An analysis of al-Bahr al-Muhît from a philological perspective

ABSTRACT Abu Hayyan's interpretation of al-Bahr al-Muhît is a significant work from a philological perspective. This study examines this book from a philological standpoint. Abu Hayyân was a famous grammarian. He was born in Granada in 654/1256. After studying Islamic sciences in Andalusia until the age of 25, he traveled to the East and settled in Egypt. He lived in Cairo up until his death in 745/1344. Abu Hayyân, who was one of the most important linguists of his time, studied sciences from hundreds of scholars both in the area of Andalusia and the region of Egypt. He also taught these sciences and wrote extensively on grammar, terminology, literature, interpretation, qiraaf/readings, history, jurisprudence, hadith, etc. Abu Hayyân began to write al-Bahr al-Muhît in Cairo in 710/1311 when he was 57 years old. He completed it approximately 17 years later. This book, which is one of his later books, is very rich in philological issues like morphology, syntax, terminology, rhetoric and dialect. Therefore it holds an important place in Arabic literature. In addition to his in-depth explanations of morphology, syntax and terminology, in this work Abu Hayyân also explains Qur'anic verses and qiraat (readings) from a grammatical standpoint and discusses opinions from former scholars. The work reflects grammatical analysis unbiased by other schools of grammar, although many of his opinions are in agreement with the school of Basra. Abu Hayyân was influenced by Zahirî thought, preferring clear and easy opinions. At times in his interpretation, he accepts the opinions of some schools of Nahw (grammer) such as the Basra, Küfe, Baghdad and Andalusia schools and scholars but at other times he rejects them. In al-Bahr al-Muhît, Abu Hayyân lends much significance to sama', citing primarily from poetry, the Qur'an and prose, but very minimally from the hadith. He also mentions that elements of Eloquence exist in the Qur'anic verses. In summary, this study aims to show the significance of Abu Hayyan's interpretation of al-Bahr al-Muhît by examining important philological elements. VI