What Professor Kamal Ibrahim deemed incorrect, and which has a basis in Arabic grammar

Abstract

          This study examines a group of words and expressions that the linguistic critic Kamal Ibrahim considered erroneous on the grounds that they were not attested in the Arabic linguistic heritage available to us, despite the existence of correct Arabic alternatives. However, through an extensive investigation of linguistic sources and collections of poetry, the present study demonstrates the validity of these forms, or at least their acceptability within the Arabic language. Evidence was found that many of them had been used by the Arabs, while others could be linguistically justified after their widespread usage. A considerable number of these expressions emerged as a result of linguistic development, whereby the meanings of some words expanded and those of others underwent semantic change. Nevertheless, their lexical origins or general meanings remain the same, which supports their status as valid alternatives that cannot be rejected. Moreover, they do not lead to ambiguity or overlap in meaning.

Kamal Ibrahim was among the most stringent modern critics in his acceptance of linguistic usages; he sought the most eloquent and rejected all others. He believed that the advancement of the Arabic language was essential for the continued renaissance of the nation in the modern era. Kamal Ibrahim was not the first to delve into linguistic criticism in the modern age; others preceded him, including Ibrahim al-Yaziji and As'ad Daghir. Kamal Ibrahim drew upon a wide range of linguistic sources, including the Holy Quran, the Prophetic Hadith, linguistic dictionaries, and seminal works, as well as the poetry of pre-Islamic and Islamic poets.