Sharh al-Tashil = Taliq al-Faraid ala Tashil al-Fawaid - Q 1
- Author died
- 827 AH
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- Editor of the book
Taliq al-Faraid ala Tashil al-Fawaid (also known as Sharh al-Tashil) is an extensive Arabic grammatical commentary written by the Alexandrian grammarian and jurist Badr al-Din al-Damamini (763–827 AH / 1362–1424 CE) . The work is a commentary on Tashil al-Fawaid wa-Takmil al-Maqasid, the comprehensive compendium of Arabic grammar and morphology compiled by Ibn Malik (d. 672 AH / 1274 CE) .
Background and Composition
Al-Damamini composed the work during his travels in the Indian subcontinent . Upon arriving in Cambay (Khambhat) in late Sha'ban 820 AH (1417 CE), he observed that Ibn Malik's Tashil al-Fawaid was largely unknown among the local scholars and students . Having carried a copy of the treatise with him, students who examined the text requested that he write an extensive commentary to clarify its obscure expressions and intricate rules . Al-Damamini fulfilled their request and dedicated the completed commentary to the ruler of Gujarat, Sultan Abu al-Fath Ahmad Shah, the son of Sultan Muzaffar Shah .
In the introductory portions of the book, al-Damamini documents his chain of transmission for Ibn Malik's Tashil, relating it on the authority of his teacher Burhan al-Din Ibrahim ibn Ahmad ibn Abd al-Wahid al-Darir al-Shami, who resided at the al-Aqmar Mosque in Cairo, who held an authorization (ijazah) from Abu Hayyan al-Andalusi directly from its transmission line . Bibliographer Hajji Khalifa notes that al-Damamini produced other commentaries on the Tashil, including an earlier Egyptian work written in the question-and-answer format (qala–aqulu) and an incomplete intertwined commentary that reached the letter fa' .
Method and Content
Taliq al-Faraid is structured as an intertwined commentary (sharh mamzuj), blending Ibn Malik's original phrases directly with al-Damamini's elucidations . The text covers the entirety of standard Arabic morpho-syntax, analyzing core grammatical rules (usul), definitions, syntactic categories, inflection, derived forms, and anomalous usages .
In constructing his arguments, al-Damamini draws extensively upon earlier grammatical authorities, frequently citing and evaluating the positions of commentators such as Ibn Umm Qasim al-Muradi across topics ranging from basic sentence structure and nominal syntax to operator verbs and relative clauses . The author also integrates rhetorical analysis, literary attestations, and semantic investigations, defending Ibn Malik's terminology while responding to criticisms leveled by contemporary and earlier scholars, such as al-Salah al-Safadi .
Manuscript Heritage
Manuscripts of Taliq al-Faraid have been preserved across several manuscript repositories, including multiple copies held at Al-Azhar University Library (such as MS 1057) and the Egyptian National Library (Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya, such as MS 301 Taymur), as well as libraries in Rabat and Baghdad .
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