1890-1895 - International Journal of Management and Humanity

International Journal of Management and Humanity Sciences. Vol., 3 (5), 1890-1895, 2014
Available online at http://www.ijmhsjournal.com
ISSN 2322-424X©2014
A Comparison of Citations between Sharh IbnAqeel and Sharh IbnNazim
Seyyedeh Hajar Besharat Gilani*, Seyyed Ebrahim Dibaji
Department of Arabic Literature, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
*Corresponding author E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract
Authors of this paper have tried so that by presenting some contents about
`citation` in arabic syntax and studying example in two well-known and popular
accounts of alfiah-ebn-e Malek, i.e. Ebn-e- Nazem and Ebn-e- Aghil, that were
compiled by bringing proofs from qur`an verses, (religious) traditions and Arabic
poems, they could study the method applied by the author and present obtained
results for this research. The most important objective of the paper is to study the
place of example has and the reason why it was used in both of the said works.
Keywords: Citation, Alfiah, Ebn-e- Malek, Ebn-e- Nazem`s Account, Ebn-e- Aghil`s
Account
Introduction
Citation and exemplification have developed in science and technology, in confirming the claims and
disputes in order to raise awareness and confirm, acknowledge and illustrate the assertions. In rational
sciences such as mathematics, philosophy and logic, examples and citations are provided immediately after
presenting a principle. In holy texts such the holy Quran, frequent references are made to examples. In
grammatical sciences, examples are necessary to confirm the rules and cite from what builds up trust and
confidence in order to create written and verbal regulation and decrease dispersion and ineloquence of
language.
Sibvieh's Syntaxis the most important and celebrated book on grammar in the world, written over 1000
years ago in over 1000 pages. In supporting grammatical rules, the book mainly draws upon exemplification
and citation in an inductive manner. This technique is based on the premise that once verbal and written
principles of language are set, it will become convenient to impart knowledge providing that an effective
syntactic system be developed.
Arabic works of grammar, particularly on syntax, are rich in citation, which are unique among the grammar
books and sources in the world. The evolutionary process of exemplification and citation from Sibvieh
onward has gone through ups and downs and made many to go to the extremes. Books in which syntactic
rules are written in verse have paid less attention to exemplification and citation since they could restrict
prosodic meters and rhymes. Exceptions are the works where the poet writer was exceptionally talented in
versification such asIbn Mālik who occasionally cited examples while elaborating on grammatical rules:
“For us grammarians, words are worthwhile as they resist and comprise three components of noun, verb
and preposition.”
„When Hal (‫ ) الَح ُلا‬is pronounced in definite manner, it has indefinite meaning such as (make your attempts
alone)‟ (Ibn Mālik, 1990:318).
Ibn Mālik‟sal-Khulāsa al-alfiyya, generally known asAlfiya, is one the most important verseson Arabic
syntax and morphology. Since he wrote the book, many a grammarian has paid attention to the work writing
reviews to explain and elaborateon it in various books. Some of the reviews such as „The Pleasure of
SharhAlfiya‟ byJalal al-Din al-Suyuti and„ Sharh IbnAqeel‟ are still taught in seminaries and academic majors
of western literature.„Sharh IbnNazim‟ is another important review of Alfiya. The present paper aims to
address the latter two reviews, Sharh IbnAqeel and Sharh IbnNazim.
Badroddin Muhammad Jamal al-Din al-Malik, commonly known asIbnNazim, was born in Damascus.
Under the supervision of his father, he learned syntax, vocabulary and oration. Many have considered him
Intl. J. Manag. Human. Sci. Vol., 3 (5), 1890-1895, 2014
as the leading master of Arabic language in his time, particularly due to his knowledge of linguistics and his
father‟s attitudes.
Another well-known review on Alfiya is the Sharh written by Chief Justice Baha al-Din Abdullah, commonly
known asIbnAqeel. His teacher, Abu Hayyan the grammarian, says of him, „no one on the face of earth
knows syntax better than IbnAqeel does‟ (al-Asghalani, 1993:267).
In this comparative study, the citation would be defined in Arabic syntax,and different opinions about
exemplification from the noble Hadithare elaborated on. Then the citation techniques in both Sharh IbnAqeel
and Sharh IbnNazim would be examined to distinguish different functions of citations in both works. The
citations taken from Quran, Hadith, Arabic poetry and orationare then counted and the results are illustrated
in four tables. Eventually, the intentions for using different citation examples are clarified by providing due
examples.
Citation in Arabic syntax
In Arabic syntax, citation refers to evidence and example. The verb „estashhed‟ means evidence and
reason when used before the Arabic preposition „ba‟.Safipur (1871) writes, „esteshhad (citation in English)
refers to claiming evidence and being killed for God‟ (Vol.2, p.662). In Arabic syntax, citation indicates using
examples to support the grammatical rules. It is usual to give reference to a source with perfect accuracy
and eloquence in order to reinforce the rules and principles. Such sources include Quran, Arabic poetry and
great works of Arabic oration written by Arab authorities. Considering the citations from Hadith, the position
sometimes required that a Hadith be used consistent with the context and situation.
Grammarians use examples and cite from the Arab authorities rather than accent and intonation that are
void of grammatical rules of Arabic language, and thus they solely cite from the epochs of Jahiliyyah, Maven
and the early Islamic period (Shanuqah, 2008:8). Dr. al-said Shanuqahwrites, „citation and exemplification
have several layers some of which are necessary, some are acceptable and some are forbidden. They are:
 Jahiliyyah poetry
 The Maven poetry (those poets who lived their lives partly in the Jahiliyyahperiod and partly in the Islamic
era)
 Early Islamic poets such as Jarir and Ibn Harmah. Abu Obaidah writes, „the poetry began with Emre alQais and ended with Ibn Harmah‟.
 Innovative poets from their time so far such as Bashar and Abu Novas.
 And scholars recommend citation from the third group (c) but totally reject citing from the fourth group (d)‟
(ibid, 2008:40).
Still, besides the time frameworks, the writers using citation also notice different locations and specific
areas: „the tribes from whom Arabic language was taken are Qeis, Tamim and Asad. Most of what has been
reported from Arabic was taken from these tribes, and they were appealed to for aphorisms, morphology and
syntax. To lesser degrees, Hazil, Kananeh and Taeen tribes were the sources of citations. However, other
tribes were ignored so that nothing of Arabic was taken from Khezri and al-Barari tribes who lived in adjacent
regions‟ (ibid, 2008:41).
However, there is consensus among scholars about citation from Quran, as the most eloquent source of
Arabic language. Indeed, Arabic syntax was developed to preserve and protect the text of Quran. The
citation from Quran does nothing to do with different readings and pronunciations, though. Zarkeshi (1980)
writes, „Quran and its different readings are two different realities: Quran is the revelation to the prophet as a
miracle while readings refer to different pronunciations and writings of the Quran that are of phonological
characteristics‟ (P.318).
Concerning Hadith, there is consensus among grammarians that Muhammad the prophet, Peace be Upon
Him, was the most eloquent of all Arabs. The prophet himself says, „I am the most eloquent Arab only that I
am from the Quraish tribe and grew up among the Bani Sa‟ad bin Bakr tribe‟. Nevertheless, there was
disagreement among scholars about citing from his words so that while some cited from him in absolute
manner, some other scholars did not allow the citations from him due to distrust in the originality of the
words. Still, some scholars approved of citing from the prophet‟s words only after the words and meaning
were verified as original. Some scholars disagree on what has been reported by some Tābi„ūns such as
Hassan Basri. This disagreement rises from the differences in the rank of Hadiths since the Hadith is
categorized as Mutawatir, Mashhur, Aziz, Gharib, Maqbul and Mardud, which are too broad subjects to be
elaborated on in this study (al-Khwārizmī, 1989:22).
Still, when we read through the old books of syntax, we find scarce examples of citation from Hadith.
Ahmed Mokhtar Omar refers to Ahmed Eskandari who wrote, „eight centuries passed and the Arab scholars
from Abul Aswad Doeli to Ibn Malik do not draw upon Hadith in language except for the Mutawatir Hadith‟
(Mokhtar Omar, 1982:32). He has also referred to other grammarians such as Isa bin Amr-e Thaghafi, Abi
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Intl. J. Manag. Human. Sci. Vol., 3 (5), 1890-1895, 2014
Amr bin Ala‟, Khalil bin Ahmed and Sibviehall from Basra school as well as Ma‟az al-Hara‟, Kasaie and Fara‟
from the Kufa school (ibid, 1982:33).
However, the Andalusian grammarians such as Ibn Kharouf, Ibn Malik, Ibn Hosham and Ibn Aqeel have
used citations from Hadith to support the rules of Arabic grammar.
What factors are associated with the disapproval of citing from Hadith among the old grammarians?
Researchers have reported various reasons in this regard:
 The noble Hadith is more accurate in terms of attribution than Arabic verse.
 Most of the Hadiths are documented in the early Islamic era before the corruption of Arabic language.
 Some Hadith narrators had special agendas such as the eloquence of the prophet in reporting his Hadiths.
 Does a lack of citation from Hadith by old grammarians indicate a lack or permission to cite from Hadith?
 Many old grammarians such asAbi Amr bin Ala‟, Khalil bin Ahmed, Kasaie and Asa‟mi have cited from
Hadith. For example, Al-Zamakhshari writes about the word „Hayahal‟ that “the gerund hayahal is made of
two words: haya and hal. The word is also written as Hayhala. These words are cited by Sibvieh while
others have also used other words such as Hihal and Hia‟l. The word is sometimes transitive per se or
made transitive by the prepositions „ela‟ and „ala‟. He further maintains that the Hadith reads, „when the
righteous are invoked, then make haste (Hayhala) toward Omar‟. And it also reads, „the word hayhala is
used to ride a pack animal that is moving ahead of a group of fast pack animals” (Bu Molham, 1993:194).
Ibn Jeni, who cited from Hadith beforeAl-Zamakhshari, maintains about the assimilation of „l‟ to „m‟ that “to
replace „m‟ for „l‟; al-Nahr bin Tolab narrates that the prophet said, „it is not right to observe fast while
travelling‟ and thus he assimilated „l‟ to „m‟” (Ibn Jeni, 1985:423).
In short, the successors misunderstand the old grammarians‟ disapproval of citing from the prophet‟s
Hadiths in language and syntactic rules. Although old grammarians have not used Hadith citations
independently as a source of grammatical accuracy, evidence shows that they have considered Hadith as
general saying (old literary texts). Still, their distrust in the words attributed to the prophet may relate to the
inaccuracy of writing and records. Some scholars consider that a lack of citation from Hadith refers to the
accent and pronunciation since they were narrated by non-Arabs who did not speak Arabic. We all know that
the prophet did not speak unless with the most eloquent words.
Citations and exemplification in Sharh Ibn Aqeel and Sharh Ibn Nazim
Examples are an inseparable part of grammar books. A book on grammar is unlikely to be written without
citing examples to either reason or support the grammatical rules. As discussed above, the Arab
grammarians cite four types of examples including Quran, the noble Hadith, poetry and oration. Some
examples are so well-known that all grammarians tend to cite so that some examples have become
exemplars only to support specific grammatical rules. For instance, the expression „what a writer!‟ has
become a cliché for the discussion on modifiers. The four types of citations in the Sharh IbnAqeel and Sharh
IbnNazimare illustrated below.
Sharh Ibn Aqeel
Sharh Ibn Nazim
Table 1. Statistical results of Quranic examples
Number of examples
Repeated examples Common examples
248
21
124
505
73
124
Sharh Ibn Aqeel
Sharh Ibn Nazim
Table 2. Statistical results of the noble Hadith
Number of examples Repeated examples
Common examples
22
_
11
31
2
11
Table 3. Statistical results of Arabic oration and sayings
Number of examples Repeated examples
Common examples
Sharh Ibn Aqeel
63
1
2
Sharh Ibn Nazim
12
_
2
Sharh Ibn Aqeel
Sharh Ibn Nazim
1892
Table 4. Statistical results of poetry examples
Number of examples Repeated examples Common examples
362
11
229
678
16
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Intl. J. Manag. Human. Sci. Vol., 3 (5), 1890-1895, 2014
The status of examples and citations in either work
The statistical findings show that both writers have paid greater heed to using Quranic and poetic
examples than other types of examples to support grammatical rules. Ibn Nazim, however, has used more
examples to support his grammatical deductions. There is small difference between the two writers in citing
examples from the noble Hadith. Still, Ibn Aqeel seems to have used a greater number of oration examples
and Arabic sayings in his Sharh. Both writers have cited examples from the prophet‟s Hadiths thoughIbn
Nazim has used more examples of Hadith. Following the statistical analysis, it sounds reasonable to address
some of the characteristics of both books.
Both writers have cited examples for specific purposes:
 Elaborating onIbn Malik’s approach
This is the aim all books of grammar follow, which is actually why examples are cited in such books. On
the discussion on Mobtada and Manbarin Alfiya:
In the example Asar-en Zan, Asar-en is the Mobtadaand Zan is the subject that does not need a
predicate. This is the case with other examples, and negative sentences and questions are the same. The
adjective may be used as the Mobtada and the second noun can be the subject without the adjective relying
on the negative or question such as „the guided are blessed (Ibn Aqeel, 2002:177).
Ibn Aqeel writes, „every adjective relies on either a negative or question‟ such as the following:
“Your enemies are not ignoring you, so do not give in or be fooled with unsolicited compromise” (ibid,
2002:178).
Considering the discussion on the verbs taking three objects inAlfiya:
“Verbs like Naba‟, Akhber, Hadath, Anba‟ and Khabar take three objects as does the verb Ara” (Ibn
Nazim:215)
Ibn Nazim cites a Quranic verse, „said he, which one of your children is this?‟ (Ibn Nazim:205).
 Elaborating onthe grammarians’ approach
The writers of both reviews, Sharh Ibn Aqeel and Sharh Ibn Nazim, sometimes cite examples to reason
and support a specific syntactic attitude. For instance, elaborating on Af‟al el-mogharabah (verbs of
approximating) in the following line in Alfiya:
“The predicate of „Asa‟ is usually a verbin the present tense followed by an infinitive. The present tense
predicate of „Asa‟ sometimes takes no infinitive. However, the opposite is true with „Kad‟” (Ibn Aqeel,
2002:302).
Ibn Aqeel cites a Quranic verse, „Your God may bestow mercy upon you‟. He contends that, according to
Sibvieh and Basri, the predicate of „Asa‟ should be preceded by „An‟. Reviewing the topic of definite and
indefinite nouns from a line inAlfiya:
“Due to metric restrictions, some poets syncopate the „n‟ sound in the words „Menni‟ and „Anni‟” (Ibn
Nazim: 69).
Ibn Nazim writes that most grammarians consider the pronunciation of „n‟ sound in „Men‟ and „Ain‟ to be
inappropriate without resonance. Thus, they generally believe that the „n‟ sound should be pronounced with
a resonance. He then cites the following line as an example:
“Thou who enquire after me from them, I am not from Qeis and Qeis is not from me” (ibid: 70).
Reviewing the topic of „Hal‟ (adverb of manner) from a line in Alfiya:
“Grammarians do not accept the precedence of the adverb of manner over the subject that is genitive;
however, I consider it appropriate as it occur in practice” (ibid: 323)
Ibn Nazim believes that, according to Abu Ali Farsi and Ibn Keissan, an adverb of manner in Arabic may
be used before the subject, and he cites a line of Arabic poetry to confirm his reasoning:
“It is easy to kill a group of women or camels, but you can never spurn the blood of Hibal (a male first
name)” (ibid: 323).
 Elaborating on rare cases
Like other grammarians, while citing examples, both Ibn Nazim and Ibn Aqeel use such modifiers as odd,
scarce, frequent, rare and weak. In some cases, they have used the expressions „Gone the folk‟ and„it is said
that‟. For example, on the following line:
“A conjoining pronoun does not appear in the beginning of the sentence and does not normally follow
„Ela‟” (Ibn Aqeel, 2002:88).
Ibn Aqeelcites an example as a rare exception to such a grammatical rule, which is used in Arabic poetry:
“I take refuge to God against the enemies as I have no shelter other than Him” (ibid, 2002:104).
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Intl. J. Manag. Human. Sci. Vol., 3 (5), 1890-1895, 2014
Elaborating on the line:
“„n‟ and „q‟ conjoin the verb before the „Ya‟, and „Laisi‟ is also used in poetry” (Ibn Nazim:63).
Ibn Nazim contends that „Ya‟ does not conjoin the verb without „n‟ and „q‟ except for rare cases. He cites a
line from Arabic poetry to support his opinion:
“I enumerated my people many times since I shall count nothing without them” (ibid: 64).
 Elaborating on the tribal dialects
Ibn Aqeel cites an example on the topic of genitive to „Ya‟ to explain a line in Alfiya:
“Andwritethe „ ‟(A)as it is, while Hozail asserts that it is appropriate to write„ ‟ as „‫( ”‟ی‬Ibn Aqeel, 2002:85).
Elaborating on the above line, Ibn Aqeeldiscusses that the BaniHozail tribeused to write a noun ending in
the tense „A‟ sound with „‫ ‟ی‬rather than„ ‟ or else they blended two „‫ ‟ی‬letters. He cites an example to support
his discussion:
“They rivaled me in love and found their sweethearts, then they strutted and died on a corner” (ibid, 2002:
85).
Discussing the following line:
“Maz, Monz, Rabba, Allam, Kei, Wav and Ma/ al-kaf, al-ba‟, La‟l and Mata” (Ibn Nazim: 354).
Ibn Nazimwrites that, in BaniHozail‟s dialect, the word „La‟l‟ is genitive. He cites an example to support his
reasoning:
“God might have made you superior to us since your mother was disabled” (Ibn Nazim: 356).
 Expressing an opinion contrary to other grammarian comments
For example, elaborating on the following line from Alfiya:
“„Hasha‟ and „Khala‟ are not accompanied by „Ma‟; other pronunciations are „Hash‟ and „Hasha‟” (Ibn
Aqeel, 2002:564).
Ibn Aqeel cites an example to show that „Hasha‟ is a verb, which is contrary to the common idea that it is
genitive:
“Except Quraish whom God made superior to other creatures for their Islam and religion” (ibib, 2002:56).
Ibn Nazim also cites another example as follows:
“It is impossible for Abu Touban to be obtuse and slow-witted” (Ibn Nazim: 310).
In some cases, the examples are cited for the purposes other than syntactic reasoning. For example,
discussing the syncopation of „n‟ sound at the end of words as in the following line from Alfiya:
“Syncopate the last letter of the interjection such as Ya! Sa‟a for one who has called upon Sa‟a”(Ibn Aqeel,
2002:236).
Ibn Aqeel writes that syncopation refers to the elimination of a sound in pronunciation. He cites an
example from Arabic poetry to elaborate on the discussion:
“He has a skin like silk and a conservative logic” (ibid, 2002:263).
Here he means that the last sound or syllable is omitted in pronunciation such as the word Ya! Sa‟a that
has actually been Ya! Sa‟ad. However, he did not cite the example to elaborate on or support a grammatical
rule but rather to define the concept of the syncopation in phonology.
Poetry examples with a hemistich
While counting the poetry citations in the two books, we encountered examples with only a hemistich (half
of a poetry line). Here we cite two examples:
 On the discussion on interjection, Ibn Aqeel cites as an example that is indeed part of a poetry line written
by the Jahiliyyah poet, Boshr Ibn BaniHazim:
“He says the night is almost over as it approaches the morn” (ibid, 2002:235).
 In Sharh Ibn Aqeel, we encountered a hemistich cited as an example of verb-like prepositions (Mushabah
bi-al Fe‟l) from Abu al-Etahieh. The example was cited to describe „Leit‟ as a verb-like preposition:
“I wish the youth returned one day”
Which is actually the first part of the following line of poetry:
“I wish the youth returned one day and I told him what old age has done to me” (ibid, 2002:318).
Conclusion
The statistical of analysis of citations and exemplification in Sharh Ibn Aqeel and Sharh Ibn Nazim showed
that both writers have used many examples from Quran, Hadith, Arabic poetry and oration. Ibn Nazim has
cited more examples from Quran and has also drawn upon poetry examples to a large degree. Both writers
have cited more examples from Arabic sayings and oration than from Hadith. They have deliberately used
examples for various purposes.
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Intl. J. Manag. Human. Sci. Vol., 3 (5), 1890-1895, 2014
The sources that Alfiya reviewers have used are the same as those used by old grammarians though they
are different in terms of scholarly comparison and degree. Old grammarians considered poetry as the
primary source of citation followed by Quran and Arabic oration under which Hadith is also subsumed. They
limited their citation from Arabic prose to some sayings that were easy to remember. Grammarians were
different as to how to use these sources so that they have done differently in drawing upon the sources and
making comparisons. Ibn Malik‟s approach most significantly marks this difference, which he elaborately
represents in Alfiya and other books on grammar. His command of Arabic language and reputation in Hadith
narration has made great contributions to his success. Both Ibn Nazim and Ibn Aqeel have followed Ibn
Malik‟s approach in citation and exemplification. A statistical comparison between Sharh Ibn Aqeel and
Sharh Ibn Nazim revealed that both writers have used many examples from Quran, Hadith, Arabic poetry
and oration. Ibn Nazim has cited more examples from Quran and has also drawn upon poetry examples to a
large degree. Both writers have cited more examples from Arabic sayings and oration than from Hadith.
They have deliberately used examples for various purposes.
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