Al-Harfushi’s Concurrences with al-Fakihi on Grammatical Issues: A Foundational Study in Dalil al-Huda ila Mujib al-Nida

Abstract

The book Dalīl al-Hudā ilā Mujīb al-Nadā by Muhammad bin Ali al-Harfushi serves as a crucial link in the study of Arabic grammar, as it comprises his analytical commentaries on Al-Fakihi’s Mujīb al-Nadā, an exposition of Qaṭr al-Nadā. This study examines the points of agreement between Al-Harfushi and Al-Fakihi, employing a scientific methodology based on grammatical reasoning and the presentation of evidence. This highlights the impact of cognitive harmony and continuity among commentators of grammatical texts during the classical era.

While grammatical studies frequently focus on disputes and objections among grammarians, they often overlook the consensus and agreements that form the scientific foundation for establishing grammatical rules. The core premise of this research is to investigate the foundational principles that guided Al-Harfushi in asserting these agreements, the grammatical justifications he relied upon, and whether his agreements were accompanied by novel scholarly contributions or were merely accepted axioms.

The research aims to trace the grammatical issues where Al-Harfushi explicitly expressed his agreement, analyze his approach to these issues, and assess his ability to reinforce Al-Fakihi’s discourse with additional scholarly opinions and arguments. Following an initial inductive phase, the study adopted a descriptive-analytical methodology, referencing the fundamental sources of Arabic grammar (Uṣūl al-Naḥw) to conduct a comprehensive comparative analysis.The study concludes with a recommendation to direct researchers' attention toward investigating grammatical agreements within foundational texts, as they represent the stable and mature rules in grammatical thought. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of editing and publishing manuscripts related to both early and late grammatical texts to better understand the evolutionary trajectory of grammatical thought.