al-Afaal - Ibn al-Qatta al-Siqilli
- Author died
- 515 AH
- Editions
- 'Alam al-Kutub
Kitab al-Afaal (The Book of Verbs), also referred to as Tahdhib Kitab al-Afaal, is an Arabic lexicographical and morphological dictionary compiled by the Sicilian philologist Ibn al-Qatta al-Siqilli (433–515 AH / 1041–1121 CE; another report gives 514 AH) to document and classify Arabic verbal forms and their meanings.
Composition and Purpose
Ibn al-Qatta composed the work in response to a request to clarify, reorganize, and supplement Kitab Abniyat al-Afaal by the Andalusian scholar Ibn al-Qutiyya (d. 367 AH). In his introduction, Ibn al-Qatta noted that while Ibn al-Qutiyya's work was of high value, its organization was scattered and difficult for students to navigate. Furthermore, Ibn al-Qutiyya had restricted his coverage to triliteral verbs and forms augmented with a hamza, leaving out many of them, while entirely omitting sound quadriliteral verbs, augmented quinqueliteral and sexiliteral verbs, and reduplicated roots. Ibn al-Qatta undertook to gather what was scattered across classical literary and philological compilations to produce a comprehensive reference for understanding the language of the Quran and the Prophet's hadith.
Structure and Methodology
The work is organized alphabetically according to the Arabic dictionary order (huruf al-mujam), grouping related forms together within each root so that a reader does not need to consult multiple sections to find a verb. To maintain editorial transparency, Ibn al-Qatta devised a specific notation system throughout the text:
- The letter Qaf (ق) marks material taken directly from Ibn al-Qutiyya's original text.
- The letter Ayn (ع) marks Ibn al-Qatta's own additions, corrections, and supplementations.
Methodologically, Ibn al-Qatta restricted his entries to well-attested and eloquent Arabic vocabulary, intentionally omitting obscure or repulsive rare words (al-hawshi al-mustahjan).
Reception and Editions
The biographer Ibn Khallikan praised the work, stating that Ibn al-Qatta excelled in its composition and considering it superior to Ibn al-Qutiyya's earlier work despite the latter's precedence. The book was published in three volumes by the Da'irat al-Ma'arif al-Uthmaniyya in Hyderabad (1361 AH / 1942 CE) and later reprinted by Alam al-Kutub in Beirut (1403 AH / 1983 CE).
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