Grammatical Justification in Al-Fawa’id al-‘Abdiyyah by Mustafa ibn Yusuf al-Mustari

Abstract

Grammatical reasoning represents a significant intellectual effort exerted by Arab grammarians to uncover the philosophical underpinnings of the Arabic language and to understand the linguistic intuition (ʿarabiyya) behind the utterances and expressions of native speakers. This endeavor reached a level of sophistication that astonished even the most erudite scholars of Arabic. It also served as a means for grammarians to access the innate linguistic faculty and the abstract linguistic structures formed in the Arab mind.

Grammatical reasoning constitutes one of the foundational pillars upon which Arabic grammar was built. Its study is considered a vital entry point for evaluating the grammatical tradition as a whole. To completely reject grammatical reasoning, or to cast doubt on its value, is in essence to reject Arabic grammar itself, given its central role in the theoretical framework of the discipline. Conversely, accepting grammatical reasoning without subjecting it to scrutiny and critical examination leads to intellectual stagnation and impedes the development of grammatical thought