Laysa fi Kalam al-Arab
- Author died
- 370 AH
- Editions
- Aḥmad ʿAbd al-Ghafūr ʿAṭṭār
Laysa fi Kalam al-Arab (also known as Kitab Laysa) is a classical Arabic philological treatise composed by the grammarian and lexicographer Ibn Khalawayh (d. 370 AH / 980 CE), dedicated to documenting linguistic rarities, anomalous structures, and unique exceptions in the Arabic language .
Method and Scope
The treatise is structured entirely around negative restrictive formulations, systematically enumerating morphological patterns, grammatical constructions, and lexical forms under the rubric: "There is nothing in the speech of the Arabs such-and-such, except such-and-such" (laysa fi kalam al-Arab kadha illa kadha) . In his opening remarks, Ibn Khalawayh explicitly qualifies his exhaustive claims by noting: "What is [stated as] 'There is not in the speech of the Arabs' is only according to the extent of what my memory encompasses, and above every possessor of knowledge is one more knowing" .
Throughout the work, he examines specialized linguistic topics and rare phenomena. These include anomalous verbal paradigms—such as verbs conjugated on the measure faʿala / yafʿalu without containing guttural radicals, of which he lists ten examples where Sibawayh had cited only one (abā / yaʾbā)—as well as rare pairings of singular and plural nouns, such as instances where both the singular and plural forms end in an extended alif (mamdūd), exemplified by dāʾ and its plural adwāʾ .
Reception and Critical Works
Classical scholars regarded the book as Ibn Khalawayh's most significant work and a cornerstone of his scholarly reputation . Ibn al-Anbari described it as a precious book on language, while Ibn Khallikan and al-Safadi praised it as a voluminous, unparalleled work that demonstrated extraordinary breadth of erudition and instant textual recall . Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti noted in al-Mizhir that the work spanned three substantial volumes and that lexicographers such as the author of al-Qamus frequently categorized linguistic anomalies under "the chapter of Laysa" .
The definitive and restrictive nature of its assertions prompted later philologists to compose rejoinders and supplementary works:
- Al-Safadi reported that an author composed a corrective treatise titled Kitab Bal ("The Book of 'Nay'") to supply counterexamples and omissions .
- The scholar Mughaltay ibn Qilij (d. 762 AH) wrote a single-volume critique and addendum titled al-Mays ʿala Laysa .
In modern scholarship, the work has been edited and published by Ahmad Abd al-Ghafur Attar .
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