Linguistic Argumentation between Al-Farrā’ and Al-Ṭabarī

Abstract

This research aims to study the linguistic argumentation between Al-Farrā’ and Al-Ṭabarī as a fundamental scientific tool in the construction of the sciences of grammar and exegesis in the Arab-Islamic heritage. The study adopted an analytical and comparative approach to examine Al-Farrā’s methodology in his book Ma‘ānī al-Qur’ān and Al-Ṭabarī’s methodology in his exegesis Jāmi‘ al-Bayān ‘an Ta’wīl Āy al-Qur’ān, with a focus on the sources of argumentation and their methods in employing Qur’anic, linguistic, and poetic evidences. The research concluded that Al-Farrā’ was characterized by grammatical and morphological precision based on the Kufan school, whereas Al-Ṭabarī was distinguished by the comprehensiveness of his method and his connection between linguistic argumentation and interpretive context. The study also highlighted the impact of these two methodologies in establishing solid scientific foundations that remain an essential reference for researchers in the sciences of language and exegesis. It further proposed research prospects for studying the influence of linguistic argumentation in the methodologies of other scholars and in contemporary linguistic studies.