A Review of Arabic Linguistic Argumentations and their Misconceptions

Abstract

Formulations of grammatical rules had been a major preoccupation of Arab grammarians of earlier times. They formulated these rules by drawing from primary sources, such as the anomalous recitation (Qira`at Shaz) of the Qur’an and archaic Arabic poetry of unknown origin. The issue discussed here is centred upon several questions: why were grammatical rules derived from Qira`at Shaz and archaic poetry accepted? Why was linguistic evidence from Hadith al-Nabawi refuted? And why did some of them abstain from drawing linguistic evidence from the Qur’an? This study looks at a cross-section of the views of early grammarians to provide an analytical approach in discussing and clarifying different views and misconceptions around the issues.