Sahm al-Alhaz fi Wahm al-Alfaz
- Author died
- 971 AH
- Editions
- Alam al-Kutub
Sahm al-Alhaz fi Wahm al-Alfaz (The Arrow of Glances at the Delusion of Words) is a treatise on Arabic lexicography and linguistic corrections written by the Aleppine Hanafi scholar Radi al-Din Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn al-Hanbali (908–971 AH / 1502–1563 CE). The work is devoted to identifying and correcting common lexical, vocalic, and grammatical solecisms made by writers, scholars, and the general public.
Purpose and Composition
Ibn al-Hanbali composed the book as a supplement (dhayl) to the well-known work on linguistic pitfalls by al-Hariri (d. 516 AH / 1122 CE), Durrat al-Ghawwas fi Awham al-Khawass (The Pearl of the Diver on the Errors of the Elite). Noting the enduring prestige of al-Hariri's book among scholars of literature and language, Ibn al-Hanbali intended his treatise as a concise reminder for peers and students, addressing additional errors and common misconceptions that were not resolved or mentioned in earlier treatises. In the prologue, the author identifies himself as Aleppine by birth, of Rabia descent, Sufi in the Qadiri order, and Hanafi in jurisprudence.
Content and Methodology
The work is arranged in numbered sections, each beginning with the formula "and among that" (wa-min dhalik), to examine individual terms, vocalizations, loanwords, and syntactic constructions. For each entry, Ibn al-Hanbali cites classical lexicographical sources, grammarians, and poetic evidence to demonstrate correct usage and clarify widespread errors:
- Phonological and vocalic adjustments: Correcting misplaced short vowels in popular expressions and nouns, such as clarifying that the underground passage dihliz is vocalized with a kasrah rather than a fathah, that sahrij (cistern) is mispronounced with an opening fathah, and that the female horse is hijr without a ta marbutah.
- Arabized and foreign loanwords (mu'arrabat): Evaluating the morphological forms of imported vocabulary, including terms like namudhaj / unmudhaj (exemplar/sample), sadhaj (plain/simple), mardakush / marzanjush (marjoram), and the spelling of names like Euclid (Iqlidis / Uqlidis).
- Grammatical and semantic errors: Addressing non-classical or ungrammatical forms used by theologians (mutakallimun) and later authors, such as rejecting the mediopassive verb in'adama (to become non-existent) and distinguishing qaylulah (midday rest) from the legal term iqalah (rescission of a sale).
Throughout the text, Ibn al-Hanbali relies heavily on major classical authorities and reference works, including al-Firuzabadi's al-Qamus al-Muhit, al-Jawhari's al-Sihah, Ibn Qutaybah's Adab al-Katib, al-Jawaliqi's al-Mu'arrab, al-Mutarrizi's al-Mughrib, al-Taftazani's commentary on Miftah al-Ulum, and al-Baydawi's Quranic exegesis.
Reception and Modern Editions
Sahm al-Alhaz served as an authoritative reference in subsequent linguistic scholarship on vernacular errors and dialectal deviations, frequently cited by later lexicographers such as Ahmad Taymur Pasha in his dictionary Mu'jam Taymur al-Kabir fi al-Alfaz al-Ammiyyah.
A critical edition of the book, prepared by Hatim Salih al-Damin, was published in Beirut in 1405 AH / 1985 CE.
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