Abi Ali Al-Farisi Syntactic Questions to His Sheikh, Abi Bakr bin Sirraj Compiled and Studied

Abstract

Contemplating questions put forth by brilliant students to their teachers is of a great benefit. Accordingly, I have spent a long time studying the questions raised by Abi Ali Al-Farisi (d. 377) to his great sheik, Abi Bakr bin Siraj (d. 316), in some of the books of syntax as well as other selected books in the same field. I have collected a good number of those questions and conducted brief scientific studies thereof. The importance of this study, however, lies in the high status of the student and his teacher; the teacher on one hand is considered an outstanding scholar in Arabic syntax in particular, and language sciences in general, and about whom the following statement was made by scholars, “the leadership in syntax moved to him after the death of his sheikh, Al-Mubarrid.” The student on the other hand was described as a unique seeker of knowledge and a great grammarian; had Sibawaih [an influential linguist and well-known grammarian  of the Arabic language] lived at his time, he would have needed his assistance. The case being so, the student must have had very subtle and accurate syntactic queries and the teacher of such a high status must have had such convincing answers, rich and scientifically of important content, that makes those interested, investigate it, and spread it.