al-Malahin
- Author died
- 321 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Jīl
al-Malahin (Kitab al-Malahin, "The Book of Equivocations") is a concise Arabic linguistic treatise on verbal evasion and double entendres in oaths, composed by the Basran philologist and lexicographer Ibn Durayd (223–321 AH / 838–933 CE) .
Purpose and Title
Ibn Durayd composed the treatise as a practical linguistic resource for individuals subjected to duress or coercion when forced to swear oaths . By employing its formulated phrases, a coerced swearer could outwardly utter what satisfied an oppressor while inwardly intending an entirely different linguistic meaning, thereby escaping tyranny and injustice without committing perjury .
The author derived the title from the root l-h-n, explaining that among the ancient Arabs al-lahn denoted intelligence and acumen (al-fitna), as reflected in the prophetic tradition: لعل أحدكم ألحن بحجته ("Perhaps one of you is more eloquent/astute in presenting his argument") . In Arabic usage, al-lahn designates intending one thing while veiling it through the medium of another expression .
Linguistic Method and Content
The text focuses on oath formulas (al-ayman), with clauses systematically structured around swearing by God (wallah) . Ibn Durayd draws on rare vocabulary, polysemy, and less common semantic derivations from classical Arabic to construct equivocal statements . For example, a speaker may swear ma ra'aytuhu, appearing to mean "I did not see him," while inwardly intending "I did not strike his lungs" (from al-ri'ah), or ma kallamtuhu, appearing to mean "I did not speak to him," while intending "I did not wound him" (from al-kalm) .
Reception and Manuscripts
The book is recorded in classical catalogs, including the Fihrist of Ibn Khayr al-Ishbili . Later scholars evaluated other works in the genre by comparison with it; Yaqut al-Hamawi, commenting on another treatise on oaths, noted that it resembled Ibn Durayd's Kitab al-Malahin, though it was larger and more comprehensive .
Numerous manuscript copies of the work have survived across various libraries, including:
- El Escorial (MS 442/5 and MS 467/4, the latter dating to the 6th century AH) .
- The Vatican Apostolic Library (MS 1479/5, dating to the 8th–9th century AH) .
- The Berlin State Library (MS 7100/1, transcribed in 1091 AH) .
- The Forschungsbibliothek Gotha (MS 417, 10th century AH) .
- Princeton University Library (Garrett MS 292H, copied in 1301 AH; and MS Yahuda 3568) .
- The Atif Efendi Library (MS 2800/2, copied ca. 1000 AH) and Bashir Agha Library (MS 194/1, dated 619 AH) in Istanbul .
- The Taymuriyya collection at the National Library of Egypt in Cairo (Lughah MS 530) .
- The General Library in Rabat (al-Kattani collection, MS 359/1) .
- The Arif Hikmat Library in Medina (Majmu 60 / Majmu 104/4), preserved with glosses by Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Buhuti (d. 1088 AH / 1678 CE) .
The text has been published in modern editions, including an edition verified with commentary by Abd al-Hafiz Farghali Ali al-Qarani .
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