Mushkil Irab al-Quran li Makki

Mushkil Irab al-Quran (The Problematic Grammatical Analysis of the Quran) is a specialized grammatical work on the difficult and ambiguous syntax of the Quran by the Andalusian scholar and Quran reciter Makki ibn Abi Talib (355–437 AH / 966–1045 CE) Mushkil Irab al-Quran li …+1.

Purpose and Scope

In his introduction, Makki noted that earlier authors on Quranic grammatical analysis (iʿrab) frequently lengthened their books by detailing obvious and elementary points—such as listing genitive and jussive particles, grammatical subjects (faʿil), objects (mafʿul), and the nouns and predicates of inna—which are equally obvious to beginners and advanced scholars, while neglecting genuinely complex constructions Mushkil Irab al-Quran li …+1. He composed the treatise specifically to clarify ambiguous, rare, and difficult grammatical problems and their underlying linguistic causes (ʿilal), providing a concise, easily memorized reference Mushkil Irab al-Quran li …+1.

Makki specified that the work was not intended for absolute beginners who only know basic grammatical elements, but for students who have already acquired a foundation in Arabic grammar, its governing agents (ʿawamil), and its general principles Mushkil Irab al-Quran li …. He also used the treatise as a companion to his major commentary al-Hidayah ila Bulugh al-Nihayah, often referring readers to Mushkil Irab al-Quran for detailed syntactic breakdowns to keep his commentary concise al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassiru…+1.

Structure and Method

The book is arranged according to the standard order of the Quranic chapters (surahs) Faharis Ulum al-Quran al-…+1. It opens with an analysis of the opening formula (al-istiftah / al-basmalah), proceeds to Surat al-Fatihah (headed Surat al-Hamd), and continues through the text to Surat al-Nas Faharis Ulum al-Quran al-…+1.

Rather than parsing every word sequentially, Makki isolates select verses and phrases presenting syntactic ambiguity or multiple grammatical possibilities al-Mujtaba min Mushkil Ir…+1. He contrasts the doctrines of the Basran and Kufan grammatical schools, evaluates phonological and morphological derivations, and explains the syntactic rationales of various canonical and non-canonical recitations Mushkil Irab al-Quran li …+1. The text concludes with the parsing of the final verse of Surat al-Nas ( مِنَ الْجِنَّةِ وَالنَّاسِ ), where he analyzes وَالنَّاسِ as coordinated with الْوَسْوَاسِ rather than الْجِنَّةِ on the semantic grounds that humans do not whisper into the chests of mankind Faharis Ulum al-Quran al-…+1.

Reception and Editions

Scholars cited the treatise as one of the primary foundational works dedicated specifically to the problematic syntax of the Quran; al-Suyuti classified it in al-Itqan among the key monographs on Quranic iʿrab, noting that Makki's work was dedicated specifically to its difficult passages Majallat Lughat al-Arab a…+1. The grammarian Ibn al-Shajari (d. 542 AH) dedicated two sessions (the 81st and 82nd) of his Amali to discussing and critiquing what he regarded as grammatical slips (zallat) made by Makki in the book Amali Ibn al-Shajari.

In modern scholarship, the text has appeared in various catalog listings under variant titles such as Tafsir Mushkil Irab al-Quran, Irab al-Quran, and Irab Mushkil al-Quran Faharis Ulum al-Quran al-…+1. An edition prepared by Yasin Muhammad al-Sawwas was published in two volumes by the Arab Academy of Damascus in 1974 Mujam al-Mufassirin "min ….