al-Muqtadab
- Author died
- 285 AH
- Editions
- ʿĀlam al-Kutub
al-Muqtadab (The Extracted) is a comprehensive treatise on Arabic grammar, morphology, and phonetics composed by the Basran grammarian al-Mubarrad (d. 285 AH / 898 CE; another report gives 286 AH or 280 AH) . It is regarded as the second major comprehensive work in Arabic grammatical tradition after the foundational Kitab of Sibawayh to encompass syntax, morphology, and phonetics systematically , and bibliographical sources describe it as the counterpart to Sibawayh's work .
Scope and Structure
The book encompasses the core domains of Arabic linguistic analysis, treating grammatical syntax (nahw), morphology (sarf), and phonetics (aswat) . Al-Mubarrad organized morphological topics with distinct compartmentalization compared to Sibawayh's arrangement . In treating nominal morphological patterns (abniyah) and augmentative letters (huruf al-zawa'id), he ordered his presentation didactically: he first presented unaugmented triliteral nouns (al-thulathi al-mujarrad), followed by chapters on augmentative letters and their positions, then letter substitution (huruf al-badal), before returning to unaugmented quadriliteral and quinqueliteral patterns . This structuring was aimed at familiarizing the learner with base minimal root structures before introducing augmented patterns .
Transmission and Commentaries
al-Muqtadab was transmitted through several chains documented by Ibn Khayr al-Ishbili :
- From al-Mubarrad via Abu Ishaq al-Zajjaj to Abu Ja'far al-Nahhas, and thence through Muhammad ibn Yahya al-Rabahi and Andalusian scholars .
- From al-Mubarrad via Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ali (Mabraman) to al-Sirafi, then to Ali ibn Isa al-Rummani .
- From al-Mubarrad via al-Zajjaj to Abu Ali al-Farisi, and from him to al-Rummani .
- From al-Mubarrad via Ibn Durustawayh to Abu Nu'aym al-Isbahani, and through him to Abu Amr al-Safaqisi .
The text was commented upon by Ali ibn Isa al-Rummani (d. 384 AH), while Abu al-Qasim Sa'id ibn Sa'id al-Fariqi (d. 391 AH) composed glosses addressing difficult passages in its opening chapters .
Modern Edition
al-Muqtadab was edited by Muhammad Abd al-Khaliq Udayma and published under the auspices of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in Cairo .
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