al-Kamil fi al-Lugha wa al-Adab
- Author died
- 285 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Fikr al-ʿArabī
al-Kamil fi al-Lugha wa al-Adab (The Complete [Book] in Language and Literature) is a foundational compendium of Arabic philology, literature, grammar, and historical narratives compiled by the Basran philologist al-Mubarrad (d. 285 AH / 898 CE) .
Background and Purpose
The work was also referred to as al-Kamil fi al-Adab and al-Kamil fi al-Lugha wa al-Adab wa al-Nahw wa al-Tasrif . It circulated primarily through al-Mubarrad's lectures, dictations (imla'), and teaching sessions in Baghdad . An early transmission of the book was preserved through his student al-Akhfash al-Asghar (Ali ibn Sulayman, d. 315 AH), whose marginal glosses and remarks were often incorporated directly into the text .
In the introduction to the book, al-Mubarrad articulated his purpose and methodology:
"This is a book we composed collecting various forms of adab, including prose, rhymed poetry, common proverbs, profound exhortations, selections of noble speeches, and eloquent letters. Our intention in it is to explain all rare vocabulary (gharib) or obscure meanings occurring within it, and to provide a comprehensive explanation of its grammatical inflection (i'rab), so that this book may be self-sufficient and independent of consulting anyone else for its interpretation" .
Contents and Method
The work combines anthological selections of ancient and early Islamic Arabic poetry, prose, and orations with rigorous linguistic, grammatical, and morphological analysis . It incorporates numerous historical reports regarding politics, tribal conflicts, and literary anecdotes, and is particularly noted for its detailed accounts of the early Kharijites (akhbar al-Khawarij) .
Al-Mubarrad adopted an expansive, digressive method typical of early adab literature rather than a rigid topical outline . Later scholars criticized the text for omitting formal chains of transmission (isnad) for its historical and literary reports . Later commentators also observed that al-Mubarrad's sustained focus on intricate grammatical debates sometimes lent parts of the work the dry character of specialized linguistic manuals rather than fluid literary prose .
Reception and Critical Works
al-Kamil became one of the standard textbooks of Arabic literature and language across the Islamic world . Ibn Khaldun recorded in his Muqaddima that his teachers regarded the foundation of the discipline of adab as resting upon four canonical compendia: Adab al-Katib by Ibn Qutayba, al-Kamil by al-Mubarrad, al-Bayan wa al-Tabyin by al-Jahiz, and al-Nawadir (al-Amali) by Abu Ali al-Qali, with all other literary compendia being derivative branches of these four . Comparing it to al-Qali's work, Ibn Hazm stated that while al-Qali's collection contained more poetry and lexicographical rarities, al-Mubarrad's al-Kamil was superior in grammar and historical narrative .
The work drew extensive engagement, corrections, and critical notes from subsequent philologists:
- Abu Ja'far Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Nahhas (d. 338 AH) composed critiques identifying grammatical and transmission errors in the text .
- Ali ibn Hamza al-Basri (d. 375 AH) dedicated a section of his al-Tanbihat 'ala Aghalit al-Ruwat to correcting al-Mubarrad's transmissions and textual readings in al-Kamil .
- Abu al-Walid al-Waqqashi (d. 489 AH) wrote al-Ta'liq 'ala al-Kamil (also known as Nukat al-Kamil or Turar al-Kamil), providing concise critical glosses and emendations .
- Ibn al-Sid al-Batalyawsi (d. 521 AH) authored al-Qurt 'ala al-Kamil, a specialized commentary elucidating difficult passages .
Commentaries and Editions
In the modern period, the Azhari scholar Sayyid ibn Ali al-Marsafi (d. 1349 AH / 1931 CE) authored an extensive eight-volume commentary titled Raghbat al-Amil min Kitab al-Kamil . An abridgment and pedagogical revision titled Tahdhib al-Kamil was later produced by al-Siba'i Bayyumi .
al-Kamil was published multiple times, beginning with early nineteenth-century editions:
- An edition published in Leipzig between 1864 and 1882 by William Wright for the German Oriental Society .
- An Istanbul (Asitana) edition printed in 1286 AH .
- A Cairo edition printed at Matba'at al-Taqaddum in 1323 AH, featuring al-Jahiz's al-Fusul al-Mukhtara on its margins .
- A four-volume Cairo edition edited by Muhammad Abu al-Fadl Ibrahim and Sayyid Shihata, published by Matba'at Nahdat Misr .
- A critical edition edited by Muhammad Ahmad al-Dali in three text volumes and a fourth index volume, published by Mu'assasat al-Risala in Beirut (1406 AH), which also included selected annotations from al-Batalyawsi's al-Qurt 'ala al-Kamil .
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