al-Ittiba - al-Suyuti
- Author died
- 911 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat al-Khānjī
al-Ittiba‘ (also known as al-Ilma‘ fi al-Ittiba‘) is a linguistic treatise by Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (d. 911 AH / 1505 CE) dedicated to the Arabic philological phenomenon of ittiba‘—the pairing of words where a secondary word echoes the rhythm or rhyme of a primary word for rhetorical reinforcement and emphasis.
Background and Composition
In his linguistic compendium al-Muzhir fi ‘Ulum al-Lugha, al-Suyuti states that Ibn Faris had compiled an independent, alphabetically arranged monograph on ittiba‘, but had omitted numerous examples. Consequently, al-Suyuti abridged Ibn Faris's compilation and expanded upon it by gathering what Ibn Faris had missed, naming the resulting treatise al-Ilma‘ fi al-Ittiba‘ (recorded in bibliographical works such as Haji Khalifa's Kashf al-Zunun under the title al-Ilma‘ fi al-Ittiba‘ ka-Hasan Basan fi al-Lugha).
Linguistic Scope and Concepts
Al-Suyuti introduces ittiba‘ citing Ibn Faris’s definition: the practice wherein a word follows another on its morphological measure (wazn) or end-rhyme (rawiyy) for phonetic saturation (ishba‘) and emphasis (ta‘kid). He addresses several conceptual debates surrounding the topic:
- Distinction from Synonymy and Direct Emphasis: Drawing on discussions from Taj al-Din al-Subki (in his commentary on al-Baydawi's Minhaj), Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, and Sayf al-Din al-Amidi, the work clarifies that unlike true synonyms, a subordinate echoing word (al-tabi‘) does not convey meaning in isolation, but derives its strengthening function solely from following the headword.
- Nature of the Echoing Word: Al-Suyuti cites Ibn al-Dahhan from al-Ghurra, who categorized ittiba‘ under grammatical corroboration through repetition (al-ta‘kid bi-l-takrar), where a letter is altered to avoid verbatim repetition, comparable to corrobative sequences like ajma‘ akta‘.
- Syntactic Restrictions: The treatise examines whether the conjunctive particle waw can occur in ittiba‘, citing Abu Ubayd's view that true ittiba‘ generally excludes conjunctions, thereby excluding phrases like al-Abbas's statement regarding Zamzam (hill wa-bill) or expressions like hayyaka Allah wa-bayyak from being strictly classified as ittiba‘.
Sources and Examples
Al-Suyuti compiles paired and tripled expressions from classical philological authorities, aiming to present examples not covered by predecessors. His citations draw from:
- Ibn Durayd's Jamharat al-Lugha
- Abu Ubayd's Gharib al-Hadith and al-Gharib al-Musannaf
- Tha'lab's Amali (relaying from Ibn al-A‘rabi)
- Ibn Maktum's Tadhkira
- Abu Nasr al-Farabi's Diwan al-Adab
- Al-Jawhari's al-Sihah
- Mukhtasar al-‘Ayn
The material covers pairings where the secondary term cannot stand alone (e.g., ‘atshan natshan, hasan basan, shaghab jaghab, laysa bihi natish), phrases where the follower can occasionally occur independently (e.g., ghaniyy maliyy, faqir waqir), and expressions where two follow-up terms succeed the headword (e.g., hasan basan qasan).
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