Textual analysis of the manuscript of Ghurar al-Amthal and Durar al-Aqwal, written by Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Zayd Bayhaqi .

Abstract

Many of the works of Ali Ibn Zayd Bayhaqi (d. 565 AH), have disappeared or are missing, so it is necessary to pay attention to his remaining works in order to know the literary history of the 5th and 6th centuries. One of his works is Ghurar al-Amthal wa Durar al-Aqwal, which is a critical work on the Arabic proverbs. This unique manuscript, with various headings in examining the literal meaning of the proverbs, the cause of the proverbs (Sabab), the use of the proverbs (Zarb), the explanation of the concept of the proverbs (hal al-mathal), and by presenting Mowallad proverbs, is a structured and different book, especially in hal al-mathal that provide the technical prose of Bayhaqi. The linguistic mistakes in this manuscript show that the Anonymous scribe did not have sufficient knowledge of Arabic and was probably a Persian speaker. Perhaps the date of its copy goes back to the 7th or 8th century. In this article, some points of Bayhaghi's life, such as the nickname "Ibn-Fondoq", his date of birth, and his religion, have been examined with a textual research, and this hypothesis can be proved that Ghurar al-Amthal is an explanatory and critical review of Majma al-Amthal written by Maydani (d. 518 A.H). But Bayhaqi has also analyzed other books of proverbs and has brought us phrases from books that are missing. In addition, Bayhaqi draws a section of the cultural history of Bayhaq in the 6th century by narrating memories and some stories.

Keywords

• abu al- hasan bayhaqi
• abu al-fazl maydani
• critical parable study
• ghurar al-amthal
• majama al-amthal