Which was Written First: Asrār al-balāga or Dalāil al-i’jāz? A Study on Determining the Writing Dates of the Two Works
İsmail ArazIn this research, the aim is to determine the timeline for the creation of the works Asrār al-balāga and Dalāil al-i’jāz by the 11th-century scholar ʿAbd al-Qāhir alJurjānī (d. 471/1078-1079). Al-Jurjānī did not specify which of these works, which encompassed poetry criticism, rhetoric, and i’jāz, was composed first. This lack of clarity has led to the debate on whether Asrār was written before Dalāil. Over the years, researchers have approached this issue primarily through implied evidence, leaving room for speculation and avoiding definitive conclusions. In contrast, this study is grounded in a manuscript that provides crucial insights into the timing of Dalāil’s composition. The study begins by presenting the perspectives of researchers on this topic and subsequently conducts a thorough analysis of significant copies of Dalāil. Within this framework, notable conclusions about al-Jurjānī’s scholarly pursuits were drawn by scrutinizing the information in the manuscript, which conveys the statements of a contemporary of al-Jurjānī named Abû Zayd from Jurjān. This pioneering study aims to enhance our understanding of al-Jurjānī’s scholarly endeavors and objectives by identifying the chronology of Asrār and Dalā’il, recognized as fundamental sources of rhetoric.
Hangisi Önce Yazıldı: Esrârü’l-belâga mı yoksa Delâilü’li‘câz mı? İki Eserin Yazım Tarihinin Tespiti Üzerine Bir İnceleme
İsmail ArazBu çalışmada, V./XI. yüzyıl âlimlerinden Abdülkâhir el-Cürcânî’nin (ö. 471/1078- 1079) Esrârü’l-belâga ve Delâilü’l-i‘câz eserlerinin yazım tarihinin tespiti amaçlanmıştır. Cürcânî şiir eleştirisi, belagat ve i‘câz konularına yer verdiği söz konusu eserlerden hangisini önce kaleme aldığına dair herhangi bir bilgi sunmamıştır. Bu durum, “Önce Esrâr mı yazılmıştır yoksa Delâil mi?” problemini ortaya çıkarmıştır. XX. yüzyıldan itibaren araştırmacılar arasında önemli bir tartışma konusu olan mezkûr problem, daha çok örtük deliller üzerinden ele alınmıştır. Bu ise, araştırmacıların kesinlik ifade eden yargılardan olabildiğince uzak durarak sadece varsayımlarda bulunmalarına neden olmuştur. Bahsi geçen araştırmacıların örtük delillerinden farklı olarak bu çalışmada, Delâil eserinin ne zaman kaleme alındığına dair önemli bilgiler sunan yazma bir nüshadaki açıklamalar temel alınmıştır. Çalışmanın kapsamı gereği, öncelikle araştırmacıların konu hakkındaki görüşlerine yer verilmiş, sonrasında ise Delâil eserine ait önemli nüshalar üzerinde inceleme yapılmıştır. Bu bağlamda, Cürcânî ile aynı dönemde yaşamış olan Ebû Zeyd ismindeki Cürcânlı birinin açıklamalarını aktaran nüshadaki bilgiler tahlil edilerek Cürcânî’nin ilmî serüvenine ilişkin bazı tespitlerde bulunulmuştur. Alanında ilk olan bu çalışmanın temel amacı, belagatin temel kaynakları kabul edilen Esrâr ve Delâil eserlerinin yazım tarihini tespit ederek Cürcânî’nin ilmî serüveninin daha kapsamlı anlaşılmasına katkı sunmaktır.
Initial studies on the linguistic characteristics of the Qur’ān emerged in the 2nd/8th century. Interpretive evaluations of Abdullah B. Ibn Abbās (d. 68/687-688), who highlighted pre-Islamic poetry, laid the groundwork for these studies. With the acceleration of scholarly activities, these evaluations revealed a development predominantly characterized by linguistic studies. In this context, the first works discussing the semantic dimensions of metaphorical words in the Qur’ān were penned. However, toward the end of the 3rd/9th century, due to increasing disagreements among Muslims regarding prophecy, the Qur’ān, and miracles, discussions began to arise about how the Qur’ān constituted a linguistic miracle and how it confounded the Arabs. From the 3rd and 9th centuries onwards, studies focusing on unique and inimitable aspects of the Qur’ān intensified. During this period, some scholars argued that the inability to produce a linguistic counterpart to the Qur’ān (al-sarfa) was due to divine intervention. Conversely, other scholars have posited that the extraordinary syntax of the Qur’ān and its advanced rhetorical details (syntax theory-nazariyya al-nazm) render it unparalleled. Both views were defended based on different arguments. Nonetheless, the perspective that the Qur’ān was inimitable and unparalleled because of its extraordinary syntax and advanced rhetoric found greater support.
After the 3rd/9th century, increasing studies on the i‘jāz (inimitability) of the Qur’ān intensified in the 4th/10th century. In the 5th/11th century, the works of ‘Abd al-Qāhir alJurjānī (d. 471/1078-1079) on rhetoric and poetry criticism reached their zenith. Al-Jurjānī, a scholar of literature and rhetoric from the 5th/11th century, specialized in linguistics, i‘jāz, tafi, and rhetoric. In the early years of his life, he focused on the Arabic language, producing both commentaries and original works. In the later years of his life, he turned toward rhetoric, concentrating on whether there was a superiority in words spoken in the same language. In this research journey aimed at explaining how the Qur’ān, as a linguistic miracle, confounded the Arabs based on scientific foundations, he particularly focused on rhetoric and poetry criticism. He endeavored to construct a systematic and original discipline of rhetoric by examining rhetorical topics, which had not been thoroughly studied until his time, within the framework of poetry criticism and linguistics. This effort required extensive knowledge accumulation and was prominently featured both theoretically and practically in his works Asrār al-balāgha and Dalāʾil al-i‘jāz. These works, which hold great importance in terms of poetry criticism, i‘jāz, and rhetoric, contributed to the formation of rhetorical science in Arabic. These works, which influenced subsequent rhetoric studies, reflect al-Jurjānī’s ability to interpret, evaluate, and identify the true meaning of texts.
According to the data at our disposal, there is no definitive information regarding the dates of the writing of the works Asrār and Dalāʾil. This situation creates significant uncertainty for researchers aiming to illuminate the historical context and writing process of such works. The absence of any historical record regarding when al-Jurjānī wrote these two significant works is the fundamental reason for this uncertainty. This lack of historical information has raised many important questions in the academic field. In particular, the following questions stand out: “Which discipline did al-Jurjānī initially focus on at the beginning of his career?” Was it i‘jāz or rhetoric? Which of his works did al-Jurjānī complete first?” Additionally, there is curiosity about whether al-Jurjānī aimed to transform rhetoric or i‘jāz into an original and systematic discipline. Within the framework of these questions, researchers have made various guesses based on indirect and implicit information. These guesses, made through content analysis of the works, linguistic and stylistic features, references, and the relationship with al-Jurjānī’s other works, provide important clues for understanding the historical context. However, these guesses, while always being part of efforts to fill gaps in the literature, are not always definitive and verifiable. Therefore, to reach more concrete and definite information about the order and motivation behind al-Jurjānī’s writing of his works, new sources need to be discovered, and existing data need to be examined more deeply.
The present study is prepared to contribute to the resolution of the question, “Which was written first: Asrār or Dalāʾil?” To avoid repetition, a different approach from previous studies on the subject is adopted. This study is based on information from the oldest manuscripts of Dalāʾil. Indirect or implicit information has been avoided as much as possible. Documents reflecting al-Jurjānī’s intellectual journey have been taken as the basis, and in this context, the explanations of a scholar named Abu Zayd al-Jurjānī (d. 6th/12th century), who lived in the city of Jurjān and provided significant information about al-Jurjānī’s efforts to solve the issues of rhetoric and i‘jāz, have been utilized. These explanations help us better understand al-Jurjānī’s intellectual efforts and, consequently, clarify the order in which Asrār and Dalāʾil were written.
For a correct and complete understanding of Abu Zayd’s explanations, the chronological order of al-Jurjānī’s works is examined in detail. In this context, the intellectual journey of al-Jurjānī and the order of his works’ writing are determined. The researchers’ views on the writing dates of Asrār and Dalāʾil have been meticulously examined, and different approaches in the literature on this subject have been presented. In the next stage of the study, the significant explanations on Abu Zayd have been included, and based on these explanations, the writing date of the work Dalāʾil has been determined. In this process, the question “Which was written first: Asrār or Dalāʾil?” has formed the focus of the research. The tazavvuq method was employed in this study to give words their correct meanings and to obtain details of Abu Zayd’s explanations. This methodological approach has provided us with a broader understanding of deeply examining the esthetic and semantic layers of the texts. Additionally, to holistically evaluate the obtained data, the descriptive method, a qualitative research method, was adopted.
This study is a pioneering work in its field and aims primarily to determine al-Jurjānī’s intellectual journey and to outline his grand rhetoric/i‘jāz project, which he could not complete. The works of al-Jurjānī and the commentaries on these works hold great importance in the tradition of Islamic rhetoric, and this study aims to significantly enrich knowledge accumulation in this field.
