Re: The Qura'n Project, status and call for help!

[Mohammed Yousif <mhdyousif at gmx dot net>]

On Friday 07 February 2003 19:31, Ahmad Kamal wrote:
> ASA,
>          Just some notes
>
> >      - Sura names (سورة الفرقان), Juz'a Numbers (الجزء
> > الخامس), Basmalla,
> >        and other names of books to be included (tafser, asbab annozol,
> >        ..etc)
> >        (yes I will map them in the font itself to the roman alphabet).
>
> Excuse me, I don't quite understand why you want to put sura names, and
> book names inside the font. Why not put them in the XML file as regular
> text. 
 They will be on the XML indeed :-)
 Instead of using a regular font for Sura Names, I will put a symbol for
 each Sura Name and map it to a roman letter, so the XML will look like:
 <sura id="1" name="A">
 if used with a regular font and will look like:
 <sura id="1" name="{some really good looking symbol}">
> I believe pictures kill flexibility.
 indeed, but they will not be pictures as you saw. it's only 'how' the font
 display it (which is true for all characters - to give an example see the
 webdings font)
 And why is this? because I want to give the user a feeling that he is
 using a Mushaf with all of its decorations and fonts (compare using a
 regular font to display the sura name and sura names on a Mushaf)
 Flexibility?
 It's flexible as we won't need to change or separate the sura name,
 another point the user can 'copy' the sura name and 'paste' it in any
 other application and use that font to display it (otherwise it will be
 'A' or whatever the sura name is mapped to)

> >    as soon as the font is created, we will (Insha'allah) recopy the
> >    Qura'n arabic text (from a Mushaf of course) to look exactly as
> >    the Qur'an arabic text written in Othmani script.
>
> Will this include (Tashkeel)?? You mean you will 'type it in' again? How
> long should this take?
 No, it's simply completing tashkel, adding other symbols removing some
 characters(usualy Madd characters) and adding others.
 For example the madd in (الرحمان) will be removed and the approprioate
othmani script character will added instead (which is a small hindi ONE
digit above the Meem)
> >    - At the start of every Sura, there should be a decorated box that
> >      have the sura name, number of verses and if it's makkiya or
> >      maddania..etc (this should be scanned from a hard-copy of the
> >      Qura'an text and displayed as pictures, not much work fortunately).
>
> Again why picture?
 Because of the decorations, plus this thing must NOT change, and it
 is useless to copy a decoration!
> >  - Copying the texts of these books:
> >     * Lobab Al-Qaol lel Seyouty (aka. Asbaab Annuzoul).
> >     * Tafser Al-Jallalain.
> >     * Tafser Ibn Katheer.
> >     * Other books as wll
> >    to XML format (if you want to contribute ask me first about the DTD
> >                         to adopt).
> >          - asking for these books in some electronic format from
> >            Al-Muhaddith project(http://www.muhaddith.org)?
>
> Well, I have almuhhadith CD. I may be able to convert the books to XML
> using an awk script (muhhadith2quran.awk), if possible. However, does
> anyone here know al-muhhadith book format? Also, a description of the XML
> format is needed.
> What is that DTD?
 This is not what I want, I'm asking about possible cooperation with
 them, and don't bother to try to convert them for two reasons:
  1- not all books are free and they cost them money to buy, scan...etc
  2- They were smart enough to encode the books.

-- 
Mohammed Yousif
"She is in my mind and soul, I love her with all my heart and blood".
We _will_ restore OUR Jerusalem.