Sharh Adab al-Katib
- Author died
- 540 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Kitāb al-ʿArabī
Sharh Adab al-Katib (Commentary on the Scribe's Conduct) is an Arabic philological commentary written by the Baghdadi linguist Abu Mansur al-Jawaliqi (466–540 AH / 1073–1145 CE; also reported as d. 539 AH) on the scribal manual Adab al-Katib by Ibn Qutaybah (d. 276 AH) .
Background and Purpose
Al-Jawaliqi states in his preface that he compiled the work in response to a request from a circle of scholars who asked him to provide a commentary on the prologue (khutba) of Ibn Qutaybah's Adab al-Katib, interpret its poetic citations (abyat), clarify its difficult passages (mushkilat), and explain the points on which Ibn Qutaybah had been challenged or refuted, without undue prolixity . The text reflects his instructional lectures delivered during his tenure holding the chair of Arabic philology and literature at the Nizamiyya Madrasa of Baghdad .
Method and Content
The commentary is structured as a concise, educational exposition rather than an exhaustive line-by-line paraphrase . Al-Jawaliqi begins with a dedicated analysis of Ibn Qutaybah’s lengthy sermon and introduction, after which he proceeds in a continuous exposition through the text, commenting directly on words, grammatical problems, and poetic evidence as needed without rigidly separating the base text from its citations .
In his philological analysis, al-Jawaliqi focuses extensively on Arabic morphology (tasrif) and grammatical derivation, reflecting the analytical traditions transmitted through the lineage of Ibn Jinni . In treating the poetic citations, he provides the context and authorship of verses, supplies missing hemistichs or related lines, and assesses earlier critical remarks made against Ibn Qutaybah .
Publication
The work was edited and published in Cairo in 1350 AH (1931 CE) by Husam al-Din al-Qudsi .
Answer updated