al-Badi fi Ilm al-Arabiya
- Author died
- 606 AH
- Editions
- Umm Al-Qura University
al-Badi fi Ilm al-Arabiya (The Remarkable Work on Arabic Grammar) is a comprehensive treatise on Arabic syntax and morphology composed by the scholar Majd al-Din Ibn al-Athir (544–606 AH / 1149–1210 CE) . It stands as his only surviving specialized work on Arabic linguistics .
Title and Scope
The author explicitly named the work al-Badi fi Ilm al-Arabiya in his introduction, specifying that by the term "the science of Arabic" (ilm al-arabiyya) he specifically meant the discipline of grammar (al-nahw) . Historical and biographical sources recorded the title with slight variations:
- Yaqut al-Hamawi, al-Qifti, and Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti referenced it as al-Badi fi al-Nahw .
- Ibn Khallikan, Taj al-Din al-Subki, and Ibn Taghribirdi cited it as al-Badi fi Sharh al-Fusul fi al-Nahw li-Ibn al-Dahhan, linking it directly to the grammatical treatise al-Fusul by Ibn al-Athir's teacher, Ibn al-Dahhan .
- Ibn al-Sha'ar al-Mawsili titled it al-Badi fi Ilm al-Irab .
Structure and Organization
Ibn al-Athir designed a structural arrangement that departed from standard medieval grammatical templates, such as al-Zajjaji's al-Jumal or Ibn al-Dahhan's al-Fusul . He premised his work on the principle that the science of Arabic grammar is divided into two interrelated parts: the intrinsic constitution and morphology of words (dhat al-kalima and bina), and their variable inflectional states and terminal vowelings (harakat wa-sukun or awarid al-kalim) . Consequently, he structured the treatise around two overarching sections termed "poles" (qutban), each containing twenty chapters :
- The First Pole: Centers on inflectional characteristics, case endings, and syntactic relations (awarid al-kalim) . Ibn al-Athir prioritized this pole over the morphological pole because of the pressing practical need to rectify common spoken solecisms that arose from foreign linguistic influences . Its topics conclude with grammatical appositives (tawabi), the vocative (nida), operative agents (awamil), kam, emphatic nunations, consonant clusters (iltiqa al-sakinayn), pause (waqf), and verbatim quote (hikaya) .
- The Second Pole: Concentrates on word forms, structures, and morphology (dhat al-kalim) . Its twenty chapters cover definite and indefinite nouns, gender, defective and prolonged nouns (al-maqsur wa-l-mamdud), duals, plurals, diminutives, relational adjectives (nisba), interrogatives, relative pronouns, diptotes, numbers, hamzas, vowel inclination (imala), orthography, address (khitab), morphological paradigms (abniya), verbal nouns (masadir), inflectional morphology (tasrif), assimilation (idgham), and poetic licenses .
Ibn al-Athir altered the conventional pedagogical order by placing topics typically deferred (such as waqf and hikaya) earlier, while moving subjects commonly placed first (such as definite and indefinite nouns) into the second pole . He formulated grammatical rules within each chapter as direct, categorized determinations (ahkam) while avoiding intricate philosophical abstractions .
Method and Reception
Although the book generally adheres to the foundational doctrines of the Basran grammatical school, Ibn al-Athir demonstrated an independent and critical method . He frequently favored positions of the Kufan school, criticized certain Basran justifications as contrived (taassuf), occasionally disputed rulings attributed to Sibawayh, and adopted minority opinions where he judged the textual and rational evidence to be stronger .
The book received acclaim from contemporary scholars. Yaqut al-Hamawi reported that the author's brother, the historian Izz al-Din Ibn al-Athir, presented him with the text—spanning roughly forty quires (kurrasa)—and Yaqut praised its novel arrangement and categorization . Later grammarians frequently cited rulings from the work using formulas such as "the author of al-Badi stated" (qalahu sahib al-Badi) or "in al-Badi" (wa-fi al-Badi) .
Modern Editions
The work has been edited and published in academic editions: its first volume was edited by Fathi Ahmad Ali al-Din under the auspices of Umm al-Qura University, while its second volume was prepared by Salih al-Ayid at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University .
Answer updated