al-Fusul wal-Ghayat

al-Fusul wal-Ghayat (The Chapters and Rhymed Endings) is an Arabic rhymed prose work by the Syrian poet and philosopher Abu al-Ala al-Maarri (363–449 AH / 973–1057 CE), dedicated to the glorification of God, ascetic exhortations, and linguistic erudition Majallat al-Risala+1.

Composition and Structure

According to Yaqut al-Hamawi, al-Maarri began composing the work prior to his journey to Baghdad and completed it after his return to Ma'arrat al-Nu'man, originally arranging it in seven parts Majallat al-Risala. The Persian traveler Nasir Khusraw, who visited Ma'arrat al-Nu'man in 438 AH, recorded that al-Maarri had authored the work using symbolic phrases and intricate parables in an eloquent and difficult style that was fully understood mainly by those who read it with him al-Fann wa Madhahibuhu fi….

The text is arranged alphabetically across the letters of the Arabic alphabet, omitting bare alif because its internal rhyme structure requires an alif to precede the designated rhyme letter (such as al-Ataʾ and al-Kisaʾ under hamza, or al-Sharab and al-Sarab under baʾ) Majallat al-Risala. Within each letter section, the text is structured into chapters (fusul, sing. fasl) that culminate in rhyming codas (ghayat, sing. ghaya, denoting the ultimate end or rhyme of the passage) Majallat al-Risala+1.

In terms of method, al-Maarri dictated passages containing homilies, prayers, reflections on divine omnipotence and eternity, and philosophical meditations on destiny Majallat al-Risala+1. He incorporated extensive material on rare lexicography (gharib), grammar, morphology, poetics, astronomy, proverbs, and history Majallat al-Risala. Following each dictated paragraph and its ghaya, al-Maarri dictated an explanatory commentary (tafsir) clarifying obscure vocabulary for his students, signaling his return to the main text with the formula rajaʿ ("returned") Majallat al-Risala.

Allegations of Quranic Imitation and Reception

al-Fusul wal-Ghayat became the center of a long-standing controversy during and after al-Maarri's lifetime al-Fann wa Madhahibuhu fi…. Multiple medieval biographers and critics—including Ali ibn al-Hasan al-Bakharzi, Ibn al-Jawzi, and Ibn Kathir—accused al-Maarri of composing the book in deliberate imitation or challenge (mu'arada) of the Quran, frequently reporting the title with the addendum fi Muhadhat al-Suwar wal-Ayat ("in alignment with the suras and verses") or fi Mu'aradat al-Suwar wal-Ayat al-Subh al-Munabbi an Hay…+2. Ibn al-Jawzi sharply disparaged the work, describing its prose as utterly feeble and cold al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya+1.

Several traditional accounts circulate an anecdote claiming that when contemporaries questioned why his text lacked the sweetness and luster of the Quran, al-Maarri replied that it had not yet been polished by tongues in the prayer niches (al-maharib) for four hundred years Majallat al-Risala+2.

Conversely, his student Ibn Sinan al-Khafaji strongly defended the work, arguing that anyone who reflects on it with reason recognizes that it is entirely distinct from attempting to imitate, resemble, or oppose the composition of the Quran al-Subh al-Munabbi an Hay…+1. Later scholars pointed out that the actual content consists of devout praise, expressions of awe before God, and calls to ascetic piety rather than sacrilege al-Fann wa Madhahibuhu fi…+1.

Transmission and Modern Editions

Most of the original seven parts of the book were lost in antiquity, particularly during the turmoil surrounding the First Crusade and the fall of Ma'arrat al-Nu'man in 492 AH Majallat al-Risala. An incomplete manuscript containing the first part was rediscovered in Mecca and subsequently edited and annotated by Mahmud Hasan Zanati, published in Cairo in 1356 AH / 1938 CE Majallat al-Risala+1.