Arabic Calligraphy and Correct Orthography
Script and spelling
Calligraphy and orthography questions check whether you can form Arabic letters correctly in their isolated, initial, medial and final shapes, join them properly, and spell words with the right hamzah, shaddah, tanwin and alif. The paper may ask you to copy a line in naskh, identify a script style, or correct a misspelt word.
Core rules
- Naskh is the clear model for examination copying: even spacing, letters sitting on the line, dots distinct.
- Hamzat al-wasl is pronounced at the start and dropped in connected speech: it appears in ال and in forms like ابن، اكتب. Hamzat al-qat' is always pronounced: أحمد، إسلام.
- Ta marbuta (ة) is written only at the end of a word; it becomes ت in construct before a suffix in some forms. Do not replace it with ه.
- Alif maqsurah (ى) is written without dots at the end; it is not ya (ي).
- Lam of ال is pronounced before qamari letters (القمر) and assimilated with shaddah before shamsi letters (الشمس).
- Write shaddah, sukun and tanwin where the word requires them; do not decorate randomly.
Worked example
Copy and explain: الشَّمْسُ. The lam of ال is written but not pronounced because ش is a shamsi letter; the shin takes shaddah, and the final س takes damma. In القمر, the lam is pronounced with sukun because ق is qamari. Reasoning: the rule depends on the first letter of the noun, not on the meaning. A common error is to write الشمس without shaddah or to pronounce the lam.
Traps
Do not drop the dots on final ya or add dots to alif maqsurah. Do not write ة as ه. Do not omit hamzat al-qat' in إسلام or أحمد. Do not crowd letters so that joining is unclear. Do not use a decorative script style that makes the line illegible; examination copying rewards clarity.