Istidrakat al-Samin al-Halabi ala Ibn Atiyya
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- Istidrakat al-Samin al-Halabi ala Ibn Atiyya
Istidrakat al-Samin al-Halabi ala Ibn Atiyya (Arabic: استدراكات السمين الحلبي على ابن عطية, lit. 'The Rectifications of al-Samin al-Halabi upon Ibn Atiyya') is an academic study in Quranic sciences by the Saudi scholar Hanadi bint Abd al-Aziz al-Musa, examining the critical interventions made by al-Samin al-Halabi against Ibn Atiyya in his commentary al-Durr al-masun .
Originally submitted as a master's thesis at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh during the 1433–1434 AH (2012–2013 CE) academic year under the supervision of Dr. Nur Muhammad Ali Makkawi, the work compiles and evaluates al-Samin's rectifications (istidrakat) from the beginning of the Quran to its end .
Scope and structure
The study focuses on the critical rectifications articulated by al-Samin al-Halabi in al-Durr al-masun fi ulum al-kitab al-maknun addressing Ibn Atiyya's Quranic commentary, analyzing them through comparative study and applying rules of exegetical preference (qawa'id al-tarjih) . The author includes rectifications original to al-Samin or where he added independent reasoning to the criticisms of his teacher, Abu Hayyan al-Gharnati, while excluding Abu Hayyan's critiques that al-Samin merely transmitted verbatim or summarized without independent addition .
The work is organized into an introduction, a preliminary section, three main chapters, a conclusion, and technical indexes :
- Preliminary section (al-tamhid): covers the definition, purposes, and types of rectification; biographical overviews of Ibn Atiyya and al-Samin al-Halabi alongside their respective commentaries; and al-Samin's overall stance toward Ibn Atiyya's commentary in al-Durr al-masun .
- Chapter One: rectifications concerning variant Quranic readings (qira'at) .
- Chapter Two: rectifications in linguistic interpretation and Quranic syntax (i'rab al-Qur'an), divided into two sub-sections .
- Chapter Three: rectifications in opinion-based exegesis (al-tafsir bi-l-ra'y) .
Methodological findings
The study concludes that Ibn Atiyya's commentary served as one of al-Samin's primary references . Al-Samin maintained an independent and balanced stance toward him: while he frequently rectified Ibn Atiyya's positions or highlighted weaknesses, he also endorsed his views and defended him against criticisms from others, including Abu Hayyan .
The rectifications span multiple categories:
- Variant readings (qira'at): defending readings on transmission grounds, providing grammatical justifications for standard and non-canonical (shadhdh) readings against critics, and rectifying Ibn Atiyya's unfamiliarity with specific readings or their intended meanings .
- Syntax and language: correcting instances where Ibn Atiyya departed from the apparent text (al-zahir), assumed unwarranted elision or inverted word order (al-hadhf wa-l-taqdir, al-taqdim wa-l-ta'khir), or claimed consensus (ijma') on issues subject to dispute .
- Exegesis: rectifications concerning opinion-based exegesis were comparatively few, reflecting al-Samin's primary focus on grammatical, reading-related, and linguistic analysis rather than general narrative or traditional commentary .
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