Critical Edition of Galanbawī’s (d.1205/1791) Work Named “Risālah fī al-Maṣdar” and its Evaluation of Language Philosophy

Abstract

Ismail Galanbawī, known for his works in mathematics and logic, also wrote many works on language and rhetoric. His work called “Risālah fī al-Maṣdar”, which means “infinitive treatise,” is one such work. In this study, Galanbawī’s life, works, and scientific personality are first touched upon. Subsequently, discussions about the maṣdar and hâsıl bi’l- maṣdar, which are the subjects of the work discussed in this research, and the linguistic background of the issue is included. Finally, Galanbawī’s thoughts about maṣdar are included in the context of language philosophy, and a critical edition of his work “Risālah fī al-Maṣdar” is made. In verifying the treatise, the “Authorized Publication Guide” published by the Center for Islamic Research (ISAM) was taken as the basis. Any manuscript copy is not taken as the “original copy”. The published text was verified by comparing three different copies to obtain the most accurate text. Galanbawī divided the “al-hāṣıl bi al-maṣdar/total meaning revealed by infinitive” into two: lexical and terminological. He used logical data and dialectical investigation extensively in his work. In the background of Gelenbevî’s discussion of the infinitive issue, there are three separate problems: ta‘kîd (complexity), the definition of the agent, and human actions/will. Although he does not agree with the idea that the unknown has an infinitive, he allows the infinitive of the unknown under certain conditions in terms of meaning and imputation.

Keywords

• arabic language and rhetoric
• maṣdar
• al-hāṣıl bi al-maṣdar
• ismaıl galanbawī
• critical edition
• language philosophy