al-Tanbihat ala Aghalit al-Ruwat
- Author died
- 375 AH
- Editions
- al-Tanbihat ala Aghalit al-Ruwat
al-Tanbihat ala Aghalit al-Ruwat (Reminders on the Errors of Transmitters) is a critical treatise on philological and literary errors compiled by the grammarian and lexicographer Ali ibn Hamza al-Basri (d. 375 AH / 985 CE) . The work is devoted to identifying and correcting perceived inaccuracies in the transmissions, lexical explanations, and commentaries of earlier authorities across major classical Arabic linguistic and literary treatises .
Scope and Structure
The book addresses errors found in eleven foundational works of early Arabic language and literature :
- al-Nawadir by Abu Ziyad al-Kilabi
- al-Nawadir by Abu Amr al-Shaybani
- Kitab al-Nabat by Abu Hanifa al-Dinawari
- al-Nawadir by Ibn al-A'rabi
- Jamharat al-Lughah by Ibn Durayd
- Kitab al-Hayawan by al-Jahiz
- Majaz al-Qur'an by Abu Ubayda
- al-Kamil by al-Mubarrad
- al-Gharib al-Musannaf by Abu Ubayd al-Qasim ibn Sallam
- Islah al-Mantiq by Ibn al-Sikkit
- al-Maqsur wa-l-Mamdud by Ibn Wallad
The author also incorporated a critique of al-Fasih by Tha'lab .
In the introduction to the book, Ali ibn Hamza justifies his critical project by stating that he was following the established practice of previous scholars who refuted one another's errors, exchanged corrective treatises, and debated linguistic points in scholarly assemblies .
Method and Contents
The author examines individual textual passages, tracking errors across several categories :
- Lexical interpretations and word definitions
- Variants in the transmission and wording of poetry
- Historical and contextual notices accompanying linguistic citations
- Explanations of poetic meanings and verse commentary
- Attribution of verses to their correct poets
- Grammatical analyses
The style is marked by polemical sharpness and direct attacks on earlier masters, particularly Abu Ubayd al-Qasim ibn Sallam and Abu al-Hasan al-Muhallabi, a disciple of Ibn Wallad .
Reception and Publication
Later scholars and editors noted that while the book demonstrates sharp critical acumen, Ali ibn Hamza was excessively biased against some of his subjects, such as Abu Ubayd . Critics have pointed out that some of his grammatical and linguistic objections were weak, that he rejected valid variants, and that he himself fell into errors and missed points that required correction .
The section criticizing Tha'lab's al-Fasih was first published by the British orientalist Richard Bell in a British journal in 1904 . A substantial portion of the text was edited by Abd al-Aziz al-Maymani and published in Cairo (1387 AH / 1967 CE; also dated 1966 CE) alongside al-Manqus wa-l-Mamdud of al-Farra . Manuscript holdings of the work include copies preserved in Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya under number 502 Lughah .
Answer updated