Abu Hayyan’s Morphological Comparisons in Al-Tadhyil wa Al-Takmil (Supplement and Completion) between Ibn Malik’s Al-Tashil (The Book of Facilitation) and His Two Works: Sharh Al-Kafiyah (Commentary on al-Kafiyah) and Ijaz Al-Tarif (The Concise Definition)

Abstract

This research highlights the morphological comparisons presented by Abi Ḥayyan in his work al-Tadhyil wa Al-Takmil (Supplement and Completion). In these comparisons, Abi Ḥayyān critically examined Ibn Malik’s Al-Tashil (The Book of Facilitation) alongside his two other works, Sharh Al-Kafiyah (Commentary on al-Kafiyah) and Ijaz Al-Ta'rif (The Concise Definition). These comparisons reveal Abi Hyyan’s intellectual sharpness and critical acumen. His analyses varied: at times, he pointed out contradictions in Ibn Malik’s statements; at other times, he preferred one expression over another, praised a particular phrasing in one of his works, or provided critical and corrective remarks on Ibn Malik’s views.

One of the key findings of this study is that the existence of multiple versions of Sharh Al-Kafiyah Al-Shafiyah and Al-Tashil contributed to textual variations in Ibn Malik’s writings. It also became evident that Ibn Malik expressed his ideas using different linguistic styles while maintaining the same underlying meaning. Furthermore, Abi Hyyan emerges as a model of the critical scholar who did not merely transmit and accept views unquestioningly; rather, he employed his extensive knowledge to analyze and evaluate Ibn Malik’s opinions.