Ishtiqaq Asma Allah
- Author died
- 337 AH
- Editions
- Mu’assasat al-Risālah
Ishtiqaq Asma Allah (The Derivation of the Names of Allah) is a specialized grammatical and lexicographical treatise on the etymology and morphological forms of the divine names and attributes of God, authored by the grammarian Abu al-Qasim al-Zajjaji (d. 337 AH / 949 CE; also given as 340 AH / 951 CE) .
Purpose and Scope
Al-Zajjaji composed the treatise to explain the linguistic derivations (ishtiqaq) and morphological structures of the ninety-nine names of God transmitted in the prophetic tradition, in which the Prophet stated: إن لله تسعة وتسعين اسمًا مائة إلا واحدًا من أحصاها دخل الجنة ("God has ninety-nine names, one hundred minus one; whoever enumerates them will enter Paradise") . While earlier treatises on etymology—such as those composed by al-Asma'i and Ibn Durayd—had focused predominantly on the derivations of Arab tribal and personal names, al-Zajjaji's work was distinguished by concentrating exclusively on the divine names .
Method and Contents
Al-Zajjaji grounded his analysis on the linguistic usages and grammatical principles of the Arabs, supporting his derivations with citations from the Quran and classical Arabic poetry .
The work opens with an exploration of the word ism ("name") itself. Al-Zajjaji defends the Basran consensus that ism derives from al-sumuww ("loftiness" or "elevation") rather than from al-simah ("mark" or "sign"), adducing morphological evidence such as its diminutive form sumayy and plural asma' .
The text systematically investigates the derivation and inflection of each divine name, beginning with Allah, discussing its morphological origins (such as its derivation from al-ilah, the elision of the hamzah, and the syntactic behavior of the prefixed definite article) . In the final portion of the book, al-Zajjaji examines the distinction between a name (ism) and an epithet or qualifying attribute (na't), the various facets of description in Arabic speech, how divine attributes correspond to those categories, and presents arguments refuting those who denied the etymological derivation of the divine names .
Printed Editions
The work was edited by Abd al-Husayn al-Mubarak and published in a single volume by Mu'assasat al-Risalah in Beirut (second edition, 1406 AH / 1986 CE) .
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