al-Itimad fi Nazair al-Za wa al-Dad
- Author died
- 672 AH
- Editions
- al-Itimad fi Nazair al-Za wa al-Dad
al-Itimad fi Nazair al-Za wa al-Dad (Reliance on the Counterparts of Za and Dad) is a specialized lexicographical treatise by the grammarian Ibn Malik (d. 672 AH / 1274 CE), dedicated to differentiating homophonic or near-homophonic Arabic words that are distinguished by the letters za (ظ) and dad (ض) .
Scope and Structure
The work belongs to the classical genre of Arabic linguistic treatises compiled to prevent phonetic and orthographic confusion between the letters dad and za . Ibn Malik organized the text alphabetically by chapter headings according to root letters (such as Harf al-Mim) . Within these sections, he paired words with identical or closely related consonant skeletons that differ solely by having either dad or za, defining the precise lexical meaning of each variant . Examples discussed include:
- al-Marad (المرض, illness) with dad, contrasted with al-maraz (المرظ, hunger) with za .
- al-Madada (المضاضة, burning pain or distress) with dad, contrasted with al-mazaza (المظاظة, falling into trouble and disputation) with za .
- al-Madarra (المضرة, harm; the opposite of benefit) with dad, contrasted with al-mazarra (المظرة, land filled with sharp stones) with za .
- al-Muqayadah (المقيضة, an egg after the chick has hatched, or a well with abundant water) with dad, contrasted with al-muqayzah (المقيظة, a plant that remains green into midsummer) with za .
Ibn Malik composed other titles addressing the same phonological distinction, including his versification al-Itidad fi al-Farq bayn al-Za wa-al-Dad and Tuhfat al-Ihta fi al-Farq bayn al-Dad wa-al-Za, which modern scholars have noted in relation to al-Itimad .
Manuscripts and Editions
A manuscript of al-Itimad fi Nazair al-Za wa al-Dad is preserved at the Zahiriyya Library in Damascus (MS 1593), transcribed on 5 Jumada al-Ula 735 AH by Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr ibn Ahmad ibn Malik al-Nafri al-Andalusi .
The text has been edited and published by Hatem Salih al-Damin across multiple printings, including an edition issued by Mu'assasat al-Risalah in Beirut (2nd ed., 1404 AH / 1984 CE) and another by Dar al-Basha'ir in Damascus (1424 AH / 2003 CE), as part of a monograph series devoted to classical works on the letters dad and za .
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