البيانُ والتبيُّن أم البيانُ والتبيين؟ دراسة نقدية حول عنوان كتاب الجاحظ بالاعتماد على المخطوطات والنقد الداخلي للكتاب

Al-Bayān wa Al-Tabayyun or Al-Bayān wa Al-Tabyīn? A Critical Study on the Title of Al-Jāhiz's Book Based on Manuscripts and Internal Evidence

The name of Al-Jāhiz's book appears in the oldest manuscripts as “Al-Bayān wa Al-Tabayyun” with a single “ya” marked with a damma, while it has been printed multiple times as “Al-Bayan wa Al-Tabyīn” with two “ya”s. This research aims to clarify the correct title based on historical evidence derived from the study of the book's manuscripts and internal text criticism. It becomes clear through the texts that Al-Jāhiz used “Al-Tabayyun” to mean understanding, and that “Al-Bayān” in Arabic morphology is a verbal noun meaning Al-Tabyīn (elucidation, ) itself similar to how “العطاء” is equal to “الإعطاء” (giving) and “الصلاة” means “التصلية” (prayer). It is unlikely that Al-Jāhiz, a master of eloquence, would use “Al-Bayān” and “Al-Tabyīn” to mean clarifying and elucidation respectively in the title, as he is expected to use two different concepts, one for the subject and the other for the object. Based on internal and external critical evidence, the title “Al-Tabayyun” is preferred over “Al-Tabyīn.” The book's editors, notably Abd al-Salām Harūn, printed it as “Al-Bayān wa Al-Tabyīn,” but historical records include two texts, one written and the other recorded in his voice, indicating that Harun later concluded the title should be “Al-Bayān wa Al-Tabayyun” and intended to correct this in the next edition. It appears the book was not reprinted in his lifetime after the fifth edition, with subsequent editions being reprints of the fifth. This research concludes that the correct title of the book is “Al-Bayān wa Al-Tabayyun,” and that the printed title was an error.