Tashih Lisan al-Arab
- Author died
- 1348 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Afaq al-Arabiyyah
Tashih Lisan al-Arab (Correction of Lisan al-Arab) is a philological treatise written by the Egyptian scholar and historian Ahmad Taymur Pasha (1288–1348 AH / 1871–1930 CE), dedicated to identifying and correcting errors, misreadings, and printing lapses in the classical Arabic lexicon Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur (d. 711 AH) .
Background and Composition
The work originated as a series of critical observations recorded by Taymur Pasha during his study and cross-referencing of the first printed edition of Lisan al-Arab, which had been issued by the Bulaq Press in Cairo between 1300 and 1308 AH . Taymur Pasha initially published these textual corrections as separate articles across various journals and newspapers, including al-Mu'ayyad, al-Diya', and al-Athar . Recognizing their scholarly value, he subsequently gathered these disparate installments into a unified book .
Scope and Methodology
Taymur Pasha did not design the treatise to be an exhaustive catalog of every flaw or questionable entry in Lisan al-Arab, but rather focused on the specific errors and distortions he encountered while reviewing the text . His critique encompassed typographical errors made in the Bulaq printing as well as authorial oversights committed by Ibn Manzur himself .
Scholars, including the traditionist and editor Ahmad Muhammad Shakir, praised the work for its rigorous philological accuracy (al-tahqiq al-'ilmi al-daqiq), noting that the labor required to verify each word, vowelization, and cross-reference in comparative linguistic sources exceeded that of writing works on narrow subjects .
Publication and Reception
The collected treatise was edited and brought to print by Muhammad 'Abd al-Jawad al-Asma'i in two separate parts:
- Part One: Published in 1334 AH at Matba'at al-Jamaliyya in Cairo, comprising 59 pages .
- Part Two: Published in 1343 AH (1924 CE) at al-Matba'a al-Salafiyya in Cairo, comprising 48 pages .
The two parts were priced upon release at six piasters each and were distributed from the library of Ahmad Zaki Pasha in Bab al-Khalq, Cairo .
The corrections established in Tashih Lisan al-Arab directly influenced subsequent scholarship on the lexicon. When al-Matba'a al-Salafiyya issued a revised printing of the first volume of Lisan al-Arab in 1348 AH, it incorporated Taymur Pasha's emendations alongside annotations by the Indian scholar Abd al-Aziz al-Maymani and the Orientalist Fritz Krenkow, distinguishing the additions of each scholar by distinct editorial symbols .
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