al-Matar wa al-Sahab
- Author died
- 321 AH
- Editions
- al-Matar wa al-Sahab
al-Matar wa al-Sahab (Rain and Clouds) is a specialized Arabic philological treatise composed by the Basran lexicographer and poet Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Durayd (223–321 AH / 838–933 CE) on Arabic meteorological vocabulary and descriptions of rain and clouds .
Purpose and Scope
Ibn Durayd states at the beginning of the work that he compiled what the Arabs described in both the pre-Islamic era (Jahiliyya) and Islam regarding rain (al-matar) and clouds (al-sahab), as well as descriptions given by Arab scouts (al-ruwwad) concerning lands and pastures . The book is also referred to in biographical bibliographies under the title al-Sahab wa al-Ghayth .
Method and Sources
The book consists of transmitted reports, prophetic traditions, Bedouin dialogues, and poetic testimonies illustrating meteorological phenomena, followed directly by Ibn Durayd’s lexical explanations of rare vocabulary (gharib) .
The author opens with a narration transmitted through Ismail ibn Ahmad ibn Hafs al-Nahwi (known as Sam'an al-Nahwi), going back to the Prophet ﷺ observing a cloud and questioning his companions about its lower layers (qawa'id), middle and bulk (raha), heights (bawasid), lightning, and dark color (jawn) . Ibn Durayd follows such narrations with detailed linguistic glosses, explaining terms for cloud densities, lightning patterns, types of downpours, flood currents, and mountain plants .
Ibn Durayd relies primarily on classical authorities from the Basran philological tradition, including:
- Abu Hatim al-Sijistani, through whom he transmits numerous reports .
- Al-Asma'i, cited frequently via Abu Hatim and Abd al-Rahman (al-Asma'i's nephew), reporting Bedouin descriptions of rainfall, drought, and cloud formations .
- Abu Ubayda Ma'mar ibn al-Muthanna, transmitted through Abu Hatim .
The text documents descriptions of various intensities and patterns of precipitation—such as al-rak, al-dath, al-baghsh, al-tash, al-qitqit, al-dayma, and al-wabil—as well as the terminology of floodwaters covering high ground and dry riverbeds .
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