During his lifetime, Ibn Fāris produced many original works on a wide range of subjects: lexicography, grammar, poetry, literature,
hadith (the words of the
Prophet), the history of the Arabic language, ethics and jurispridence. He was the first scholar to use the method of
isytiqq in which he considers the derivation of words and word roots and shows great ingenuity in tracing the origin of Arabic words. He is generally credited with being the first scholar to organise words in alphabetical order, rather than according to rhyming patterns, as was customary practice at the time. He has been described as "one of the most original philologists of his time", and "the brightest representative of the philological school". He wrote some forty works. He also wrote many poems, most of which are now lost or forgotten. Some scholars credit al-Fāris as the originator of the
maqamat genre, even before al-Hamadani. He is best known for his works on lexicography, which was his favourite subject. His most important works include: •
Kitāb al-mujmal fī al-lugha (). A dictionary which traced words with multiple meanings back to their original semantic meaning, analysing and defining classical vocabulary in a clear and concise way, with numerous poetic citations. Words are listed by their first radical consonant, beginning with
hamza. The preface says that this work supersedes ibn Fāris's
Kitāb al-ʿAyn and
Kitāb al-Jīm. The work was influenced by al-Khalīl and in turn influenced al-Fīrūzābādī's
Qāmūs. •
Mu‘jam maqāyīs al-lugha (). A novel dictionary, inspired by al-Khalīl, which aimed to establish the basic meanings of word-roots, and the semantic connections between their derivatives. But ibn Fāris was committed to a belief that there was no semantic change, but a single divine plan for the form of Arabic, which made his explanations at times convoluted. •
al-Ṣāḥibī fī fiqh al-lugha wa-sunan al-ʿarab fī kalāmihā (). A novel, small-scale
Muzhir, beginning to attempt a comprehensive account of Arab ideas about Arabic lexicography, grammar, and history, arguing for the superiority of the Arabic language. Dedicated to
Sahib ibn Abbad and described as "a masterpiece". •
Dhamm al-khata’ fī al-shi‘r (). A polemic concerning the pretentious uses of language by certain tenth-century poets. Other works that have been attributed to ibn Fāris are: •
Kitāb al-itbā‘ wa-al-muzāwaja (), a collection of words, always used in pairs, of the same pattern. •
Ikhtilāf al-naḥwiyyīn () •
Kitāb akhlāq al-nabī () •
al-Ifrād () •
al-Amālī () •
Amthilat al-asjā’ () •
Kitāb al-intiṣār li-tha‘lab (), perhaps identical to the
Kitāb Kifāyat al-mutaʿallimīn fi’khtilāf al-naḥwiyyīn below. •
al-Tāj () •
Tafsīr asmā’ al-nabī () •
Tamām faṣīḥ al-kalām () •
Jāmi‘ al-ta’wīl () •
al-Ḥajr () •
Ḥilyat al-fuqahā’ () • al-Ḥamāsa al-muḥdatha () •
Khalq al-insān () • دارات العرب • ذم الغيبة • رائع الدرر ورائق الزهر في أخبار خير البشر • (
Kitāb Sīrat al-Nabī). • (
Risāla against Abū ʿAmr Muḥammad ibn Saʿīd), supporting the modern movement in Arabic poetry against the supporters of the ancients (quoted in
al-Thaʿālibī's
Yatīmat al-dahr). • الشِيات والحلى، ليس كما يعتقد أنه الثياب والحلى • (
Kitāb Kifāyat al-mutaʿallimīn fi’khtilāf al-naḥwiyyīn) • قصص النهار وسمر الليل • اليشكريات (منها جزء بالمكتبة الظاهرية) • (
Maqālat kallā wa-mā jāʿa minhā fī Kitāb Allāh). • مختصر في المؤنث والمذكر • مقدمة في النحو (ذكره ابن الأنباري) • (
Kitāb al-Lāmāt), on the grammatical usage of
la- and
li-. • غريب إعراب القرآن • العم والخال (ذكره ياقوت الحموي) • (
Kitāb Futyā faḳīh al-ʿArab), a series of puzzles based on Islamic law and rare meanings of words. • الفرق (بسكون الراء) • الفريدة والخريدة • الليل والنهار • مأخذ العلم (ذكره ابن حجر في المجمع) • (
Mutakhayyar al-alfāẓ), a lexicographical work including post-classical vocabulary drawing on
al-Khalīl and
Ibn Durayd. • مسائل في اللغة • مقدمة في الفرائض • (
Kitāb al-Nayrūz), a study of the etymology of the word
nayrūz and of other Arabic words on the pattern
fayʿūl. • نعت الشعر أو نقد الشعر. • The
Kitāb Abyāt al-istishhād, an anthology of verse lines which can be deployed as proverbs, is not listed as being by ibn Fāris in medieval sources, but has been attributed to him. Another suggestion is that this work is actually the
Kitāb Dhakhāʾir al-kalimāt by one Yāqūt. ==See also==