Abstract

The subject of this article is the istishhād method used by Abû Ishâq al-Zajjāj (d. 311/923) in his work calledMa‘ānī al-Qur’ān wa i‘rābuh. Zajjāj, who lived in the third and fourth centuries of the Islamic calendar, is one ofthe leading scholars of the Arabic language. Zajjāj, who wrote various works in the field of Arabic language,wrote his most important work in the field of tafsir named Ma‘ānī al-Qur’ān wa i‘rābuh, in a long period ofabout sixteen years. In this work, Zajjāj examined the verses in terms of language and rhetoric, and also includedexplanations about word structure and syntax rules. In his analyzes and evaluations, it is seen that Zajjāj madeistishhād from verses of the Qur'an, Qur’anic recitation, hadiths, poems and Arabic dialects. The verses of theQur'an are at the forefront of the istishhāds used by Zajjāj in his mentioned work. Zajjāj, who applied to poemsin the second place, made istishhād with nearly five hundred poems in his work. In the present study, Zajjāj’s lifestory, his tafsir named Ma‘ānī al-Qur’ān and the characteristics of the work are briefly mentioned. Followingthis, the concept of istishhād, the place and importance of istishhād in Arabic language are examined. Finally, theistishhād method used by Zajjāj in his work named Ma‘ānī al-Qur’ān has been tried to be explained with someexamples.