al-Fa'iq fi Gharib al-Hadith
- Author died
- 538 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Ma‘rifah
al-Fa'iq fi Gharib al-Hadith (The Superior Work on Rare Hadith Terminology) is a specialized lexicon compiled by the scholar Abu al-Qasim Mahmud ibn Umar al-Zamakhshari (d. 538 AH / 1144 CE) to explain uncommon and difficult vocabulary found in the prophetic traditions and reports of the Companions .
Composition and Purpose
Al-Zamakhshari completed the book in 516 AH (1122 CE) . In his introduction, he stated that his objective was to uncover obscure expressions in historical reports and clarify complex rhetorical meanings . He drew heavily upon earlier foundational treatises on gharib al-hadith (unusual Hadith vocabulary), notably the works of Abu Ubayd al-Qasim ibn Sallam, Ibn Qutaybah, Abu Sulayman al-Khattabi, and Abu Ubayd al-Harawi . His broader sources also included general lexicons such as Kitab al-Ayn and Abu Mansur al-Azhari's Tahdhib al-Lughah, grammatical and literary works like Sibawayh's al-Kitab, Abu Ali al-Farisi's al-Masa'il al-Askariyat, the writings of al-Jahiz, the Maqamat of Badi' al-Zaman al-Hamadhani, and works of Quranic exegesis .
Method and Structure
Al-Zamakhshari arranged the lexicon alphabetically by root consonants, organizing entries under major chapters based on the first letter and subheadings by the second letter, while placing the letter waw before ha' and leaving the third letter unalphabetized .
Unlike predecessors such as al-Harawi, who dispersed the individual rare words of a single tradition across separate alphabetical entries, al-Zamakhshari cited the tradition in full—or the relevant part—and interpreted all of its difficult words in one place under a single headword . To aid readers when an obscure term appeared within a tradition placed under a different letter, al-Zamakhshari appended cross-references at the end of each section indicating the locations of the remaining terms . Despite this system, later scholars like Majd al-Din Ibn al-Athir observed that locating specific words could entail considerable effort if a reader did not know which primary entry contained the full report .
Reception and Influence
Al-Fa'iq became one of the standard reference works in the genre of Hadith lexicography . Ibn al-Athir utilized it alongside al-Harawi's work as a major foundation for his own comprehensive dictionary, al-Nihayah fi Gharib al-Hadith wa-al-Athar . It was widely cited by prominent commentators on Hadith collections, including Ibn Daqiq al-Id, Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Badr al-Din al-Ayni, al-Qastallani, and Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti .
The book was abridged in the eleventh century AH by Abd al-Rahman ibn Husayn al-Nuzayli under the title al-Mufid fi Gharib al-Hadith .
Publication History
Al-Fa'iq was printed in Hyderabad, Deccan, in 1334 AH (1916 CE) . It was later edited by Muhammad Abu al-Fadl Ibrahim and Ali Muhammad al-Bijawi, first published in Cairo in three volumes in 1366–1367 AH (1947–1948 CE) by Matba'at Isa al-Babi al-Halabi, and subsequently issued in a four-volume second edition .
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