Classiċ al Foundatiȯ ns of Synta
Since syntax (naẓm) is directly related to the issue of the Qur’an’s iʿjāz
(inimitability), it has been a shared area of interest among various disciplines
in the Islamic scholarly tradition, such as Arabic rhetoric/literature,
tafsīr and kalām. From the time of al-Jāḥiẓ (d. 255/869) onward,
syntax has been highlighted as a central aspect of iʿjāz, and it underwent
significant development up to the era of ʿAbd al-Qāhir al-Jurjānī (d.
471/1078-79). The contributions of al-Iskāfī (d. 420/1029), particularly
concerning verbally similar verses, represent one of the key and concrete
classical manifestations of this intellectual trajectory. The works
of verbally similar (mutashabih), which are studies verses of the Qur’an
that are similar to each other in terms of their words, but differ from
points such as precedence-postponing, citing-ruling out, definiteness-indefiniteness,
secretion-display and seperation-hyphenation, began from
an early period. The scholars of qiraah first dealt with the subject in
order to prevent the qurra and hafiz from confusing similar verses and
to facilitate memorization. In this context, Kisāī (d. 189/805), one of
the imams of the seven qiraah, has compiled the first independent work
on the subject with his work named Mutaşabih al-Kuran. These early
studies did not aim at explaining the verbally similar verses while merely
bringing them together. Hatib al-Iskāfī (d. 420/1029) made the first
independent work on this subject with the work Durrat at-tanzīl and
Gurrat at-tawīl and examined the reasons for the differentiation of the
verses of verbally similar and pioneered a literature that will be formed
after him. In this work, Isqafi has subjected a detailed analysis of verbally
similar verses in accordance with the Mushaf scheme. The work
that examines the reasons for differentiation of verses from the point
of syntax applications such as precedence-postponing, citing-ruling out,
definiteness-indefiniteness, secretion-display, repetition, reiteration, reference
letters, noun-verb usage and seperation-hyphenation is an important
syntax analysis. However, Durrat at-tanzīl’s work and verbally
similar’s work have not been adequately established in connection with
syntax in the literatüre. Therefore, it is the main purpose of the study to
make the work of Durrat at-tanzīl and, consequently, the verbally similar
literature a part of the syntax tradition.
Keywords: Arabic Language and Rhetoric; Hatib al-Iskāfī; Syntax; Durrat
at-tanzīl; Verbally Similar (Mutashabih)