Mujam Ulum al-Quran
- Author died
- -
- Editions
- Dār al-Qalam
Mujam Ulum al-Quran (معجم علوم القرآن, "Dictionary of Quranic Sciences") is a specialized reference lexicon compiled by Ibrahim Muhammad al-Jarmi, published in Damascus in 1422 AH / 2001 CE, defining and synthesizing terminology across the Quranic sciences .
Purpose and Scope
The author compiled the work after observing that while specialized dictionaries existed for disciplines such as linguistics, grammar, rhetoric, jurisprudence, legal theory, philosophy, and sects, the field of Quranic sciences lacked a comprehensive reference dictionary . The work aims to provide students and researchers with a quick, accessible, and concise reference to technical terms scattered across classical literature, illustrating also how specific terms evolved across historical eras, regions, and scholars .
The scope of the dictionary covers four primary areas of Quranic study :
- Quranic exegesis (ilm al-tafsir) .
- Quranic recitation and phonetics (ilm al-tajwid) .
- Variant readings (ilm al-qira'at) .
- General Quranic disciplines (mabahith ulum al-Quran), drawing on the tradition of foundational compendia such as al-Burhan fi Ulum al-Quran by Badr al-Din al-Zarkashi and al-Itqan fi Ulum al-Quran by Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti, including topics such as revelation, compilation of the text, occasions of revelation (asbab al-nuzul), the Makkan and Madinan classifications, unambiguous and ambiguous verses (al-muhkam wa-al-mutashabih), abrogation (al-nasikh wa-al-mansukh), and inimitability (i'jaz al-Quran) .
Structure and Method
The dictionary is structured alphabetically into letter-based chapters (abwab), with entries within each chapter arranged alphabetically regardless of field, leading to an interweaving of terms from tajwid, variant readings, and exegesis . The names of the Quranic surahs are listed alphabetically under their primary names without the prefix Surat (for instance, Surah Hud is placed under the letter Ha') .
In constructing the dictionary, the author adopted specific methodological guidelines:
- Providing concentrated, self-contained summaries drawn from extensive study of source texts, omitting individual citation lists or bibliographical footnotes for each entry .
- Applying a critical approach rather than mere accumulation, highlighting anomalous (shadhdh) or weak (da'if) opinions where relevant .
- Handling polysemous entries by either repeating the term according to its distinct concepts or gathering multiple concepts under a single heading .
- Selecting the most prominent term when multiple synonymous names exist for a single concept, while directing other synonyms to that entry through cross-references marked by the abbreviation (ر-) (short for unzur, "see") .
- Restricting discussions of variant readings strictly to the "Minor Ten Readings" (al-qira'at al-ashr al-sughra), excluding readings beyond the ten as well as the "Major Ten Readings" (al-qira'at al-ashr al-kubra) .
Publication
The work was issued in a first edition by Dar al-Qalam in Damascus in 1422 AH / 2001 CE .
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