al-Mumti fi Sunat al-Shiir
- Author died
- 405 AH
- Editions
- Munsha'at al-Ma'arif
al-Mumti' fi Sana'at al-Shi'r (The Delightful [Book] on the Craft of Poetry) is an early North African treatise on Arabic poetics and literary criticism by the grammarian and poet Abd al-Karim ibn Ibrahim al-Nahshali al-Qayrawani (d. 405 AH / 1014 CE; also reported as 403 AH / 1012 CE) .
Overview and Structure
The work is regarded as one of the earliest systematic contributions to literary criticism produced in the Islamic West (the Maghrib) . It is also titled in various sources as al-Mumti' fi 'Ilm al-Shi'r wa-'Amalih (The Delightful [Book] on the Science and Practice of Poetry) and al-Mumti' fi Funun al-Shi'r .
al-Nahshali structured the book around thematic chapters containing selected passages of Arabic verse and prose accompanied by critical commentary, aesthetic analysis, and rules governing poetic composition . The text opens with an inquiry into the nature of Arabic speech, asserting the preeminence of the Quran before examining poetry as the noblest discourse of the Arabs . It articulates the premise that original human speech was prose, and that the Arabs developed poetry out of a need to celebrate their virtues, lineage, and historic exploits .
The book examines rhetorical categories and poetic themes, establishing precise conceptual distinctions between related genres and modes, such as the differentiation between panegyric (madh, praising intrinsic traits) and gratitude (shukr, acknowledging specific deeds), as well as distinctions between reproach, blame, and apology . It also includes discussions on metonymy (kinaya) and a chapter on literary borrowings and plagiarism (al-sariqat), dividing them into three distinct categories and noting that Arab poetic discourse naturally overlaps across generations .
Influence and Reception
al-Mumti' served as a foundational manual for students and critics in Kairouan, providing traditional literary standards and rules for evaluating verse . It exerted a direct and decisive influence on Ibn Rashiq al-Qayrawani, who drew upon its structure, terminology, and arguments extensively when compiling his renowned work al-Umda fi Mahasin al-Shir wa-Adabih wa-Naqdih . Ibn Rashiq echoed several of al-Nahshali's core formulations, including his account of the origins of poetry and his chapter on the virtues and merits of verse .
Transmission and Modern Editions
The complete original text of al-Mumti' has not survived; the extant text is an abridged selection (ikhtiyar or muntakhab) that scholars attribute to Ibn Manzur, the author of Lisan al-Arab .
The text has been edited and published in modern times in multiple scholarly editions:
- An edition edited by al-Munji al-Ka'bi, published by al-Dar al-'Arabiyya lil-Kitab in 1398 AH / 1978 CE (also cited as 1977 CE) under the title Ikhtiyar min Kitab al-Mumti' fi 'Ilm al-Shi'r wa-'Amalih .
- An edition edited by Muhammad Zaghlul Sallam, published by Mansha'at al-Ma'arif in Alexandria .
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