Hausa Ajami

Hausa Ajami script refers to the practice of using the alphabet derived from Arabic script for writing of Hausa language.^[1]

Ajami is a name commonly given to alphabets derived from Arabic script for the use of various African languages, from Swahili to Hausa, Fulfulde, and Wolof.

Hausa ajami is an alphabet where vowel sounds are written using a mixture of combining marks and letters. Unlike Semitic languages such as Arabic that build words on consonant patterns and so normally hide vowel diacritics in the Arabic script, it can be difficult to read Hausa text without the full vowel information, and therefore Hausa retains all vowel diacritics in the text.

In Niger and Nigeria, there exists two general orthographic traditions, each derived from two Quranic orthographic practices.^[2] One of these is based on the Quran recitation and inscription of the 8th century religious scholar Hafs ibn Sulayman , the other based on the Quran recitation and inscription of another 8th Century scholar, Warsh. Hafs tradition is the most popular across the Muslim world, and especially in Egypt, the Levant, and the Arabian Peninsula. Warsh tradition is the second most popular tradition across the Muslim world, and has been especially popular in North Africa, West Africa, and Andalusia. In Niger and Nigeria, Warsh is the orthographic convention preferred by local Sufi schools and scholars (including Tijaniyyah and Qadiriyya schools), whereas Hafs is the orthographic convention preferred by Sunni schools and scholars, including the Salafi Izala Society. While technically such distinction between Sufis and Sunnis does not theologically exist, this is a good approximation of the sociolinguistic situation.^[3]

While Hafs is generally always written in Naskh, Warsh is written either in Naskh, or in Maghrebi script, following North African traditions, and in a local calligraphic tradition.^[4]

From Nigerian independence up until 2007, the Hausa text on Nigerian naira banknotes were written in Warsh script. Prior to independence, British West African pound banknotes included Hausa text written in Hafs script.^[3]