al-Qamus al-Fiqhi Lughatan wa Istilahan
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- Editions
- Dar Al-Fikr
al-Qamus al-Fiqhi Lughatan wa Istilahan (The Juridical Dictionary: Lexically and Terminologically) is an Arabic legal dictionary authored by Saadi Abu Jayb, compiled to define terms across the major schools of Islamic law alongside their linguistic origins .
Composition and Purpose
Abu Jayb completed the preface and work in Damascus in Rabiʿ al-Awwal 1397 AH (March 1977 CE) . In his introduction, he states that the work was compiled to demonstrate the relationship between the linguistic and legal meanings of terminology in Islamic jurisprudence, drawing upon the Arabic language as enriched by the Quran and Prophetic Hadith so that readers could understand technical legal expressions with precision .
Methodology and Structure
Abu Jayb adopted a standardized framework for the entries in the dictionary:
- Lexical Root and Alphabetical Order: Headwords are introduced by the original root verb of each term. Both verbs and nouns are arranged alphabetically, with verbs listed without distinguishing between basic triliteral (mujarrad) and augmented (mazid) forms .
- Textual Evidence: Definitions are supported with textual citations from the Quran—giving the surah name and verse number—and sound Prophetic Hadith .
- Juridical Classification: The technical legal definition (al-maʿna al-istilahi) follows the lexical meaning (al-maʿna al-lughawi). When citing legal schools, the author follows a fixed sequence: Maliki, Hanafi, Shafi'i, Hanbali, Zahiri, Ja'fari, Zaydi, and Ibadi . When schools share a definition, the common wording and the agreeing schools are listed together .
- Attributions: Multiple views within a single school are recorded under that school without singling out individual jurists, whereas definitions from scholars outside these schools are explicitly attributed to their authors . Statements from Companions and Successors are positioned ahead of the school definitions .
- Codified Law and Notation: Technical entries frequently conclude with codified definitions from the Ottoman civil code, Majallat al-Ahkam al-Adliyyah . The text employs specific abbreviations, including (j) for plural forms, (muʿ) for arabized terms (muʿarrab), (r) for cross-references, and (m) followed by a number for specific articles of the Majallat al-Ahkam al-ʿAdliyyah .
Publication
The work was published by Dar al-Fikr in Damascus, with an initial edition appearing in 1402 AH (1982 CE) and a second edition in 1408 AH (1988 CE) .
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