What is the ruling on writing (يا ويلتى) by removing the alif and the alif maqṣūrah, and sufficing with the dagger alif after the letter ta?
The phrase "يا ويلتا" (Oh, woe is me!) is written with a 'ya' (ي) after the 'ta' (ت) followed by a short alif (ى), because its alif (ا) originates from the 'ya' (ي) of the first-person pronoun, its original form being "يا ويلتي" (Oh, my woe). Al-Kharraz indicates that an alif originating from a 'ya', whether it is in the middle or at the end of a word, is written as a 'ya' to draw attention to its origin and the possibility of its imalah (slanting the pronunciation of the alif towards 'ee'). Words such as "هدى" (guidance), "هوى" (desire), "فتى" (young man), "أأسفى" (my sorrow), and "يا حسرتي" (my regret) are written similarly. Writing "يا ويلتا" with a short alif after the 'ta' and omitting the 'ya' contradicts the Mushaf's orthography and standard spelling.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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