Agreements of Yahya bin Hamza Al-Alawi (d. 749 AH) with Al-Zamakhshari (d. 538 AH) in his book Al-Azhar Al-Safiya in explaining the Muqaddima Al-Kafiya
Abstract
The importance of this topic is manifested in its highlighting a facet of grammatical opinions in Arabic grammar that some grammarians uniquely held. It also showcases the critical personality that these grammarians possessed, which enabled them to present new views, even if they contradicted the grammatical school to which they belonged. An example of this is Al-Zamakhshari, whose grammatical opinions were recognized by Al-Alawi for their quality and precision, making them worthy of support. This led Al-Alawi to agree with Al-Zamakhshari, even if those opinions contradicted what many grammarians stated. Al-Alawi provided evidence that reinforced these opinions and opposed those who disagreed with them—by weakening or disapproving of them—and justified their incorrectness or deviation from the truth. Therefore, studying this topic in the context of Imam Al-Alawi highlights a part of the Yemeni grammatical heritage and the contribution of Yemeni grammarians to the maturation of Arabic grammar, as the opinions presented by Al-Alawi in agreement with Al-Zamakhshari and his rebuttals to other grammarians represent a rich intellectual resource and a scientific tributary for Arabic grammar.
The research on this topic began with an introduction, followed by a prelude, then issues of agreement between Al-Alawi and Al-Zamakhshari, concluding with a conclusion.
The introduction included a definition of the topic, its importance, how it is divided, and the methodology used in its study.
The prelude addressed the definitions of Imam Al-Alawi and Al-Zamakhshari, as well as the book "Al-Azhar Al-Safiya." Following that were the issues in which Al-Alawi agreed with Al-Zamakhshari, totaling sixteen issues.
The methodology used in studying all these issues was a descriptive approach based on tracing the phenomenon in its contexts, gathering, describing, arranging, discussing, and assigning a suitable title to each issue.
The conclusion included the most significant findings revealed by the research, among which are:
- Al-Alawi agreed with Al-Zamakhshari on sixteen points, and he expressed approval for his viewpoint on those points, characterizing it as the most probable, the best, the excellent, the correct, or the most in line with Arabic principles and grammatical parallels.
- Al-Alawi often justifies the statement he chooses, explaining the reason for choosing it, strengthening it and gathering evidence for it from hearing and analogy, rejecting other statements that oppose it, and explaining their invalidity and the reason for their corruption.