Sharh Maani Shi'r al-Mutanabbi li-Ibn al-Iflili - al-Safr al-Thani
- Author died
- 441 AH
- Editions
- Mu’assasat al-Risālah
Sharh Ma'ani Shi'r al-Mutanabbi (Commentary on the Meanings of al-Mutanabbi's Poetry) is an Andalusian literary commentary composed by the grammarian and philologist Ibn al-Iflili (352–441 AH / 963–1050 CE) to explain the meanings, language, and rhetorical aspects of the poetic corpus of al-Mutanabbi (303–354 AH / 915–965 CE) .
Background and Scope
Ibn al-Iflili, an Andalusian scholar from Cordoba who held the vizierate under the Umayyad caliph al-Mustakfi bi-Llah, was noted for his deep expertise in Arabic lexicography, grammar, and literary criticism, with a particular specialization in the poetry of Abu Tammam and al-Mutanabbi . Ibn Bassam al-Shantarini recorded that Ibn al-Iflili was not known to have authored any work in any discipline other than this commentary on the poetry of al-Mutanabbi .
The commentary focuses on deciphering the underlying meanings of al-Mutanabbi's verse, analyzing grammatical constructions, clarifying obscure vocabulary, and exploring figures of rhetoric and poetic criticism .
Reception and Preservation
The commentary was received favorably by contemporary and later Andalusian scholars; Ibn Hazm (Abu Muhammad Ali ibn Ahmad) commended it as a fine and accomplished work (kitab hasan) .
Manuscripts of the commentary, including its second volume (al-Safr al-Thani), are preserved in multiple collections, including the Zahiriyya Library in Damascus (ms. 6711), the National Library in Rabat (ms. 324, dated 975 AH), the British Library in London (Or. 4356, dated 674 AH), the al-Qarawiyyin Library in Fez (ms. 600), and the al-Ahmadiyya collection in Tunis (ms. 4561/1) . The complete work was published in Beirut in 1412 AH / 1992 CE in two volumes .
Answer updated