Maani al-Quran wa Irabuhu lil-Zajjaj
- Author died
- 311 AH
- Editions
- 'Alam al-Kutub
Maani al-Quran wa Irabuhu (The Meanings of the Quran and Its Grammatical Analysis) is a classical work of linguistic and grammatical Quranic exegesis by the Basran grammarian Abu Ishaq al-Zajjaj (d. 311 AH / 923 CE) .
Composition and Scope
Al-Zajjaj began dictating the book in Safar 285 AH and completed it in Rabi al-Awwal 301 AH . In his opening remarks, he described the work as an abridged text addressing both the grammatical analysis (iʿrāb) and the semantic meanings (maʿānī) of the Quran . He noted that while grammatical exposition was central to his project, pairing it with exegesis was necessary to make the Quran clear, citing the verse أَفَلا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ الْقُرْآنَ ("Do they not then reflect upon the Quran?") as an injunction to reflect upon the text within the bounds of Arabic linguistic conventions and transmitted scholarship .
Method and Sources
The book systematically follows the order of the Quran, examining lexical semantics, morphological structures, and syntax . Al-Zajjaj operates firmly within the Basran grammatical tradition and frequently critiques Kufan positions, illustrating theoretical disputes through specific Quranic verses .
For variant Quranic readings (qirāʾāt), al-Zajjaj relied heavily on the material compiled by Abu Ubayd al-Qasim ibn Sallam, citing it primarily through the chain of Ismail ibn Ishaq from Abu Abd al-Rahman from Abu Ubayd .
Transmission, Related Works, and Reception
The work became a foundational reference in early linguistic exegesis. Ibn al-Salah noted that when exegetes refer generically to "the people of maʿānī" (ahl al-maʿānī), they mean authors of books on this subject, such as al-Zajjaj and his predecessors .
The text was transmitted directly by scholars such as Abu Ali al-Farisi, who studied parts of it under al-Zajjaj and later composed a supplementary and critical work titled al-Ighfal fima aghfalahu al-Zajjaj min al-Maani . Its transmission reached al-Andalus, where chains of transmission were documented by Ibn Khayr al-Ishbili .
A distinct medieval text titled Jawahir al-Quran wa Nata'ij al-Sana'ah by Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Baquli (d. 543 AH) was erroneously published under al-Zajjaj's name as I'rab al-Quran by Ibrahim al-Ibyari in 1963, a misattribution subsequently corrected by later research . The authentic Maani al-Quran wa Irabuhu of al-Zajjaj was edited and published by Abd al-Jalil Abduh Shalabi .
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