Shams al-Ulum wa Dawa Kalam al-Arab min al-Kulum

Shams al-Ulum wa Dawa Kalam al-Arab min al-Kulum (The Sun of Sciences and Remedy for the Words of the Arabs from Wounds) is a comprehensive Arabic dictionary and encyclopedic reference compiled by the Yemeni scholar, prince, and linguist Nashwan al-Himyari (d. 573 AH / 1178 CE) Shams al-Ulum wa Dawa Kal…+1.

Composition and Purpose

Nashwan al-Himyari stated in his preface that he compiled the work to preserve and safeguard the Arabic language across generations, and to benefit Muslims and guide students Majallat al-Risala+1. In verses included at the beginning of the text, he recorded that he completed its compilation in the month of Ramadan in 570 AH without leaving his homeland Shams al-Ulum wa Dawa Kal….

The full title appears with slight variations across sources and manuscripts, including Shams al-Ulum wa Dawa Kalam al-Arab min al-Kulum, wa Sahih al-Ta'lif wa Mu'jam al-Tasneef wa al-Aman min al-Tashif and Shams al-Ulum wa Shifa Kalam al-Arab min al-Kulum Majallat al-Risala+1.

Structure and Methodology

The dictionary opens with an introductory section on morphology (tasrif) before arranging lexical entries alphabetically according to their initial letters Majallat al-Risala+1. Within each alphabetical letter, entries are classified according to morphological structures (abniyah), dividing words into categories such as unaugmented (mujarrad) and geminate (muda'af) forms Shams al-Ulum wa Dawa Kal…+1.

Rather than following the phonetic arrangement devised by al-Khalil ibn Ahmad al-Farahidi in Kitab al-Ayn, Nashwan ordered the roots by the standard alphabet and categorized the derivative forms under their roots Shams al-Ulum wa Dawa Kal…. Beyond definition and grammar, the work includes medical uses of plants and substances when relevant, along with detailed accounts of South Arabian history, genealogy, and the tribes of Qahtan Ashaer al-Iraq+1.

Classical biographical sources describe the original work as spanning eight large volumes, while Haji Khalifa recorded it in eighteen parts Ashaer al-Iraq+1. Modern scholars estimate that it encompasses around 80,000 lexical entries Majallat al-Risala.

Abridgments and Reception

The book was abridged in two volumes under the title Diya al-Hulum fi Mukhtasar Shams al-Ulum (also cited as Diya al-Ulum) Ashaer al-Iraq+1. Biographers including al-Suyuti and Ibn Hajar al-Haytami, as well as modern bio-bibliographers, attribute this abridgment to the author's son, Muhammad ibn Nashwan al-Himyari (d. 610 AH / 1213 CE) or Ali ibn Nashwan, while another report attributes an abridgment titled Diya al-Hulum to his student Ali ibn Nafi' al-Himyari Majallat al-Risala+2. Another manuscript abridgment is titled Lawami al-Nujum al-Mustadi'ah by an anonymous author Khizanat al-Turath - Fihr….

Modern scholars and historians have highlighted Shams al-Ulum as a major late source for Arabian tribal history, particularly for clarifying genealogies and the history of pre-Islamic Yemen Ashaer al-Iraq+1.

Modern Editions

Excerpts relating to South Arabian history and tribes were published in Leiden in 1916 and edited by K. V. Zetterstéen between 1951 and 1953 Ashaer al-Iraq+1. A complete edition of the lexicon was published in 1420 AH (1999 CE) in eleven volumes with an additional index volume, edited by Husayn ibn Abd Allah al-Amri, Mutahhar ibn Ali al-Iryani, and Yusuf Muhammad Abd Allah, issued by Dar al-Fikr al-Mu'asir in Beirut and Dar al-Fikr in Damascus Shams al-Ulum wa Dawa Kal….