Sharh Miftah al-'Ulum (3 Volume Set) شرح مفتاح العلوم

Sharh Miftah al-'Ulum (شرح مفتاح العلوم), critically edited by Dr. Ajaj Auda and published by Dar al-Taqwa, is a landmark three-volume edition devoted exclusively to the third and most influential section of Imam al-Sakkaki's Miftah al-'Ulum. Printed for the very first time directly from rare manuscripts, this work recovers an invaluable classical commentary dedicated exclusively to the most influential section of Sakkaki’s masterpiece.

The Focus: Part Three of Miftah al-'Ulum

The foundation of this commentary is the monumental third section of Miftah al-'Ulum by Siraj al-Din al-Sakkaki (d. 626 AH / 1229 CE). In this section, Sakkaki took the vast, scattered rhetorical insights of earlier scholars (most notably Abd al-Qahir al-Jurjani) and codified them into a rigid, highly systematic science. He established the definitive tripartite division of Arabic rhetoric: Ilm al-Ma’ani (the study of sentence structures and meanings), Ilm al-Bayan (the study of imagery, similes, and metaphors), and Ilm al-Badi’ (the study of rhetorical ornaments).

Because Sakkaki’s style in Part Three is notoriously dense, highly philosophical, and heavily influenced by formal logic, it required deep, line-by-line commentary to make it accessible. This commentary serves as an indispensable key to unpacking Part Three by unraveling the highly technical, logic-infused language Sakkaki used to define rhetorical concepts and explaining the philosophical and theological implications of rhetorical choices (crucial for Tafsir and understanding Quranic eloquence). It also analyzes the extensive poetic and Quranic proofs (shawahid) Sakkaki used to validate his linguistic rules.

The Critical Edition by Dr. Ajaj Auda 

Before this publication, this valuable commentary remained locked away as hand-written manuscripts in private and national libraries. Dr. Ajaj Auda’s editorial work includes:

Rigorous Manuscript Transcription & Collation (Tahqiq): Reconstructing the definitive text by comparing multiple rare manuscript copies.

Scholarly Annotations: Clarifying obscure grammatical and logical debates, identifying historical figures, and tracing the origins of linguistic arguments.

Source Verification: Sourcing and verifying the hundreds of lines of classical poetry and Quranic verses cited throughout the text.

Academic Indexing: Providing extensive indexes for quick referencing of terms, verses, poetry, and linguistic topics.

Who Is This Book For?

This 3-volume set is a vital acquisition for: 

Scholars and Postgraduate Researchers specializing in Arabic Rhetoric (Balaghah), Literary Criticism, and Quranic Eloquence (I’jaz al-Qur’an). 

Students of Classical Logic (Mantiq) and Kalam (Theology), as late-period Arabic rhetoric is deeply intertwined with these rational sciences. 

Academic Libraries and Research Centers dedicated to preserving and publishing classical Islamic and Arabic manuscripts (Turath).