means): {Indeed, it is We who sent down the message [i.e. the Quran] and indeed, We will be its guardian.}[Quran 15:9]
Allaah Knows best.
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