Al-Firaq li-Ibn Abi Thabit
- Author died
- 1250 AH
- Editions
- Mu’assasat al-Risālah
Al-Firaq (The Distinctions, also titled Kitāb mā khālafat fīhi tasmiyat jawāriḥ al-insān tasmiyat jawāriḥ dhawāt al-arbaʿ min al-bahāʾim wa-l-sibāʿ) is an early Arabic lexicographical treatise by the Kufan philologist Thabit ibn Abi Thabit (d. c. 250 AH / 865 CE; another account places him as active before 224 AH / 839 CE), dedicated to differentiating the anatomical terminology applied to humans from that used for various animals.
Subject and Scope
The work belongs to the early genre of specialized philological monographs (kutub al-furūq and khalq al-insān) that catalog semantic nuances and anatomical designations in the Arabic language. Its primary focus is identifying the specific terms used for human bodily parts and limbs in contrast to the corresponding organs of four-legged beasts, predatory animals, and birds, while also noting cases of shared or overlapping vocabulary.
The material is structured by anatomical features, beginning with the mouth (Bāb al-fam), and details phonetic variants, morphosyntactic behaviors, and lexicographical definitions, supported throughout by citations of Arabic poetic verses, including poetry by al-Ajjaj.
Sources and Transmission
In compiling the treatise, Thabit ibn Abi Thabit relied directly on transmissions and rulings from prominent early authorities of Arabic lexicography and grammar, specifically naming al-Asma'i, Ibn al-A'rabi, Abu Ubayd al-Qasim ibn Sallam, and Abu Nasr Ahmad ibn Hatim, among other scholars. Thabit was known as an accomplished scribe and close disciple of Abu Ubayd, whose works he copied and vocalized accurately.
The book is recorded in major classical bibliographical registers, including the Fihrist of Ibn al-Nadim, the Fahrasa of Ibn Khayr al-Ishbili, and the biographical dictionary of Yaqut al-Hamawi.
Manuscripts and Editions
A notable Maghrebi manuscript of the work has been preserved in Rabat within a composite volume bearing the title al-Farq bayna tasmiyat jawāriḥ al-insān wa-tasmiyat jawāriḥ ghayrihi min al-ḥayawān.
The text has been published in several modern critical editions:
- Edited by Mahmud al-Tanahi and published in Rabat (1974).
- Edited by Hatim Salih al-Damin and published in Beirut and Damascus (1405 AH / 1985 CE).
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