al-Majmu al-Mughith fi Gharibay al-Quran wa al-Hadith
- Author died
- 581 AH
- Editions
- Umm al-Qura University, Center for Scientific Research and Islamic Heritage Revival, College of Sharia and Islamic Studies
al-Majmu al-Mughith fi Gharibay al-Quran wa al-Hadith (The Succoring Collection on the Rare Words of the Quran and Hadith) is a classical lexicon of obscure and rare vocabulary (gharib) occurring in the Quran and Hadith literature, authored by the Hadith master Abu Musa al-Madini (501–581 AH / 1108–1185 CE) .
Composition and Scope
Abu Musa composed the work as a direct supplement and completion (istidrak and tatimmah) to Kitab al-Gharibayn (The Book of the Two Rares) by Abu Ubayd al-Harawi (d. 401 AH) . In his introduction, Abu Musa explained that after studying al-Harawi's lexicon and finding it highly useful, he observed that many rare expressions had inevitably escaped it, as the Arabic language cannot be comprehensively encompassed by a single author . He systematically compiled the missing expressions and later incorporated material from an anonymous quire written after 450 AH by a scholar from Khurasan, which contained additions drawn from al-Uzayzi's work on Quranic vocabulary along with expositions on the divine names of God and other rare words . Abu Musa also acknowledged in his work that further rare expressions would still remain beyond his collection because the breadth of Arabic speech is inexhaustible .
Structure and Method
The book follows the arrangement and methodology established by al-Harawi, organizing terms alphabetically by their letter roots . Entries are grouped into alphabetical chapters based on the first letter, and then sub-ordered by subsequent letters to allow readers to locate words with minimal effort . Abu Musa adopted a concise style, relaying explanations from authoritative and trustworthy sources and avoiding excessive citations unless necessary . He intentionally avoided repeating words already explained by al-Harawi, including them only when required to rectify an error, supply a missing explanation, or provide an alternative meaning .
Reception and Influence
The work received substantial praise from subsequent scholars:
- Majd al-Din Ibn al-Athir (d. 606 AH) lauded it as being of the utmost beauty and perfection, observing that Abu Musa matched al-Harawi's book in volume and benefit while strictly maintaining the purpose of supplementing what al-Harawi had omitted . Ibn al-Athir subsequently combined the contents of al-Harawi's al-Gharibayn and Abu Musa's al-Majmu al-Mughith as the two foundational pillars for his celebrated dictionary, al-Nihayah fi Gharib al-Hadith wa al-Athar (The Ultimate in Rare Hadith and Traditions) .
- Ibn Khallikan (d. 681 AH) noted that Abu Musa completed and supplemented al-Harawi's work in a single volume, describing it as a beneficial book .
- Al-Dhahabi (d. 748 AH) cited the work as evidence of Abu Musa's proficiency in the Arabic language .
Manuscripts and Editions
Surviving manuscripts of the work include a two-volume copy preserving 350 folios in the Feyzullah Library in Istanbul dating to the 7th century AH, and a two-volume manuscript of 318 folios preserved in the Köprülü Library in Istanbul copied in 674 AH . The book was edited by Abd al-Karim al-Izbawi and published in 1406 AH / 1986 CE by the Center for Scientific Research and Islamic Heritage Revival at Umm al-Qura University in Mecca .
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