Marifat al-Farq bayn al-Dad wa al-Za
- Author died
- 634 AH
- Editions
- Dar Ninawa lil-Dirasat wa-al-Nashr wa-al-Tawzi‘
Maʿrifat al-Farq bayn al-Dad wa al-Za (Knowing the Difference between Dad and Za) is a linguistic treatise by the Andalusian scholar Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn al-Sabuni al-Sadafi al-Ishbili (d. 634 AH / 1236–1237 CE) dedicated to distinguishing between the Arabic letters dad (ض) and za (ظ) in orthography, pronunciation, and lexical meaning.
Purpose and Composition
The author composed the treatise in response to a request by an inquirer seeking clarification on the letters za and dad, specifically to resolve the confusion surrounding them among certain teachers. In his introduction, Ibn al-Sabuni outlines the distinguishing features of the two letters in both phonetics and script:
- Articulation: za is pronounced by showing the tip of the tongue, whereas dad is produced by closing the teeth over it and inclining the tongue toward the molars on the left side.
- Orthography: za is distinguished in writing by raising its vertical ascender (the "head" of the letter).
To illustrate these principles, the author organized the work into paired examples supported by evidence from the Quran and classical Arabic poetry.
Structure and Content
The core of the book systematically compares pairs of phonetically similar or homographic lexical items that differ only by the letters dad and za, defining the distinct meaning and grammatical forms of each word. The examined word pairs include:
- al-Hafiz (الحافظ, one who remembers or protects) and al-Hafid (الحافض, bending or curving a branch or bow)
- al-Hazir (الحاظر, one who forbids or encloses) and al-Hadir (الحاضر, one who is present, as opposed to absent)
- al-Zann (الظن, doubt or conjecture) and al-Dann (الضن, stinginess)
- al-Fazz (الفظ, harsh or uncouth in speech) and al-Fadd (الفض, breaking or dispersing)
- al-Ghayz (الغيظ, intense anger) and al-Ghayd (الغيض, the receding or drying up of water)
- al-ʿAzz (العظ, adversity or being afflicted by hardship) and al-ʿAdd (العض, biting with the incisors)
- al-ʿAzm (العظم, bone) and al-ʿAdm (العضم, the grip of a bow or the shaft of a plow)
- al-Nazir (الناظر, looking or seeing) and al-Nadir (الناضر, fresh, flourishing, or gold)
- al-Zalʿ (الظلع, a slight limp) and al-Dalʿ (الضلع, deviation from truth or injustice)
- al-Zall (الظال, continuing in a state during daytime, or shade) and al-Dall (الضال, one who goes astray)
- al-Zamʾan (الظمآن, thirsty) and al-Daman (الضمان, surety or guarantee)
- al-Zahr (الظهر, back, noon, or outward) and al-Dahr (الضهر, the side or ridge of a mountain)
- al-Mazz (المظ, wild pomegranate) and al-Madd (المض, burning pain or distress)
- al-Bazz (البظ, plucking instrument strings) and al-Badd (البض, smooth and tender-skinned, or trickling water)
- al-Zayyan (الظيان, wild jasmine) and al-Daʾn (الضأن, sheep)
- al-ʿAzl (العظل, copulation of dogs or locusts) and al-ʿAdl (العضل, preventing a woman from marrying)
- al-Qayz (القيظ, midsummer heat) and al-Qayd (القيض, the outer eggshell or decreeing)
- al-Fayz (الفيظ, departure of the soul at death) and al-Fayd (الفيض, overflowing of water or tears)
- al-Lazlaza (اللظلظة, movement of a snake's head when agitated) and al-Ladlada (اللضلضة, a guide glancing around to keep the path)
- al-Zafrah (الظفرة, an eye film/pterygium, or fingernail/victory) and al-Dafrah (الضفرة, a woman's hair braid or sand dune)
- al-Zirab (الظراب, rugged hillocks with stones) and al-Dirab (الضراب, striking one another or camel mating)
- al-Bayz (البيظ, seminal fluid) and al-Bayd (البيض, eggs or intense midday heat)
- al-Hanzal (الحنظل, colocynth fruit) and al-Handal (الحنضل, a hollow rock collecting rainwater), with which the treatise concludes.
Throughout the text, the author supports definitions by citing poetic verses from figures such as Imru' al-Qays, Abu al-Atahiyah, and Ru'bah, alongside lexicographical authorities such as Abu Ubayd al-Qasim ibn Sallam.
Modern Editions
The work was edited by Hatim Salih al-Dhamen as part of a published collection of classical treatises devoted to the letters dad and za, appearing in print through Dar al-Basha'ir in Damascus (1426 AH / 2005 CE) and Dar Ninawa.
Answer updated