al-Ijaz wal-Ijaz
- Author died
- 429 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat al-Qur’ān
al-Ijaz wal-Ijaz (Inimitability and Concision; Arabic: الإعجاز والإيجاز) is an Arabic literary anthology and rhetorical work by the philologist and man of letters Abu Mansur al-Tha'alibi (350–429 AH / 961–1038 CE; d. 430 AH according to Kashf al-Zunun) . The book compiles memorable, concise expressions across Arabic prose and poetry, illustrating the rhetorical principle of conveying expansive meanings through brief, impactful phrasing .
Title and Concept
The work is known under multiple variant titles in biographical and bibliographical literature . In Kashf al-Zunun, Katip Celebi records it as I'jaz al-Ijaz (The Inimitability of Concision) . Carl Brockelmann noted it under Ijaz al-I'jaz as well as al-Ijaz wal-I'jaz, while early printed editions popularized the title al-Ijaz wal-Ijaz . The use of "inimitability" (i'jaz) alongside "concision" (ijaz) in the title does not reflect a theological claim of miraculous production for the work itself, but rather indicates al-Tha'alibi's aim of presenting speech compressed to the utmost degree of succinctness . In the opening passage of the work, al-Tha'alibi states: "Whoever wishes to understand comprehensive words (jawami' al-kalim), notice the virtue of brevity and concision, grasp the eloquence of allusion, and discern the sufficiency of conciseness, let him contemplate the Quran" .
Structure and Contents
The book is structured into ten chapters (abwab), systematically gathering concise aphorisms, historical utterances, and poetic selections from the pre-Islamic era down to the first third of the fifth century AH :
- Sacred and Early Islamic Speech: The work opens with examples of Quranic concision, examining how single words convey comprehensive religious meanings—such as اسْتَقَامُوا (they remained steadfast) encompassing all acts of obedience, or الْأَمْنُ (security) denoting total freedom from fear . It follows with concise Prophetic traditions (hadith) demonstrating comprehensive speech (jawami' al-kalim) .
- Rulers, Scribes, and Sages: Subsequent chapters compile memorable sayings and official correspondence from Muslim caliphs and kings, notable state secretaries and rhetoricians (kuttab and bulagha'), maxims of philosophers and sages (hukama'), and quick-witted retorts and anecdotes from courtiers (zurafa') .
- Poetry: The tenth and concluding chapter is dedicated to celebrated verses (qala'id al-shu'ara'), arranged chronologically by poet from the pre-Islamic period (Jahiliyya) through al-Tha'alibi's own era, highlighting their most succinct and evocative lines .
Abridgment and Publication History
An abridgment (mukhtasar) of the work was composed by the theologian and scholar Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (d. 606 AH) .
The text was first printed in Istanbul at Matba'at al-Jawa'ib in 1301 AH as the opening treatise in a five-part compilation (Majmu'at Khams Rasa'il) . It was first published as an independent book in Cairo in 1897 CE by Iskandar Asaf, based on a manuscript copied in 422 AH by Jamal, the grandson of Safi ibn Abi Mansur, preserved in the Khedivial Library . Modern editions include one edited by Muhammad Ibrahim Salim (Cairo, 1419 AH / 1998 CE), who expurgated verses dealing with wine and revelry, and another edited by Ibrahim Salih (Dar al-Basha'ir, Damascus, 2nd ed. 2004 CE) , in addition to undated printings by Maktabat al-Bayan in Baghdad and Dar Sa'b in Beirut .
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