Masail Nafi ibn al-Azraq = Gharib al-Quran fi Shir al-Arab
- Author died
- 68 AH
- Editions
- Masail Nafi ibn al-Azraq = Gharib al-Quran fi Shir al-Arab
Masa'il Nafi' ibn al-Azraq (also known as Gharib al-Qur'an fi Shi'r al-'Arab) is a classical collection of lexicographical questions on rare Quranic vocabulary addressed to the Companion Abd Allah ibn Abbas (d. 68 AH / 687–688 CE) by the early Kharijite leader Nafi ibn al-Azraq (d. 65 AH / 685 CE), with each meaning substantiated through pre-Islamic and early Arabic poetry.
Background and Context
According to traditional accounts, Nafi' ibn al-Azraq and Najda ibn 'Uwaymir (d. 69 AH), along with several prominent Kharijites, traveled to Mecca in search of knowledge. There they found Ibn Abbas seated near the well of Zamzam in the courtyard of the Kaaba, wearing a red cloak and a white shirt, surrounded by people asking him about Quranic exegesis (tafsir). Nafi' approached him and demanded explanations of obscure Quranic words, stipulating that Ibn Abbas support every interpretation with corroborating verses from classical Arabic poetry. Ibn Abbas accepted, asserting that poetry is the "register of the Arabs" (dīwān al-'Arab) and that whenever a word in the Quran remains obscure, one must consult their poetry to determine its linguistic meaning.
Structure and Content
The work follows a uniform question-and-answer format: Nafi' inquires about a difficult Quranic word, Ibn Abbas defines it, Nafi' asks whether the Arabs recognized that meaning, and Ibn Abbas quotes a poetic line by an ancient poet as linguistic proof (shāhid). Examples of terms addressed include:
- 'Izin in عَنِ الْيَمِينِ وَعَنِ الشِّمَالِ عِزِينَ (Surah al-Ma'arij: 37), explained as gatherings of companions, substantiated by a verse of 'Ubayd ibn al-Abras.
- Ghawl in لَا فِيهَا غَوْلٌ (Surah al-Saffat: 47), explained as foulness and unpleasantness, cited from Imru' al-Qays.
- Qittanā in عَجِّلْ لَنَا قِطَّنَا (Surah Sad: 16), interpreted as recompense, cited from al-A'sha.
- Manāṣ in وَلَاتَ حِينَ مَنَاصٍ (Surah Sad: 3), defined as escape, also cited from al-A'sha.
- Ishma'azzat in اشْمَأَزَّتْ (Surah al-Zumar: 45), explained as repelled, cited from 'Amr ibn Kulthum.
- al-Wasīlah in وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ (Surah al-Ma'idah: 35), interpreted as need, cited from 'Antarah.
The total count of questions varies across transmissions. Al-Mubarrad (d. 285 AH) recorded around a dozen questions in al-Kāmil, while Ibn al-Anbari (d. 328 AH) transmitted a collection in Īḍāḥ al-Waqf wa-l-Ibtidā', as did al-Tabarani (d. 360 AH) in al-Mu'jam al-Kabīr. Al-Suyuti (d. 911 AH) recorded 188 questions in al-Itqān fī 'Ulūm al-Qur'ān, omitting around a dozen from his source chain via Ibn al-Tastī. Other manuscript versions count approximately 200, 250, or 255 questions.
Reception and Authenticity
Scholars consider this text a foundational precedent for Quranic lexicography (gharīb al-Qur'ān) and the earliest manifestation of systematic poetic citation (al-istishhād bi-l-shi'r) in Islamic scholarship, with modern linguist Ramadan 'Abd al-Tawwab describing it as the nucleus of Arabic dictionary compilation.
However, researchers note that while the core historical encounter between Ibn Abbas and Nafi' is genuine, many individual questions and verses in the larger recensions are fabricated additions (maṣnū'ah). Ibn Abbas is represented as citing poets who lived after him or were younger contemporaries whose poetry could not have reached him as linguistic authorities, including al-A'jaj, Abu al-Najm al-'Ijlī (d. 120 AH), Ru'bah ibn al-'Ajjaj, al-Akhtal (d. 95 AH), al-Tirimmah (d. c. 120 AH), al-Qutami (d. 101 AH), and Aban ibn Taghlib (d. 141 AH).
Manuscripts and Editions
Manuscripts of the text are preserved in multiple collections, including the Zahiriyya Library in Damascus (MSS 3849 and 6863), the Egyptian National Library in Cairo (Majāmī' 166 M), the Tal'at collection (Majmū' 266), and the Berlin State Library (Majmū' 683).
Several modern editions and studies have been published:
- Muhammad Fu'ad 'Abd al-Baqi rearranged the questions alphabetically and published them in 1950 as an appendix to his Mu'jam Gharīb al-Qur'ān.
- Ibrahim al-Samarra'i edited Cairo MS 166 M under the title Su'ālāt Nāfi' ibn al-Azraq ilā 'Abd Allāh ibn 'Abbās (Baghdad, 1968).
- 'A'isha 'Abd al-Rahman (Bint al-Shati') examined and published 189 questions based on al-Suyuti's text in al-I'jāz al-Bayānī li-l-Qur'ān wa-Masā'il Ibn al-Azraq (Cairo, 1971).
- Muhammad Ahmad al-Dali edited the text using Zahiriyya manuscripts as Masā'il Nāfi' ibn al-Azraq 'an 'Abd Allāh ibn 'Abbās (Damascus, 1993).
- Muhammad 'Abd al-Rahim and Ahmad Nasr Allah published an edition containing 250 questions titled Gharīb al-Qur'ān fī Shi'r al-'Arab: Su'ālāt Nāfi' ibn al-Azraq ilā 'Abd Allāh ibn 'Abbās (Cairo, 1413 AH / 1993 CE).
- 'Abd al-Rahman 'Umayrah compiled an expanded collection of 407 questions titled Masā'il al-Imām al-Ṭastī 'an As'ilat Nāfi' ibn al-Azraq wa-Ajwibat 'Abd Allāh ibn 'Abbās (Cairo: Dar al-I'tisam, 1994).
- Abu Turab al-Zahiri provided a linguistic commentary on the questions in the first volume of his Shawāhid al-Qur'ān.
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