Al-Ittiba wal-Muzawaja
- Author died
- 395 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat al-Khānjī
Al-Ittiba wal-Muzawaja (Follow-up and Pairing) is a specialized lexicographical treatise by the philologist Ibn Faris (d. 395 AH / 1004 CE) devoted to the linguistic phenomenon of word doubling and echoing pairs in Arabic speech .
Subject and Typology
The book investigates al-ittiba'—a feature of Arabic rhetoric and idiom where a secondary word follows a primary word on the same meter or rhyme for emphasis and phonological fullness (إشباعًا وتأكيدًا)—alongside al-muzawaja (word pairing) . Ibn Faris records an account of an Arab Bedouin who, when asked about this practice, explained: "It is something with which we anchor our speech" («هو شيء نتد به كلامنا») .
In the work's preface, Ibn Faris divides these constructions into two primary divisions :
- Two consecutive words sharing the same end-rhyme (rawiyy) .
- Two consecutive words whose end-rhymes differ .
He further subdivides each category according to semantic independence :
- Instances where the second word possesses an independent, recognized meaning of its own .
- Instances where the second word lacks an independent lexical meaning or clear etymological derivation outside of its subordinate association with the first word .
Structure and Method
Ibn Faris composed the treatise as a concise single volume (juz'), arranging the entries alphabetically by letter (e.g., bab al-ba', bab al-ta', bab al-tha') to make the material accessible and easy to consult . Under each letter heading, he lists idiomatic doublet expressions—such as saghib laghib (hungry and exhausted), kharab yabab (utterly ruined), and khabb dabb—while clarifying lexical roots, meanings where applicable, and citations from early authorities like al-Asma'i and Ibn al-A'rabi, as well as classical poetic verses .
Scholarly Impact and Editions
Al-Ittiba wal-Muzawaja stands alongside early monographs on the subject by contemporaries such as Ibn Khalawayh and Abu al-Tayyib al-Lughawi . Later scholars frequently drew upon it; Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti relied on its introductory framework in Al-Muzhir and prepared an abridgment supplemented with additional material, titled Al-Ilma' fi al-Ittiba' .
The text was published in Europe by Rudolf Brünnow in 1906, and later edited by Kamal Mustafa and printed at Matba'at al-Sa'ada in Cairo in 1947 .
Answer updated