Amali al-Zajjaji
- Author died
- 337 AH
- Editions
- Dar Al-Jeel
Amali al-Zajjaji (The Dictations of al-Zajjaji) is a classical compilation of philological and literary dictations by the grammarian Abu al-Qasim al-Zajjaji (d. 337 AH / 949 CE; also reported as 339 AH or 340 AH), assembling linguistic analyses, poetry commentaries, and scholarly debates .
Composition and Content
The work consists of pedagogical dictation sessions (amali) delivered by al-Zajjaji, who taught in Baghdad and later settled in Damascus before dying in Tiberias . The material is transmitted with chains of narration (asanid) and encompasses Arabic lexicography, grammatical disputations, literary narratives, poetic citations, and prophetic hadiths . It records exchanges and dialogues between prominent early scholars and grammarians concerning morphological, syntactic, and semantic nuances .
In manuscript transmission and historical references, al-Zajjaji's dictations are noted under several recensions and related titles, including al-Amali al-Kubra (The Major Dictations), al-Amali al-Wusta (The Intermediate Dictations), and al-Amali al-Sughra (The Minor Dictations), alongside his closely related collection Majalis al-Ulama (Assemblies of the Scholars) .
Reception and Standing
The book holds an important position in Arabic philological literature. Al-Suyuti observed in al-Mizhar that al-Zajjaji was the last scholar known to have dictated material according to the traditional method of the classical philologists (ala tariqat al-lughawiyyin), leaving extensive dictations compiled in a voluminous work .
Editions and Commentaries
Amali al-Zajjaji was published in Cairo in 1324 AH / 1906 CE with an accompanying commentary by the Mauritanian scholar Ahmad ibn al-Amin al-Shinqiti . It was later edited by Abd al-Salam Harun and published in Cairo (1382 AH / 1962–1963 CE), receiving subsequent reprints including a Beirut edition in 1407 AH / 1987 CE .
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