Arabic Spelling and Calligraphy

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Imla and khatt: two different needs

Imla governs what to write: where the hamza sits and on which seat, when a final alif is written alif maqsura, when the ta is marbuta, which letters are written without being pronounced, how to punctuate an Arabic text. Khatt governs how to draw it: letter proportions, measurement by the dot, joins, the angle of the reed. One can write beautifully and spell badly, and the reverse. The two are trained separately, with different books.

Spelling: what the books cover

The hamza: initial, medial, final, and the rule of the strongest seat, which alone accounts for most mistakes.
Alif maqsura and alif mamduda in nouns and verbs.
Ta marbuta, ta maftuha and ha in final position.
Letters added or dropped in writing, and words written together or apart.
Punctuation, a modern codified usage that learners routinely ignore.

Two common references: Qawa'id al-imla by Abd al-Salam Harun, short and reliable, and Al-Imla wa al-tarqim fi al-kitaba al-arabiyya by Abd al-Alim Ibrahim, fuller and written for teaching.

Calligraphy: which script to start with

For everyday writing, ruq'a: the current handwriting of the Arab world, fast, with few rules, and the one to learn first. For reading and copying printed texts, naskh: the script of books and of the mushaf, hence the one that serves memorisation. Thuluth, diwani and farisi are display scripts, beautiful and demanding, to be taken up once the hand is trained. The mashq workbooks of Hashim Muhammad al-Baghdadi remain the basis of classical training.

What makes a good writing workbook

Paper that does not bleed, ruling that is visible but discreet, a model beside the line to fill rather than above it, and above all a progression letter by letter and then join by join. Workbooks sold as "calligraphy" with no graded model are of no use. Every listing states the script, the level, whether a model to copy is included, and the paper weight when the publisher gives it.

The other language sciences

Upstream, if decoding is not yet in place: Learning to read Arabic. Downstream, spelling settles with Arabic grammar and morphology, which explain why a word is written as it is. And to settle a doubt over a spelling, an Arabic-Arabic dictionary remains the surest tool.

Ordering and shipping

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What is the difference between imla and khatt?

Imla governs what to write: where the hamza sits, alif maqsura, ta marbuta, silent letters, punctuation. Khatt governs how to draw it: letter proportions, measurement by the dot, joins. One can write beautifully and spell badly, and the reverse. They are two different books.

Which calligraphy script should I start with?

Ruq'a if you want to write day to day: it is the current handwriting of the Arab world, fast and with few rules. Naskh if your aim is to read and copy printed texts, since it is the script of books and of the mushaf. Thuluth, diwani and farisi come later.

Which book for the spelling rules?

Qawa'id al-imla by Abd al-Salam Harun is short and reliable, ideal for fixing the essentials. Al-Imla wa al-tarqim fi al-kitaba al-arabiyya by Abd al-Alim Ibrahim is fuller and written for teaching, with more examples and exercises.

Are your workbooks suitable for children?

Some are, some are not, and each listing says so. For a child, look for a workbook with a model beside the line to fill and a progression letter by letter then join by join. A workbook sold as "calligraphy" with no graded model will not help them.