At a glance
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Summary
Kitab Sibawayh, Sibawayh's book on grammar. Ibn al-Nadim said that no one before him had produced its like, and no one after him caught up with it 2.
The making of the book
Ibn al-Nadim read, in the hand of Abu al-Abbas Tha'lab, that forty-two people took part in producing the book, among them Sibawayh, and that among its sources were "al-Usul" and "al-Masa'il" by al-Khalil 2.
Its standing among grammarians
When someone wished to read the book with al-Mubarrad, he would ask: "Have you sailed the sea?", as a mark of its greatness. Al-Mazini used to say: whoever wants to write a major grammar book after Sibawayh's should be ashamed 2.
Zain edition (2015)
Dr Muhammad Kadhim al-Bakka re-ordered the book into a "systematic classification" in which the chapters are gathered into sections and parts. His introduction sets out the classification and its principles. His edition begins with the editor's introduction, then with the first chapters of the book, on "the word and speech" (al-kalim wa-l-kalam) 3 4.
Connections
- Authored by
- Sibawayh
- Has commentary
- Sirafi's commentary on Sibawayh's Kitab
- Has part
- Kalim and kalam (word classes and utterance)
People and things also explored
The Basran and Kufan schools of grammar· Abu Sa'id al-Sirafi· Kalim and kalam (word classes and utterance)· Sibawayh· Sirafi's commentary on Sibawayh's Kitab
Sources
- al-Fihrist of Ibn al-Nadim , p. 142-143
- al-Fihrist of Ibn al-Nadim , p.142-143
- Sibawayh's Kitab, methodical arrangement and edition (Zein, 2015) , p.9-10
- Sibawayh's Kitab, methodical arrangement and edition (Zein, 2015) , p.25
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Sibawayh's Kitab”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/work/kitab-sibawayh/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-22.