A critical edition of Kassâbzâde Muḥammad b. Ibrâhīm al-Nīfī's Muhtaṣaru Muġni al-labīb an kutub al-aārīb

This study presents a scholarly critical edition of a grammatical comp-endium entitled Mughni al-Adīb fi Mughni al-Labīb, authored by the Ottoman scholar Muḥammad ibn Ibrahim al-Nifi al-Rumi, known as Ibn al-Qassab. This abridgement is a pedagogical summary of the renowned work Mughni al-Labīb an Kutub al- Aʿârīb by the prominent grammarian Ibn Hisham al-Ansari (d.761/1359), which is considered one of the most significant contributions to Arabic grammar, noted for its unique methodology of organizing chapters by particles and its deep treatment of grammatical and semantic issues. The primary aim of the study is to produce an authenticated scholarly edition of this abridgement, based on three manuscript copies preserved in Turkish libraries: the Süleymaniye Library, the Bayezid Library, and the Çankırı Public Library. The research further aims to analyze the author's methodology, tracking his editorial interventions- such as omissions, rearrangements, or reformulations -while highlighting his instructional approach in simplifying grammatical content. The study adopts a descriptive-analytical method, grounded in the examination and collation of manuscript variants according to the established methodology of textual criticism and scholarly editing, particularly following the ISAM method of codicological description and the ISNAD system of academic referencing. It also focuses on identifying substantive textual differences and documenting grammatical terminology and source references with high accuracy and linguistic precision. Among the key findings of the research is that this abridgement serves as an intermediary academic genre, standing between detailed commentary and simple summarization. The edition meets the critical standards of textual scholarship, with reliance on manuscript evidence, verification of textual variants, accurate word reconstruction, and full diacritical vocalization of the text.