Historical development of Arabic grammar and contributions of its cultivators

Abstract

Grammar remains an indispensable aspect of a language which facilitates the proficiency of the user or speaker of such language. Linguistic sciences in Arabic which embrace its grammar were not known to the Arabs prior to the revelation of the Qur’ān. Development of various aspects of Arabic grammar started in response to the need to establish a correct reading and interpretation of the Qur’ān, due to the spread of a phenomenon called Lahn (errors in speech). In addition to serving as a manual for religious instructions, the Qur’ān served as an excellent source of ideas and a fertile ground for the development of various branches of knowledge. This paper examined the evolution and the historical growth of this vital aspect of Arabic studies It employed historical method which attempts to reconstruct the significant events of the past through analysis, synthesis and verification, in tracing the birth of Arabic grammar to the era of Prophet Muhammad in Madīnah. Its development during the eras of the rightly guided Caliphs, especially the events that led to the emergence of the schools of Kufah and Basra and the eventual amalgamation of the two schools in Baghdad with notes on the scholars representing the various schools also received adequately addressed. The paper discovered that Arabic grammar has witnessed tremendous growth from the time it originated up to the present time. It provided information about the early cultivators of Arabic grammar as well as their significant literary productions. While it may be argued that the focus of this paper has received wider scholarly attention, the significance of this work manifests in our effort to address the lacunae we observed in the previous writings in our possession.