Unmudhaj Jalil fi Asila wa Ajwiba an Gharaib Ay al-Tanzil
- Author died
- 666 AH
- Editions
- Dār 'Ālam al-Kutub
Unmudhaj Jalil fi Asila wa Ajwiba an Gharaib Ay al-Tanzil (A Sublime Model of Questions and Answers on the Anomalies of the Verses of Revelation) is a work on Quranic interpretation and textual nuances by the Hanafi scholar and lexicographer Zayn al-Din al-Razi (d. after 666 AH / 1268 CE) .
Composition and Purpose
In the introduction to the work, al-Razi explains that the text is an abridgment containing a selected sample of questions and answers regarding the Quran . Part of the material was extracted, refined, and summarized from the writings of earlier scholars, while another part arose from scholarly discussions with a pious companion deeply devoted to pondering the meanings of the Quran .
Al-Razi states that he deliberately simplified the explanations and kept them accessible to ensure widespread benefit, noting that questions involving obscure nuances and subtle grammatical analyses (i'rab) were set aside for a separate abridged compilation .
Structure and Method
The book is organized according to the traditional sequence of the Quranic chapters, opening with Surat al-Fatiha and proceeding through subsequent surahs . It contains over 1,200 questions .
Al-Razi employs a dialectical question-and-answer format throughout, introducing inquiries with the formula "If it is asked" (fa-in qila) and responding with "We say" (qulna) . The inquiries address linguistic subtleties, the rationale behind specific word choices or structural sequence, apparent redundancies, and textual coordination between related verses across different surahs .
Manuscripts and Editions
Manuscripts of the text are preserved in multiple collections, including the Zahiriyya Library in Damascus, the library of al-Azhar in Cairo, al-Qarawiyyin in Fez, and the Royal Library in Rabat .
The work has been published in several modern editions, including:
- An edition edited by Abd al-Rahman ibn Ibrahim al-Matrudi (Riyadh: Dar Alam al-Kutub, 1413 AH / 1991 CE, 1 volume) .
- An edition edited by Muhammad Ridwan al-Daya (Damascus/Beirut: Dar al-Fikr al-Mu'asir) .
It was also printed earlier in the margins of Imla' Ma Manna bihi al-Rahman by Abu al-Baqa al-Ukbari .
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