Sharh al-Ashmuni li-Alfiyyat Ibn Malik
- Author died
- 900 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah
Sharh al-Ashmuni li-Alfiyyat Ibn Malik, formally titled Manhaj al-Salik ila Alfiyyat Ibn Malik (and also appearing as Manhaj al-Masalik), is a commentary on the grammatical poem al-Alfiyyah of Ibn Malik (d. 672 AH / 1274 CE), authored by the Shafi'i scholar Abu al-Hasan Nur al-Din 'Ali ibn Muhammad al-Ashmuni (d. c. 900 AH / 1495 CE; other reports state 918 AH or 929 AH) .
Content and Methodology
In his introduction, al-Ashmuni describes the work as an elucidation that integrates seamlessly with Ibn Malik's text, intended to strike a balance between tedious length and deficient brevity . Later scholars noted that the phrasing of the poetic lines is woven directly into the commentary so that they read as if produced by a single pen .
The work serves as an expansive compilation of Arabic grammatical doctrines, detailing the various schools of grammarians, their theoretical justifications (ta‘lilat), and their evidentiary citations (shawahid) . To construct this synthesis, al-Ashmuni drew upon major earlier commentaries on the Alfiyyah, the Kafiyah, and the Tashil, including those by Ibn al-Nazim, Ibn 'Aqil, al-Shatibi, and Ibn Hisham's Mughni al-Labib . In particular, it relies extensively on Tawdih al-Maqasid wa-l-Masalik by Ibn Umm Qasim al-Muradi (d. 749 AH / 1348 CE), frequently adopting its analyses .
Reception and Supercommentaries
Sharh al-Ashmuni attained widespread circulation and became, alongside the commentary of Ibn 'Aqil, one of the most broadly taught and studied explanations of the Alfiyyah .
A number of scholars authored supercommentaries (hawashi) on the text:
- The gloss by Muhammad ibn 'Ali al-Sabban (d. 1206 AH / 1792 CE), titled Hashiyat al-Sabban, which became an authoritative text used for advanced grammatical instruction at al-Azhar .
- The gloss by Muhammad ibn Salim al-Hifni (d. 1181 AH / 1767 CE) .
- Al-Hashiyah al-Musawiyyah bi-Zawahir al-Kawakib li-Bawahir al-Mawakib by Muhammad ibn 'Ali al-Tunisi (d. 1199 AH / 1784 CE) .
Answer updated