Exploring the Genesis of Early Arabic Linguistic Thought: Qur'anic Readers and Grammarians of the Basran Tradition (Part II)

Abstract

While Part I of this article examined the role played by Kūfan readers and grammarians in the genesis of Arabic linguistic thought, furnishing a synopsis of issues such as origins, features, and influential individuals, Part II focuses upon a similar treatment of the contribution made by Baṣran readers and grammarians to the development of this tradition. The article will outline Baṣran readers' attempts to devise and implement improvements to orthography, vowel markings and diacritics. It will also gauge the extent to which endeavours therein were gradually augmented by a profoundly theoretical approach to linguistic aspects of the collation, authentication, and articulation of Qur'anic readings. A survey of this formative period will propose that while the service of scripture is the distinguished objective of early Basran linguistic activity, the accentuation of abstract considerations in approaches to scripture presages not only a shift in this tradition's focus, application, and design, but it also marks the emergence of the first pioneering grammarians who place Arabic linguistic thought on an altogether insular plane, composing literature which reflected the new perspective, while preparing the ground for the contributions of Sibawayhi and his many peers.

The Birth of Prophet Muḥammad in the Qur’ān: A Critical Analysis of al-Jāḥiẓ’s Thought in his Kitāb al-Ḥujja fī Tathbīt al-Nubuwwa

“…Apart from its emphasis upon linguistic disciplines, the Basra school had a pronounced influence on al-Jāḥiẓ's Qur'ānic knowledge. The Basra school was recognised as an important educational institution in the development of the science of qira'āt and tafsīr (Shah 2003) and its significant contribution to the problem of maṣāḥif is undeniable (Manṣūr 1968). As Pellat concludes, receiving an early education in one of the finest institutions of Arabic and Qur'ānic education, the birth place of Arabic prose (Pellat 1969), helped to develop al-Jāḥiẓ's undoubted flair in literacy and also his intellectual skills, which became the most significant interpretive device in his exploration of the meaning of the Qur'ān.…”

The Quest for the Origins of the qurrāc in the Classical Islamic Tradition

“…The revolutionary approach to a theory of language refined by Sıbawayhi (d. 177/793) is accentuated as an accomplished achievement in the field of Arabic linguistic thought. 121 His work entitled al-Kit�b is the oldest surviving text of Arabic grammar. It utilised a rich stock of existing linguistic concepts and grammatical terminology, although, in the words of one writer, this would not have detracted from the unique status of the Kit�b and its unparalleled conceptual refinements.…”