al-Mustaqsa fi Amthal al-Arab
- Author died
- 538 AH
- Editions
- دار الكتب العلمية
al-Mustaqsa fi Amthal al-Arab (The Exhaustive Compendium of Arab Proverbs) is a major classical dictionary of Arabic proverbs compiled by the grammarian and exegete Abu al-Qasim Jar Allah Mahmud ibn Umar al-Zamakhshari (d. 538 AH / 1144 CE) .
Structure and Method
Al-Zamakhshari organized the work alphabetically by the opening letters of the proverbs, observing alphabetical order within the initial words of each entry . Under each letter heading, he lists the proverbs and provides comprehensive explanations of their vocabulary, grammatical points, and metaphorical senses, as well as the historical narratives, legends, and circumstances surrounding their original utterance and usage . The book opens with the author's praise: "Praise be to God for cooling our chests with the chill of certainty" (الحمد لله على ما أثلج به صدورنا من برد اليقين) .
Reception and Comparison
The work is regarded as one of the principal classical compilations of Arab paremiology alongside the earlier work of his contemporary al-Maydani (d. 518 AH) . It is related in biographical literature that after compiling al-Mustaqsa, al-Zamakhshari encountered al-Maydani's Majma al-Amthal, examined it closely, and admired it greatly; it was said that he regretted having written his own compilation because al-Maydani's book was considered superior in composition, layout, lucidity of expression, and breadth of useful material .
Manuscripts and Publication
Manuscript copies of al-Mustaqsa fi Amthal al-Arab are preserved in several libraries, including copies dated 790 AH and 1152 AH held at the Austrian National Library in Vienna . The book was published in two volumes in Hyderabad, Deccan, at the Da'irat al-Ma'arif al-'Uthmaniyya in 1381 AH (1962 CE), edited by Abd al-Rahman Khan . A facsimile reprint was later issued in Beirut by Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyya in 1397 AH (1977 CE) .
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