Sharh Kitab al-Hudud fi al-Nahw
- Author died
- 972 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat Wahbah
Sharh Kitab al-Hudud fi al-Nahw (The Commentary on the Book of Grammatical Definitions) is an Arabic grammatical work by the Meccan Shafi'i scholar and grammarian Jamal al-Din al-Fakihi (899–972 AH / 1493–1564 CE) . It is an auto-commentary explaining his own concise base treatise on fundamental grammatical terms and definitions .
Composition and Purpose
Al-Fakihi originally compiled a compact primer entitled al-Hudud fi al-Nahw (also known as al-Hudud al-Nahwiyyah or Ta'rif al-Hudud) . In the preface to the commentary, he explains that he had assembled the selected and standard definitions (al-hudud al-mukhtarah) used among grammarians from numerous grammatical sourcebooks at the request of an elder scholar whom he could not refuse .
Following the completion of the base text, he composed an interwoven commentary (sharh mumtazij) designed to match the original in conciseness and precision, with the aim of unpacking its phrasing and elucidating its meanings . In some manuscript witnesses, the commentary is also recorded under the extended title Bughyat al-Tullab fi Sharh Matn al-Hudud fi 'Ilm al-I'rab .
Content and Method
The work focuses on defining grammatical terms and explaining the precise technical concepts of Arabic syntax and morphology . It addresses both core grammatical categories and related topics discussed subordinately in grammatical treatises, such as pronouns (al-mudmar), phonological pausing (al-waqf), and phonetic deflection (al-imalah) .
Methodologically, al-Fakihi opens by defining the concept of definition (al-hadd) itself—noting that among grammarians, jurists, and legal theorists, hadd and mu'arrif refer to that which distinguishes an entity from everything else, requiring it to be exhaustive and exclusive (jami' mani') . Throughout his exposition, he provides linguistic and technical explanations, cites foundational authorities such as Sibawayh and al-Zamakhshari, and draws upon Quranic verses and hadith for linguistic illustration .
Transmission and Editions
Manuscripts of the commentary are preserved across several libraries, including the National Library of Tunisia, the Awqaf Library in Baghdad, and collections in Cairo and Sana'a . The text was edited and published by al-Mutawalli Ramadan Ahmad al-Dumayri (1408 AH / 1988 CE; second edition 1414 AH / 1993 CE) .
Answer updated