How to Authenticate a Heritage Manuscript: A Case Study of The Investigative Issues in Elucidating the Al-Ajrumiyyah Treatise

Abstract

In the book Investigative Issues in Explaining the Gift of Ajrumiyyah by Sheikh Atfeesh (1332 AH 1914 AD), the commentator discusses the explanation of the Ajrumiyyah text by Ibn Ajrum, as he called; the investigative issues because he presents the grammatical issue in some specific detail, he mentions the opinions of grammarians and investigates them. This study examines the book according to a scientific method, relying on three manuscript copies of the book. After comparing the copies, I corrected the errors, classified the explanation, extracted all its prose and poetic evidence, and placed symbols to help the reader understand the explanation well. I also explained the value of the book and the method of investigation used and verified its attribution and title. I provided the investigation section with pictures of the manuscripts. The investigation section was preceded by a brief study of Sheikh Atfeesh's life, his scientific status and the scholars' statements about him. Then I talked about his sheikhs and students and his most important compositions in the sciences of language in particular, and I explained his method in the book, its sources and his position on grammarians. I concluded the research with a list of technical indexes, an index of topics and another of the sources and references relied upon in the study.