Changing the Style of How Letters And Words of the Qur'an Are Written

From the Figh Council in the Honorable City of Makkah:
All praise is due to Allâh alone, and peace and blessings be upon the one whom there is no Prophet after him; our leader, our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and all of his Companions. To proceed:

The Islamic Figh Council reviewed a letter from Shaykh Hashim Wahbah 'Abdul-'Al, from Jeddah, in which the following was mentioned:

Question :

"Changing the writing of the script in the Mushaf from that of the 'Uthmani to the more modern form of written Arabic."

After discussing this topic in the Council, and seeking the approval of the Board of the Senior Scholars in Riyadh, no. app 71, dated: 21/10/1399 H.

Answer:

The Council ruled that the Mushaf should remain in 'Uthmani script for the following reasons:

1) It is established that the Mushaf with the 'Uthmani script was approved during the time of 'Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him; he ordered that the Mushaf should be written in one way; the rest of the Companions agreed, the Tabi'in followed them, and this continues until this time. It is confirmed that the Prophet ﷺ said :
"You must follow my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided Caliphs after me.

So we must dictate the script of the Mushaf in the same way that 'Uthman, 'Ali, and the rest of the Companions did so, and act according to their consensus.

2) If we were to change to the way Arabic is written nowadays, we are opening the door for another change, for we never know, a new way of writing Arabic may replace the way that is presently used. This may lead to a distortion of the Qur'an, as some letters may have to be added or removed to suit the new system of writing. What may follow is that there will be different copies of the Qur'an written differently, a discrepancy that the enemies of Islam will take advantage of. We must remember that Islam came to close the door to evil and tribulations.

3) By not following the 'Uthmani copy of the Mushaf, it is feared that people may suggest that now, the Qur'an should be written using Latin letters or letters of another language. We must remember that warding off harm is more. important than bringing benefit.

After having studied this issue, both the Islamic Figh Council in the Honorable City of Makkah and the Board of Senior Scholars in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia unanimously agreed. that it is not allowed to change the script of the 'Uthmani Mushaf, and that it is obligatory to continue copying the Mushaf in the 'Uthmani script as it always prevent any change or alteration in the Qur'anic text, and we furthermore have the honor of following the consensus of the Companions and the early generations of Islam, may Allah be pleased with them.

Some desire a change to the present-day form of writing because children, who are used to it in their own writing, find it difficult to read certain words in the Qur'an because they are written differently. But here the important role of the teacher becomes apparent, who must instruct students how to read those words that may be written differently, especially considering that such words are few and often repeated, such as Salah (written as Salawat) and Samawat. A young student who is taught properly quickly overcomes any difficulty in reading the Qur'an.

With Allah is the facilitation to do what is correct, may He send peace and blessings upon Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.