Asrar al-Arabiyya
- Author died
- 577 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Arqam bin Abī al-Arqam
Asrar al-Arabiyya (The Secrets of Arabic) is a treatise on Arabic grammar and grammatical rationale composed by the Baghdadi grammarian Abu al-Barakat al-Anbari (513–577 AH / 1119–1181 CE) .
Purpose and Scope
The work is dedicated to grammatical and inflectional causes (al-ilal al-nahwiyya wa-l-i'rabiyya), elucidating the underlying reasons for the naming of grammatical terms, short vowels, plural patterns, and related topics in Arabic syntax and morphology . In his introduction, al-Anbari states that he gathered many doctrines of both earlier and later grammarians from the Basran and Kufan schools, substantiating the positions he favored with clear argumentation (wadih al-ta'lil) and textual proofs, while avoiding prolixity to facilitate learning for students .
Structure and Method
The book is structured into sixty-four chapters covering standard grammatical topics . Al-Anbari organizes his presentation primarily around a pedagogical question-and-answer format, posing direct inquiries that might occur to novices and advanced scholars alike, followed by concise explanations supported by poetic and prose proof-texts (shawahid) . Throughout the discussions, he generally supports the conclusions of the Basran grammarians, finding their arguments more persuasive and less forced .
Publication History
The treatise was published in Leiden by Christian Friedrich Seybold in 1886 . It was later edited by Muhammad Bahjat al-Baytar and published in Damascus in 1377 AH / 1957 CE .
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