Mukhtasar al-Ibarat li-Mujam Mustalahat al-Qiraat
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Mukhtasar al-Ibarat li-Mujam Mustalahat al-Qiraat (Arabic: مختصر العبارات لمعجم مصطلحات القراءات, lit. 'Abridgment of Expressions for the Dictionary of Readings Terminology') is a specialized reference dictionary of Quranic reading (Qira'at) terminology compiled by the Saudi scholar Ibrahim ibn Sa'id al-Dosari .
Background and Composition
The work developed out of al-Dosari's earlier combined lexicon, Mujam al-Mustalahat fi Ilmay al-Tajwid wal-Qiraat ("Dictionary of Terms in the Sciences of Tajwid and Qira'at") . After publishing a separate dictionary dedicated to Quranic phonetics (al-Tajrid li-Mujam Mustalahat al-Tajwid), he extracted and refined the reading-related material into an independent volume, introducing technical revisions and editorial improvements .
Scope and Methodology
The dictionary focuses strictly on the technical lexicon established in the authoritative literature of the Qira'at tradition . Its compilation follows specific methodological principles:
- Scope and inclusions: Entries are derived from the works of classical reading authorities . Terms belonging to broader Quranic sciences are excluded unless they are frequently employed in reading manuals, such as concepts from orthography (rasm al-mushaf) and verse numbering (ru'us al-ay), or recurrent grammatical and morphological expressions such as al-ijra' and al-mukanna .
- Definitions: The author relies exclusively on the customary usage (urf) of reading specialists, aiming for concise definitions without entering into peripheral scholarly disputes . Synonyms and antonyms are avoided as primary definitions unless required for clarity .
- Polysemy: When a term carries multiple technical usages (such as al-tathqil across different phonological contexts), the meanings are organized according to prominence and frequency of use .
- Documentation and citation: Quotations from primary sources are placed in brackets when verbatim and introduced by unzur ("see") when paraphrased . Within entries, cited authorities and references are presented chronologically, accompanied by their death dates in the Hijri calendar .
- Examples and oral transmission: Illustrative Quranic verses are cited in the Uthmanic script according to the transmission of Hafs from Asim, while the author notes that certain reading nuances cannot be fully grasped through written definitions alone and require direct oral transmission (al-mushafahah wal-talaqqi) .
Structure and Publication
The entries are arranged alphabetically across independent chapters corresponding to Arabic letters, omitting the definite article (al-) in the ordering . Letters without corresponding terms do not receive standalone chapters, and words are indexed by their phonetic spellings (such as placing al-ibdal under alif) .
The work was published in a single volume by Dar al-Hadarah in Riyadh in 1429 AH / 2008 CE .
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