Maajim Mufradat al-Quran (Muwazanat wa Muqtarahat)
- Author died
- -
- Editions
- King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran in Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah
Maajim Mufradat al-Quran (Muwazanat wa Muqtarahat) (Dictionaries of Quranic Vocabulary: Comparisons and Proposals) is a scholarly monograph by Ahmad Hasan Farhat that examines the development of Quranic lexicography, evaluates major classical and modern dictionaries of Quranic vocabulary, and presents proposals for future works in the field .
Background and Purpose
The work was composed as a research paper upon an invitation from the King Fahd Glorious Quran Printing Complex in Medina to participate in its symposium titled The Care of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the Holy Quran and its Sciences (عناية المملكة العربية السعودية بالقرآن الكريم وعلومه) . Farhat prepared the study for the symposium's fourth track regarding dictionaries of Quranic word meanings .
Structure and Comparative Scope
The study is organized into an introduction, an analysis of early works, comparative evaluations, critical remarks, proposals, and a conclusion :
- Historical Overview and al-Raghib's Work: The book begins with a survey of writing on Quranic meanings (maʿānī) and rare vocabulary (gharīb) before al-Raghib al-Isfahani . It highlights al-Raghib's Mufradāt alfāẓ al-Qurʾān as a major turning point and premier landmark in Quranic lexical lexicography, detailing its distinct merits and complementary aspects .
- Comparative Analysis (Muwāzanāt): The author conducts a detailed comparative assessment between al-Raghib's Mufradāt and four prominent later Quranic dictionaries :
- ʿUmdat al-ḥuffāẓ fī tafsīr ashraf al-alfāẓ by al-Samin al-Halabi (d. 756 AH) .
- Baṣāʾir dhawī al-tamyīz fī laṭāʾif al-Kitāb al-ʿAzīz by al-Fayruzabadi (d. 817 AH) .
- Mufradāt al-Qurʾān by Hamid al-Din al-Farahi (d. 1349 AH / 1930 CE) .
- Muʿjam alfāẓ al-Qurʾān al-Karīm, prepared under the supervision of the Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo, which appeared in separate parts between 1953 and 1970, was printed in full in 1970 and 1982, and was published in a revised fourth edition in 1988 .
The comparisons evaluate each author's methodology, treatment of root derivations, citations of poetic and prose evidence, contextual semantic nuances, and lexical coverage .
Findings and Proposals
Farhat concludes that despite historical efforts, contemporary scholarship still requires new Quranic dictionaries designed to remedy past shortcomings . He observes that official committees appointed by language academies or scientific centers often struggle to produce distinguished scholarship due to divergent viewpoints and their tendency to limit work to compilation and classification rather than deep interpretive reflection .
To address these needs, the author outlines specific recommendations :
- Structuring future Quranic dictionaries according to modern lexicographical organization and formatting to facilitate quick reference .
- Producing dictionaries tailored to three distinct readership levels: beginners, intermediate students (with both levels restricted to a single volume each), and advanced scholars and specialists (which may span several volumes) .
- Offering two distinct arrangements for each dictionary level: an alphabetical root/word order for researchers looking up specific terms, and a sequential surah-and-ayah order for Quran reciters .
Answer updated