An edition and analysis of Kitab Qira'at Abi 'Amr by Al-Nakzawi

The subject of this thesis is the preservation of a particular method of reading the Qur'än (girä'a or "Reading"), the Reading of Abd Amr ibn al-A1ä' of Basra or girä'at Abi Amr al-Basri, which dates from the first Muslim century.There are no published works in any language which deal comprehensively with this Reading.Considering that from at least the eighth century of the Christian era through the nineteenth, this Reading was the dominant method of reading the Qur'an throughout the central Muslim lands, this is a great lack, and the thesis aims to help rectify this situation.The core of the thesis is a technical treatise about this particular girä a, written by the Imam Abü Muhammad Abdallah ibn Muhammad al-Nakzäwi in the seventh Muslim century.As the title indicates, the thesis provides a critical edition of the text of the treatise, and a broad analysis of its transmission.The preservation, or transmission, of the Reading has three main aspects.First, its preservation in physical book form, primarily this particular treatise.Second, the preservation of its sounds, i. e. a record of the main characteristics of the Reading.Third the method whereby, in Sudan at least, the Reading is passed down.These aspects are dealt with in turn in the three sections of the thesis.An audio tape is attached as an appendix.fi"Ayt yL5 4.;,.s.