Ilm al-Maani
- Author died
- 1396 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Nahdah al-Arabiyyah lil-Tiba'ah wa-al-Nashr wa-al-Tawzi'
Ilm al-Maani (‘Ilm al-Ma‘ānī, "The Science of Meanings") is a textbook on Arabic rhetoric by the Egyptian scholar Abd al-Aziz Atiq (d. 1396 AH / 1976 CE), dedicated to the foundational branch of rhetoric concerning syntactic semantics and contextual appropriateness .
Background and Purpose
The book originated as a series of academic lectures delivered by Atiq to first-year students in the Department of Arabic Language and Literature at Beirut Arab University . The author designed the work to assist students in understanding and appreciating classical Arabic rhetoric (balaghah), with a focus on uncovering the practical and aesthetic role of ‘ilm al-ma‘ani in the art of discourse .
Structure and Content
The work is organized into three principal divisions:
- Part One: An inquiry into the core concepts of eloquence (fasahah) and rhetoric (balaghah) according to classical Arabic rhetoricians, defining both terms and clarifying their points of overlap and difference .
- Part Two: A historical survey tracing the origins and developmental stages of ‘ilm al-ma‘ani across various historical eras, from early unsystematized rhetorical remarks until its establishment as an independent discipline at the hands of Abd al-Qahir al-Jurjani (d. 471 AH)—notably in his seminal work Dala'il al-I'jaz (Signs of Inimitability)—and subsequent scholars .
- Part Three: A detailed analysis of the core topics and technical arts of the discipline, such as informative statements (khabar) versus performative or non-declarative constructions (insha'), their truth value, and their contextual nuances .
Method and Publication
Atiq adopts a didactic approach tailored for university students, integrating an abundance of illustrative examples and textual attestations (shawahid) to elucidate intricate theoretical discussions . The work forms part of his broader pedagogical curriculum covering Arabic rhetorical disciplines alongside his corresponding volumes on ‘ilm al-bayan (figurative language) and ‘ilm al-badi‘ (rhetorical embellishment) . The book has been published by Dar al-Nahdah al-Arabiyyah in Beirut, with editions appearing in 1971 and 1985 .
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