El-Cevânibü'l-Belâğiyye fî Kütübi Fikhi'l-Lüğati'larabiyye fi'l-Karni'r-Râbi'i'l-Hicrî

This study explores the rhetorical dimensions embedded in three seminal works of Arabic philology from the 4th century AH: Al-Khaṣāʾiṣ by Abū al-Fatḥ ʿUthmān ibn Jinnī, Al-Ṣāḥibī fī Fiqh al-Lugha wa-Sunan al-ʿArab fī Kalāmihā by Abū al-Ḥusayn Aḥmad ibn Fāris, and Fiqh al-Lugha wa-Sirr al-ʿArabiyya by Abū Manṣūr ʿAbd al-Malik al-Thaʿālibī. While traditionally regarded as philological and lexicographical texts focused on grammar, morphology, and linguistic origins, this research highlights their rich yet often overlooked rhetorical content. Employing an inductive, descriptive, and analytical methodology, the study traces rhetorical discourse within these texts, supported by historical and comparative analysis in its applied chapters. It argues that these works were not merely compilations of linguistic or philological data but constituted intellectually fertile ground for the early development of rhetorical theory. Though the authors did not formally define rhetoric as an independent discipline, their writings include theoretical reflections and practical applications that prefigure many concepts later systematised by 5th-century scholars, most notably ʿAbd al-Qāhir al-Jurjānī. The dissertation comprises a preface and five chapters. The first two chapters establish the theoretical framework: Chapter One surveys rhetorical thought in the 4th century AH, while Chapter Two examines developments in Arabic philology during the same period. Chapter Three analyses Ibn Jinnī's Al-Khaṣāʾiṣ in depth; Chapter Four explores Ibn Fāris's Al-Ṣāḥibī; and Chapter Five focuses on al-Thaʿālibī's Fiqh al-Lugha. Each chapter offers a focused examination of rhetorical elements, stylistic features, and illustrative examples. The study climaxes with a conclusion and a set of recommendations. Among its most significant outcomes, the study uncovers the rhetorical richness of these texts—dimensions that have been largely neglected in modern scholarship. It calls for a renewed scholarly engagement with classical philological works as repositories of linguistic and rhetorical thought. Moreover, it challenges prevailing claims of the stagnation of Arabic rhetoric by affirming its vitality and foundational influence on contemporary rhetorical theory. Finally, the study underscores the relevance of classical analytical methods for enhancing modern approaches to linguistic and rhetorical research, particularly in the field of teaching Arabic to non-native speakers.