Research practice
Quotation boundaries: omissions, additions and explanation
Keep the source’s wording separate from paraphrase and make editorial interventions visible.
A quotation is not a summary
Retain the source’s words within quotation marks and place paraphrase outside them. Mark omissions explicitly and check that they do not remove a negation, condition or objection that changes the meaning. Readers should be able to identify where the source ends and your comment begins.
Headings and vocalization
A heading added for convenience does not become the author’s heading. Explain interpretive vowel marks when they are absent from the witness. Do not silently mix transcription with a corrected reading. Present the transmitted wording, then explain the chosen vocalization and its effect.
Quotations within the quoted text
A passage may itself include a Qur’anic verse, hadith or another person’s report. Preserve these layers: the source you consulted and the source it cites. A reference to the Futuhat locates the wording there; it does not replace investigating a hadith’s transmission or checking a verse when that is the research question.
A final check
Reopen the source from the reference, read the preceding and following lines, and compare the quotation’s beginning and end. Write two sentences stating what the evidence establishes and what it cannot establish on its own. Review the companion reading on source text and commentary before publication.
References from the Arabic article
These links reproduce the Arabic article’s references. A reader ID is a site identifier, not a printed page number.
Read in context
Cite this reading
Futmak, «Quotation boundaries: omissions, additions and explanation», 2026-10-25.
Adapted translation of an Arabic editorial article; not a translation of the Futuhat book text.
https://www.futmak.com/english/articles/?id=quotation-boundaries