Maani al-Huruf
- Author died
- 384 AH
- Editions
- Maani al-Huruf
Maani al-Huruf (The Meanings of Particles) is an early grammatical treatise by the Baghdadi grammarian and Mu'tazilite scholar Abu al-Hasan al-Rummani (296–384 AH / 908–994 CE; another report gives 382 AH) dedicated to explaining the meanings, syntactic functions, and semantic varieties of Arabic particles and relational tools.
Overview and Background
The work belongs to the genre of grammatical monographs dedicated exclusively to huruf al-ma'ani (particles of meaning) and grammatical tools (adawat), a specialized field categorized within linguistic and exegetical literature. It is considered one of the renowned early independent compilations on the subject, alongside other treatises on particles by classical grammarians.
Al-Rummani composed the treatise as a concise work (risalah saghirah), and bibliographical sources suggest that it may also be identified with the title Manazil al-Huruf (The Stations of the Letters).
Content and Significance
In Maani al-Huruf, al-Rummani enumerates grammatical particles and relational instruments, detailing the specific semantic connotations and functions that each item conveys in Arabic syntax.
The classifications and semantic analyses formulated in the work directly served al-Rummani's theological and linguistic framework, which he subsequently applied across his major Qur'anic commentary, al-Jami' li-'Ulum al-Qur'an. His treatment of the semantics of particles in exegesis later influenced subsequent scholars, such as al-Zamakhshari in his commentary al-Kashshaf.
Editions
The text has survived in manuscript form and was critically edited by Dr. Abd al-Fattah Isma'il Shalabi, seeing multiple printings including editions in Cairo, Mecca, and Jeddah.
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