Sharh Ibn al-Nazim ala Alfiyyat Ibn Malik

Sharh Ibn al-Nazim ala Alfiyyat Ibn Malik (The Commentary of the Versifier's Son on the Alfiyya of Ibn Malik), commonly known as Sharh Ibn al-Musannif, is a major Arabic grammatical commentary authored by Badr al-Din Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Malik (d. 686 AH / 1286 CE) on the celebrated didactic grammatical poem al-Alfiyya (also known as al-Khulasa) composed by his father, Jamal al-Din Ibn Malik (d. 672 AH / 1274 CE) Tawdih al-Maqasid wa al-M…+1.

Composition and Method

Badr al-Din completed the composition of this work in the month of Muharram in 676 AH Tawdih al-Maqasid wa al-M…. The text opens with the author's statement: "After praising God the Exalted as praise is due to Him..." (Ammā baʿda ḥamdillāhi subḥānahu bimā lahu al-ḥamd) Tawdih al-Maqasid wa al-M….

In elucidating his father's verses, the author adopted an analytical approach supported by extensive textual evidence (shawāhid), particularly from Quranic verses Tawdih al-Maqasid wa al-M…+1. A distinguishing feature of the work is that Badr al-Din did not hesitate to critique or point out perceived errors in his father's grammatical choices and formulations in several passages Tawdih al-Maqasid wa al-M…+1.

Reception and Scholarly Standing

Regarded as perhaps the earliest commentary on the Alfiyya, the work earned significant esteem among classical grammarians Sharh al-Tasrih ala al-Ta…. The biographer al-Safadi described it as an excellent, refined, and polished commentary, asserting that despite the multitude of commentaries written on al-Khulasa, none was finer, more accurate, or more substantial; he analogized its preeminence to that of Ibn Yunus's commentary on al-Tanbih Sharh al-Tasrih ala al-Ta….

Because of its foundational status and depth, subsequent scholars authored numerous glosses, supercommentaries, and works focusing on its textual citations:

• Talkhis al-Shawahid wa-Talkhis al-Fawa'id by Ibn Hisham al-Ansari (d. 761 AH) Alfiyyat Ibn Malik Manhaj….
• Al-Mus'if wa-l-Mubin fi Sharh Ibn al-Musannif Badr al-Din, a supercommentary by 'Izz al-Din Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr ibn Jama'ah (d. 819 AH) Tawdih al-Maqasid wa al-M…+1.
• A gloss by Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad al-Khudayri al-Suyuti (d. 855 AH), the father of Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti, which was left uncompleted in two volumes Alfiyyat Ibn Malik Manhaj….
• A supercommentary by Badr al-Din al-Ayni (d. 855 AH), who also commented on its poetic citations in his al-Maqasid al-Nahwiyya Tawdih al-Maqasid wa al-M…+1.
• Al-Durar al-Saniyya, a supercommentary by Zakariyya al-Ansari (d. 928 AH), composed in 895 AH Tawdih al-Maqasid wa al-M….
• A supercommentary by Taqi al-Din ibn Abd al-Qadir al-Tamimi (d. 1005 AH), compiling and evaluating the opinions of various commentators Tawdih al-Maqasid wa al-M….
• A gloss by Ahmad ibn Qasim al-'Abbadi (d. 994 AH), which was later abridged by Muhammad al-Shawbari (d. 1069 AH) Tawdih al-Maqasid wa al-M…+1.
• Al-Shawahid ala Alfiyyat Ibn Malik li-Ibn al-Nazim by Muhammad Al al-Sayyid Ali al-Musawi al-'Amili al-Dalil ila al-Mutun al-….

Publication History

The commentary has been published in several editions:

• An early print corrected by Muhammad ibn Salim al-Lababidi in 1312 AH (353 pages) al-Dalil ila al-Mutun al-….
• An edition published by al-Fayha Press in Damascus in 1332 AH, edited by Mahmud Yasin al-Dalil ila al-Mutun al-….
• A critical edition by Abd al-Hamid al-Sayyid Muhammad Abd al-Hamid, published by Dar al-Jil in Beirut (878 pages) al-Dalil ila al-Mutun al-….