Maajim Maani Alfaz al-Quran al-Karim
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Maajim Maani Alfaz al-Quran al-Karim (Dictionaries of the Meanings of Quranic Vocabulary) is a bibliographic and analytical study of Quranic lexicographical works authored by Fawzi al-Habit, completed on 13 Dhu al-Hijjah 1420 AH / 19 March 2000 CE. The book documents the history, classification, and authorship movement of specialized dictionaries dedicated to gharib al-Quran (rare and obscure Quranic vocabulary).
Purpose and Methodology
The primary aim of the study is to comprehensively trace and catalog the dictionaries and treatises composed on gharib al-Quran, documenting the historical development of authorship in this genre. Al-Habit formulated his methodology by reviewing extant works of Quranic vocabulary directly to ascertain whether their structures and approaches truly align with the genre of gharib dictionaries. As a result of this examination, he excluded works that diverged from the lexicographical scope of gharib, even if earlier bibliographies had listed them as such. For example, he removed Ghara'ib al-Quran wa-Ragha'ib al-Furqan by Nizam al-Din al-Nisaburi (d. 728 AH) from his survey, noting that it is an abridgment of Fakhr al-Din al-Razi's tafsir combined with observations from al-Zamakhshari's al-Kashshaf, making it a general Quranic commentary rather than a specialized dictionary of vocabulary.
Structure and Content
The work opens with an introduction and a conceptual preface distinguishing between general Arabic lexicons and specialized subject-based dictionaries, placing gharib al-Quran within the latter category. The substantive discussion is arranged across several research sections (mabahith):
- Conceptual Framework of Gharib: The first section examines the linguistic and Quranic definitions of gharib, citing classical scholars including Abu Sulayman al-Khattabi (d. 388 AH), Abu Ishaq al-Zajjaji (d. 377 AH), Majd al-Din Ibn al-Athir (d. 606 AH), and Shihab al-Din Ibn al-Haim (d. 815 AH). It defines Quranic gharib as vocabulary whose meaning requires lexical clarification based on the speech of the Arabs, as described by Abu Hayyan al-Andalusi (d. 745 AH). It also highlights the necessity of lexicology for Quranic exegesis, referencing statements transmitted from Malik ibn Anas (d. 179 AH), Mujahid ibn Jabr (d. 104 AH), and Badr al-Din al-Zarkashi (d. 794 AH), while addressing why scholars varied in designating which terms counted as gharib.
- Origins of the Genre: The work identifies the exegetical traditions and answers narrated from Abdullah ibn Abbas (d. 68 AH) as the earliest foundational seed (bakurah) for dictionaries of Quranic vocabulary.
- Chronological Survey: The fifth section contains a chronological bibliography (masrad) of dictionaries and treatises on gharib al-Quran, organized sequentially by the death dates of their authors, opening with Ibn Abbas and including subsequent attempts to compile his narrations.
The study concludes with a list of consulted sources, an alphabetical index of books on gharib al-Quran, and a general subject index.
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