al-Qawafi lil-Akhfash al-Awsat
- Author died
- 215 AH
- Editions
- al-Qawafi lil-Akhfash al-Awsat
al-Qawafi (The Rhymes), also titled Tafsir 'Ilm al-Qawafi (Explanation of the Science of Rhymes), is a foundational treatise on Arabic poetic rhyme composed by the Basran grammarian al-Akhfash al-Awsat (d. 215 AH / 830 CE) .
Subject and Content
In the opening of the treatise, al-Akhfash outlines the scope of the work as an explanation of the science of poetic rhymes, their definition, and their classifications . He defines the rhyme (al-qafiyah) as the final word of the poetic line, explaining that it is named qafiyah because it follows (taqfu) the preceding speech . He argues against restricting the rhyme to a single letter (harf), citing grammatical evidence—noting that qafiyah is feminine whereas harf is masculine—and observing that linguistic nomenclature must follow attested Arab usage rather than pure analogy .
To support his analysis of how native speakers understood rhyme, al-Akhfash incorporates direct field inquiries and reports from Bedouin informants, demonstrating that early Arab speakers identified rhymes as whole words or even pairs of words at the end of a verse rather than isolated abstract letters of the alphabet .
Commentary and Publication
The text served as a key reference in prosodic literature and was commented upon by later scholars, including Ibn Jinni (d. 392 AH / 1002 CE), who authored al-Kafi fi Sharh [Kitab] al-Qawafi lil-Akhfash (The Sufficient Commentary on al-Akhfash's Book of Rhymes) .
In the modern period, al-Qawafi was edited by Ahmad Ratib al-Naffakh and published in Damascus (1390 AH / 1970 CE) and later in Beirut (1394 AH / 1974 CE) .
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