Misconceptions of Arab Grammarians After the Era of Khalil and Sibawayh

Abstract

The successive generations of Arab grammarians who inherited the book of Sibawayh and what his teacher Khalil ibn Ahmad narrated from it, with its exquisite and original sayings, also received some misconceptions understood by those who came after them, such as Abu al-Hasan al-Akhfash, Al-Mazini, and Al-Jurmi, and their student Abu al-Abbas al-Mubarrad. This was adopted by the group of scholars who learned from Abu al-Abbas, such as Al-Zajjaji, Ibn al-Sarraj, Al-Sirafi, and others. This is minimal compared to what they accurately understood. Their great merit lies in their comprehension of most of what was transmitted by Khalil and his student Sibawayh. Their care and great interest in the book, faithfully transmitting it to subsequent generations, sometimes with the best and deepest commentaries, is sufficient evidence of their significant contribution.