al-Atwal Sharh Talkhis Miftah al-Ulum
- Author died
- 945 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah
al-Atwal Sharh Talkhis Miftah al-Ulum (The Longer [Commentary]: Commentary on the Summary of the Key of Sciences) is an extensive Arabic commentary on rhetoric by the Hanafi scholar Isam al-Din al-Isfarayini (d. 945 AH / 1538–1539 CE; other reports give 943 AH or 951 AH) . It comments on Talkhis al-Miftah (Summary of the Key), the widely studied rhetorical handbook composed by Jalal al-Din al-Qazwini (d. 739 AH / 1338–1339 CE) as a condensation of the third section of al-Sakkaki's Miftah al-Ulum .
Content and Method
The work is written in the form of an interwoven commentary (sharh mamzuj), merging the base text of al-Qazwini directly into al-Isfarayini's detailed explanations . Al-Isfarayini composed the text partly to critically evaluate and counter many of the analyses and arguments put forward by Sa'd al-Din al-Taftazani in his prominent commentary on the same work, al-Mutawwal (The Lengthened Commentary) .
The commentary opens with the doxology: «الحمد لله على كل حال، كما يستوعب مزايا الإفضال...» ("Praise be to God in every state, embracing the virtues of beneficence...") . In its opening address, the author weaves in rhetorical terminology—such as al-fasl (disjunction), al-wasl (conjunction), kamal al-inqita' (complete severance), and kamal al-ittisal (complete connection)—alongside subtle allusions to foundational rhetoric titles like al-Miftah, al-Misbah, al-Talkhis, and al-Idah . Throughout his treatment of rhetorical definitions, figurative language, and stylistic devices, al-Isfarayini consistently anchors his interpretations to Sunni theological principles (Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jama'ah), systematically challenging subtle theological deductions attributed to the Mu'tazila that depart from mainstream Sunni doctrine .
Publication History
The commentary was published in two volumes in Istanbul (al-Astana) in 1284 AH / 1867–1868 CE . A modern critical edition edited and annotated by Abd al-Hamid Hindawi was subsequently published in Beirut .
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