al-Sinaatayn: al-Kitaba wa al-Shiir
- Author died
- 395 AH
- Editions
- al-Maktabah al-‘Aṣrīyah
al-Sinaatayn: al-Kitaba wa al-Shiir (The Two Crafts: Writing and Poetry) is a major treatise on Arabic rhetoric and literary criticism by the philologist and man of letters Abu Hilal al-Askari (d. ca. 395 AH / 1005 CE) . The work systematically expounds the rules, devices, and stylistic principles governing both prose composition (al-kitaba or al-nathr) and versification (al-shiir or al-nazm) .
Background and Purpose
Abu Hilal al-Askari states in his introduction that after the knowledge of God, the science most deserving of study is rhetoric (balagha) and eloquence (fasaha), because it is through this discipline that the inimitability of the Quran (ijaz al-Quran) is comprehended through its composition and phrasing .
Al-Askari observed that earlier discussions of rhetoric—most notably in al-Jahiz's al-Bayan wa al-Tabyin—were scattered throughout literary anecdotes and examples without systematic organization, making them difficult to extract without extensive searching . He set out to produce a comprehensive manual containing everything a practitioner requires for the craft of speech . Al-Askari also sought to expand upon the poetic criticism of Qudama ibn Jafar, adhering to the methods of literary craftsmen (poets and scribes) rather than scholastic theologians (mutakallimun) and philosophers, while broadening the scope of criticism to treat prose and poetry on equal terms .
Structure and Contents
The book is organized into ten chapters (abwab), comprising fifty-three sections (fusul) :
- The subject and definition of rhetoric (al-Ibanah an mawdu al-balaghah wa-hududiha), including the statements of scholars on eloquence .
- Distinguishing good discourse from bad (Tamyiz jayyid al-kalam min radi'ihi) .
- The craft of speech and the arrangement of words (Marifat sanat al-kalam wa-tartib al-alfaz) .
- Sound structure and effective phrasing (Husn al-nazm wa-jawdat al-rasf) .
- Conciseness and verbosity (al-Ijaz wa-al-itnab) .
- Literary borrowing and adapting verse into prose (Husn al-akhdh wa-hall al-manzum), including literary theft and plagiarism (al-sariqat) .
- Simile (al-Tashbih), consisting of two sections covering definitions, tools, and categories of similes .
- Rhymed prose and parallelism (al-Asja wa-al-izdiwaj) .
- Rhetorical figures (Sharh al-badi), the longest chapter of the work, divided into thirty-five sections detailing distinct figures of speech such as metaphor (istiara), paronomasia (tajnis), antithesis (tiqab), and metonymy (kinaya) .
- Openings, transitions, and conclusions (Mabadi al-kalam wa-maqatiuhu), including rhyme quality and smooth transitions from prelude to panegyric .
Method and Sources
In compiling the work, Abu Hilal drew heavily on preceding works of literary criticism and rhetoric, including Ibn Sallam al-Jumahi's Tabaqat al-Shuara, al-Jahiz's al-Bayan wa al-Tabyin, Ibn Qutaybah, Ibn al-Mutazz's al-Badi, Qudama ibn Jafar's Naqd al-Shir, Ibn Tabataba's Iyar al-Shir, al-Amidi's al-Muwazanah, al-Qadi al-Jurjani's al-Wasatah, and the writings of his uncle Abu Ahmad al-Askari .
Al-Askari expanded the catalog of recognized badi figures beyond the eighteen established by Ibn al-Mu'tazz and the nine identified by Qudama, treating thirty-five distinct types in chapter nine and two additional figures in chapter ten, bringing the total to thirty-seven . He maintained Ibn al-Mu'tazz's categorization of metaphor (istiara) and metonymy (kinaya) under badi, prior to their later classification under the science of bayan .
Reception and Significance
Kitab al-Sinaatayn is recognized as a key text marking the systematization of literary criticism into defined rhetorical rules . Later scholars frequently cited and utilized its extensive collection of literary examples . Critical assessments note that while the work excels in arrangement, categorization, and clarity, its theoretical framework relies directly on earlier treatises rather than novel critical theories .
Publication History
The book was first printed in Istanbul (Astana) in 1320 AH (1902 CE) at the Mahmud Bey Press . A standard critical edition was prepared by Ali Muhammad al-Bijawi and Muhammad Abu al-Fadl Ibrahim, published in Cairo by Isa al-Babi al-Halabi in 1371 AH (1952 CE), and reissued in subsequent editions .
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