Talwin al-Khitab li-Ibn Kamal Basha: Dirasa wa Tahqiq

Talwin al-Khitab li-Ibn Kamal Basha: Dirasa wa Tahqiq (Modulating Discourse by Ibn Kamal Pasha: A Study and Edition) is a critical edition and study of a classical Arabic rhetorical treatise by the Ottoman scholar Ibn Kamal Pasha (d. 940 AH / 1534 CE), edited and introduced by Abd al-Khaliq ibn Musa'id al-Zahrani Talwin al-Khitab li-Ibn K…+1.

Background and Rhetorical Concept

The treatise examines talwin al-khitab (the stylistic modulation or variation of address), which Ibn Kamal Pasha likens to offering varied hospitality for souls (qira al-arwah), just as hosts provide diverse foods for bodies Talwin al-Khitab li-Ibn K…+1. Ibn Kamal Pasha conceived talwin al-khitab as a broader overarching rhetorical category to reconcile historical divergences among Arab rhetoricians regarding iltifat (apostrophe or grammatical person shift) Majallat al-Jami'a al-Isl…+1.

Earlier literary theorists—such as Ibn Qutayba, Ibn al-Mu'tazz, Qudama ibn Ja'far, Abu Hilal al-'Askari, Ibn Rashiq, and later Ibn al-Athir—had applied iltifat loosely, subsuming parenthetical clauses (i'tirad), appendages (tadhyil), rectifications (istidrak), or tense alternations under it Majallat al-Jami'a al-Isl…+1. In contrast, later systematic rhetoricians restricted iltifat to shifts across grammatical persons under strict identity conditions Majallat al-Jami'a al-Isl…+1. Ibn Kamal Pasha retained the narrow definition of iltifat while classifying it as merely one branch under the broader rubric of talwin al-khitab Majallat al-Jami'a al-Isl…+1.

Contents and Structure

In the treatise, discourse (khitab) is defined as directing speech toward the listener Majallat al-Jami'a al-Isl…+1. Ibn Kamal Pasha explores variations departing from expected grammatical norms (muqtada al-zahir), presenting several branches of discourse modulation Majallat al-Jami'a al-Isl…+1:

• Shifting from specific to general address: Turning from speech directed to an individual to collective address, exemplified by Surat al-An'am (verses 106–108) Talwin al-Khitab li-Ibn K…+1.
• Redirecting address from one addressee to another: Exemplified by verses of the poet Jarir, moving from addressing his wife to addressing the Caliph Talwin al-Khitab li-Ibn K….
• Shifting between grammatical persons: Transitioning between the first, second, and third persons without fulfilling the condition of unified addressee reference Talwin al-Khitab li-Ibn K….
• Iltifat proper: Shifting across grammatical person modes on the strict condition that the referent addressed remains identical before and after the transition Talwin al-Khitab li-Ibn K….

Throughout the text, Ibn Kamal Pasha engages in discussions and critiques of prominent classical scholars, most notably al-Zamakhshari, the author of al-Kashf, al-Baydawi, al-Sayyid al-Sharif al-Jurjani, Sa'd al-Din al-Taftazani, and Sadr al-Afadil Majallat al-Jami'a al-Isl…+1.

Scholarly Value and Critical Assessment

The editor highlights the significance of the work as an early dedicated monograph on talwin al-khitab, a term that was scarcely discussed as an independent subject in classical literature—apart from a passing mention by Shihab al-Din al-Khafaji in his supercommentary on al-Baydawi—and remained largely absent from modern literary and critical dictionaries Majallat al-Jami'a al-Isl…+1.

The editor also notes several methodological shortcomings in the treatise:

1. Ibn Kamal Pasha did not provide an explicit, formal definition of talwin al-khitab itself, in contrast to his detailed definition of iltifat Talwin al-Khitab li-Ibn K…+1.
2. Although the author indicated that modulation falls into five categories, he provided textual examples for only three and omitted examples for two Majallat al-Jami'a al-Isl….
3. Some of his textual citations are truncated, leaving the precise locus of rhetorical evidence unclear Majallat al-Jami'a al-Isl….

Manuscript Sources and Edition

The edited text was established using two microfilmed manuscripts preserved at the Islamic University of Madinah Talwin al-Khitab li-Ibn K…+1:

• Manuscript "Mim" (م): A copy consisting of 7.5 folios (25 lines per page) written in Farisi (Nasta'liq) script with brief marginal glosses, microfilmed from the Mahmudiyya Library in Medina (film no. 7313) Majallat al-Jami'a al-Isl….
• Manuscript "Dal" (د): A copy consisting of 14 folios (19 lines per page) written in Farisi script, microfilmed from Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya in Cairo (film no. 2440) Majallat al-Jami'a al-Isl….

The study and critical edition were published in the Journal of the Islamic University of Madinah (Issue 113) Majallat al-Jami'a al-Isl…+1.