The Discovery of One of the Most Important and Oldest Manuscripts in Arabic Sciences and Their History: The Manuscript of Al-Sahibi fi Fiqh al-Lughah by Ibn Faris Al-Razi

Abstract

This article discusses the discovery in Al-Azhar Library of a valuable manuscript copy of Al-Sahibi fi Fiqh al-Lughah by Ibn Faris Al-Razi, emphasizing its importance as one of the oldest manuscript witnesses related to Arabic language sciences and their history. It presents Ibn Faris’s position within Arabic linguistic scholarship and explains the nature of his work, which combines Arabic philology, the distinctive features of Arabic, the Arabs’ modes of expression, and their connection to the language of the Qur’an. The article addresses several issues treated in the manuscript, including the origins of Arabic, the breadth of Arabic and its letters, classifications of Arab speech, meanings of words and utterances, semantic functions of letters, and the role of early linguistic authorities such as Abu Al-Aswad Al-Du'ali and Al-Khalil ibn Ahmad Al-Farahidi. It concludes that the manuscript’s significance lies not only in its historical and linguistic value, but also in its heritage value as a foundational philological text that provides researchers with an authentic source for studying Arabic, manuscripts, and the history of Arab linguistic thought.