Variations in the Manuscripts of Kitāb al-Fāshūsh fī Aḥkām Qarāqūsh: A Comparative Study

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Department of English, Faculty of Arts, Menoufia University

Abstract

This study investigates variations in the Manuscripts of Kitāb al-
Fāshūsh fī Aḥkām Qarāqūsh. It compares linguistic data from ten
manuscripts focusing on the registerial differences between Al-Suyūṭī'
and Ibn Mammātī, and on Middle Arabic forms employed in their texts.
Each manuscript is analyzed from the perspectives of textual criticism
and sociolinguistics. Adopting a philological approach, this study has also
made use of other fields, such as codicology, paleography, and corpus
linguistics. Manuscripts have been compared to classify, date, and trace
their origins. The study traces the anecdotal chain of transmission down
through the generations to understand the development of this unique
humorous folk narrative. The findings of this study reveal significant
differences between Ibn Mammātī's manuscript and Al-Suyūṭī's
manuscripts. However, they demonstrate similarities, too. The
multidisciplinary approach used in this study has been influential in
identifying many of the scribes examined and in highlighting some facts
related to the manuscripts' intricate history of authorship. This study
postulates that MS 59 Majāmīʿ Raṣīd is the oldest manuscript in the
corpus. It is more faithful to the original and rifer with Middle Arabic
than Al-Suyūṭī’s manuscripts.

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