al-Kulliyat
- Author died
- 1094 AH
- Editions
- Mu'assasat al-Risalah
al-Kulliyat (The Universal Principles) is an encyclopedic dictionary of technical terminology and linguistic distinctions composed by the Ottoman Hanafi judge Abu al-Baqa al-Kafawi (Ayyub ibn Musa al-Husayni al-Kafawi, d. 1094 AH / 1683 CE; another report gives 1093 AH) .
Scope and Method
The work begins with the opening praise: "The best utterance placed before every speech, and the finest opening for every book in every state..." (خير منطوق به أمام كل مقال وأفضل مصدر به كل كتاب في كل حال) . In introducing his compilation, Abu al-Baqa al-Kafawi stated that he collected the general principles and rules (qawaʿid) dispersed throughout the works of earlier scholars, aiming to capture their beneficial insights in concise yet comprehensive wording, and arranged the material according to the alphabetical order of lexicons .
The dictionary encompasses definitions and conceptual discussions across multiple Islamic and rational disciplines, including Arabic linguistics, Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh), legal theory (usul al-fiqh), speculative theology (kalam), and philosophy, elucidating technical terms from the perspectives of these various fields .
Structure
The work is organized alphabetically into chapters corresponding to the letters of the Arabic alphabet :
- Each letter is assigned an individual section, with the opening letter alif receiving expanded treatment and detail .
- The book concludes with a chapter dedicated to miscellaneous matters (fasl fi al-mutafarriqat), followed by a final section titled "Blessed Is He Who Believed the Messenger of Allah, May Allah Bless Him and Grant Him Peace" (Tuba li-man saddaqa Rasula Allah - salla Allahu ʿalayhi wa sallam) .
Publication History
The book was printed in several early editions, including:
- A single-volume edition published at Bulaq in Cairo in 1281 AH, edited by Shaykh Muhammad al-Sabbagh .
- An edition published in Istanbul at al-Matbaʿa al-ʿAmira in 1287 AH .
- An Iranian lithograph edition .
- A five-volume critical edition edited by Adnan Darwish and Muhammad al-Masri, published in Damascus by the Ministry of Culture and National Guidance in 1981 CE .
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