Mujam al-Qawaid al-Arabiya
- Author died
- 1423 AH
- Editions
- Mujam al-Qawaid al-Arabiya
Mujam al-Qawaid al-Arabiya (Dictionary of Arabic Rules) is an Arabic reference work on grammar, morphology, and orthography compiled by the Syrian scholar Abd al-Ghani al-Daqar (d. 1423 AH / 2002 CE).
Background and Purpose
A decade prior to compiling the work, al-Daqar had authored a grammar manual titled Mujam al-Nahw (Dictionary of Grammar), which was printed three times—twice in Damascus and once in Iran. Although it aimed to present rules, particles, and elusive grammatical expressions in an accessible reference format, feedback indicated that it relied primarily on later, familiar works rather than foundational classical texts. In response, al-Daqar composed Mujam al-Qawaid al-Arabiya to provide a comprehensive reference drawn directly from the earliest and most authoritative classical authorities. He completed the work on 25 Dhu al-Qi'da 1404 AH (21 August 1984 CE).
Structure and Method
The work encompasses syntax (nahw), morphology (sarf), and orthography (imla'). It is arranged strictly in alphabetical order according to the standard Arabic dictionary format, rather than following the traditional thematic sequence of grammar treatises. Each grammatical rule, parsed expression, functional particle (harf ma'na), and morphological topic is listed under its respective letters; for example:
- Major syntactic concepts such as al-mubtada' appear under the letters mim and ba', al-khabar under kha' and ba', and al-fa'il under fa' and alif.
- Particles and expressions such as inna and its sister particles, lasiyyama, and kullama appear under their initial letters.
- Morphological chapters such as al-ibdal appear under alif and ba', al-i'lal under alif and 'ayn, and al-nasab under nun and sin.
Entries provide formal definitions, grammatical classifications, theoretical breakdowns, and textual attestations from the Quran and classical Arabic poetry.
Sources
The book draws upon classical grammatical literature, relying primarily on Sibawayh's al-Kitab and al-Mubarrad's al-Muqtadab. Other major sources include Ibn Ya'ish's commentary on al-Mufassal, al-Radi al-Astarabadhi's commentary on al-Kafiya, the treatises of Ibn Hisham al-Ansari, and various commentaries on Ibn Malik's Alfiyya.
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