al-Idah al-Adudi
- Author died
- 377 AH
- Editions
- Dr. Ḥasan Shādhilī Farhūd
al-Idah al-Adudi (Arabic: الإيضاح العضدي, The Clarification for Adud al-Dawla), commonly known as al-Idah, is a foundational Arabic grammar treatise authored by the grammarian Abu Ali al-Farisi (d. 377 AH / 987 CE) .
Composition and Context
Abu Ali al-Farisi composed the book for the Buyid ruler Adud al-Dawla Fanna Khusraw ibn Buwayh (d. 372 AH / 983 CE) while residing at his court in Fars, which gave the work its title . In the opening preface, al-Farisi stated that he compiled chapters on Arabic grammar in fulfillment of the command of Adud al-Dawla . Adud al-Dawla held al-Farisi in high esteem and studied grammar under him, famously proclaiming: "I am Abu Ali's servant in grammar" .
Biographical sources preserve differing accounts of the ruler's initial reception of the work. According to one account, Adud al-Dawla valued the book so exceptionally and guarded it so closely for his own private reading that when a man obtained a copy by subterfuge, the ruler ordered his hand cut off before ultimately pardoning him upon intercession . According to another report, Adud al-Dawla deemed the book too simple, remarking: "You have added nothing to what I already know; this is only suitable for young boys." This prompted al-Farisi to compose his advanced treatise on morphology, al-Takmilah (The Supplement), upon reading which the ruler remarked: "The shaykh grew angry and brought what neither we nor he understand" .
An anecdote also recounts that while riding alongside Adud al-Dawla in Shiraz, the ruler questioned al-Farisi regarding the grammatical operative governing the accusative case of the excepted noun in sentences like qama al-qawmu illa Zaydan. After an impromptu exchange, al-Farisi formulated a detailed written treatise addressing the issue and incorporated into al-Idah his position that the noun is governed in the accusative by the preceding verb reinforced by the particle illa .
Content and Method
Al-Idah presents an organized exposition of Arabic grammatical rules and syntax . In Kashf al-Zunun, Hajji Khalifa describes it as a medium-length work consisting of 196 chapters, with the first 166 dedicated to grammar (nahw) and the remainder treating morphology (tasrif) .
In selecting textual evidence (shawahid), al-Farisi adhered to the convention of early grammarians by relying on archaic poetry and avoiding post-classical (muhdath) verse . An exception occurred in the chapter on the verb kana, where he cited a verse by the Abbasid poet Abu Tammam because Adud al-Dawla admired the line and recited it frequently .
Reception and Commentaries
Al-Idah achieved widespread circulation across the Islamic world, including Iraq, Egypt, North Africa, and al-Andalus, prompting at least twenty-five classical commentaries, poetic versifications, and critical supercommentaries .
Prominent commentaries and related works include:
- Abd al-Qahir al-Jurjani (d. 471 AH) authored three separate commentaries on al-Idah and al-Takmilah: an expansive thirty-volume work titled al-Mughni, an abridgment titled al-Muqtisid, and a further summary titled al-Ijaz . Ibn al-Hajib (d. 646 AH) later wrote a commentary on al-Ijaz titled al-Muktafi li-l-Mubtadi .
- Said ibn al-Mubarak, known as Ibn al-Dahhan (d. 569 AH), compiled a commentary spanning forty-three volumes .
- Zayd ibn Ali al-Farisi (d. 467 AH) taught and wrote a commentary on the text .
- Commentaries were also authored by Abu al-Abbas al-Sharishi (d. 619 AH) , Abu al-Baqa al-Ukbari (d. 616 AH) , Ibn al-Bardha'i al-Khadrawi (d. 646 AH) in al-Iffsah 'an Kitab al-Idah , and Ibn Abi al-Rabi in al-Kafi fi al-Ifsah 'an Masa'il Kitab al-Idah .
- Specialized works explicating its poetic evidence (shawahid) include Idah Shawahid al-Idah by al-Hasan ibn Abd Allah al-Qaysi and al-Misbah lima U'tima min Shawahid al-Idah by Ibn Yas'un .
Modern critical editions of al-Idah have been prepared by scholars such as Hasan Shadhili Farhud .
Answer updated