Tamhid al-Qawaid bi Sharh Tashil al-Fawaid
- Author died
- 778 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Salām lil-Ṭibāʿah wa-al-Nashr wa-al-Tawzīʿ wa-al-Tarjamah
Tamhid al-Qawaid bi Sharh Tashil al-Fawaid (Paving the Principles: A Commentary on the Facilitation of Benefits) is an extensive grammatical commentary by the Mamluk scholar and administrator Nazir al-Jaysh (d. 778 AH / 1377 CE) on Ibn Malik's foundational grammatical work Tashil al-Fawaid wa-Takmil al-Maqasid.
Composition and Purpose
Nazir al-Jaysh began compiling the commentary during his youth, but his official administrative duties in the state and the flagging resolve of contemporary students interrupted his work. He resumed and completed the project under the patronage and encouragement of the commander and atabeg Yalbugha al-Umari.
In his preface, Nazir al-Jaysh outlined his rationale for writing the work: Ibn Malik's own commentary on al-Tashil was brief and incomplete, leaving difficult passages unresolved, while the exhaustive commentary of his teacher, Abu Hayyan al-Gharnati (al-Tadhyil wa al-Takmil), had become excessively voluminous and overly combative in its strictures against Ibn Malik. Nazir al-Jaysh therefore sought a middle course that synthesized the essential material of both commentaries, systematically examining Abu Hayyan's criticisms, mounting a defense of Ibn Malik where justified, and offering independent evaluations where necessary.
Method and Structure
The book adheres strictly to the thematic arrangement and chapters of Ibn Malik's al-Tashil without altering their sequence. For each grammatical section, the author generally follows a systematic method:
- Quoting the passage from al-Tashil and accompanying it with Ibn Malik's own explanatory remarks.
- Presenting the objections raised by Abu Hayyan in al-Tadhyil wa al-Takmil.
- Arbitrating between the two scholars through evidence, logical distinctions, and citations of earlier grammarians.
Nazir al-Jaysh draws heavily on the broader grammatical tradition, citing authorities across the Basran, Kufan, Baghdadi, and Andalusian schools, including Sibawayh, al-Khalil ibn Ahmad, Ibn Jinni, Ibn Usfur, Ibn al-Da'i', and Ibn Kharuf. In doctrinal grammatical matters, he predominantly aligns with the Basran school while adopting the analytical and classificatory approaches characteristic of Western Islamic and Andalusian grammarians. His style incorporates logical and rhetorical terminology while maintaining clarity and accessibility. The work also preserves valuable excerpts from earlier grammatical treatises that have since been lost, such as Ibn Hisham al-Khadrawi's al-Ifsah and Ibn 'Amrun's commentary on al-Mufassal.
Reception and Editions
The commentary achieved wide recognition and became a standard reference for later grammarians and commentators, who frequently cited its discussions, including Badr al-Din al-Damamini in Ta'liq al-Fara'id, Khalid al-Azhari in Sharh al-Tasrih, al-Ashmuni, al-Sabban, and Abd al-Qadir al-Baghdadi in Khizanat al-Adab.
The text was edited and published collectively by six scholars from al-Azhar University—Ali Muhammad Fakhir, Jabir Muhammad al-Barrajah, Ibrahim Jum'ah al-Ajmi, Jabir al-Sayyid al-Mubarak, Ali al-Sanusi Muhammad, and Muhammad Raghib Nazzal—based on their respective doctoral dissertations, appearing in Cairo in 1424 AH / 2003 CE.
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