Al-Itqan
Al-Itqan fi Ulum al-Quran or simply Al-Itqan, is a 15th-century classical work on the sciences of the Quran authored by al-Suyuti. It consists of an introduction, eighty chapters organized under six main categories—history of revelation, script, style, language, tafsir, and Qira'at —and a concluding section.
Background
Al-Suyuti composed Al-Itqan out of the conviction that no single work at the time comprehensively covered all aspects of the Quranic sciences. Drawing inspiration from his teacher al-Kafiji's concise treatise on tafsir and Abd al-Rahman ibn Umar al-Bulqini's extensive Mawaqi al-Ulum min Mawaqi al-Nujum, he expanded upon these earlier efforts and produced his preliminary work al-Tahbir fi Ilm al-Tafsir.After studying Al-Zarkashi's al-Burhan fi Ulum al-Quran, regarded as the first independent and systematic treatise on the subject, Al-Suyuti undertook to compose a more comprehensive and organized study. He considered Al-Itqan fi Ulum al-Quran both an improvement upon al-Burhan and an introduction to his larger exegesis, Majma al-Bahrayn wa Matla al-Badrayn.
The first printed edition appeared in Calcutta between 1852 and 1854, edited by Bashir al-Din and Nur al-Haqq, with an analytical study by Aloys Sprenger. Later editions were issued in Cairo in 1278, 1279, 1287, and 1306 AH, followed by a combined printing with al-Baqillani's Ijaz al-Quran in 1317, 1318, and 1370/1951. Critical editions were later prepared by Muhammad Abu al-Fadl Ibrahim and Mustafa Dib al-Bugha. A Turkish translation by Sakip Yildiz and Huseyin Avni Celik was published in 1987 under the title el-Itkan fi ulumil-Quran: Kuran Ilimleri Ansiklopedisi.
Content
Al-Itqan is organized into eighty chapters that collectively examine the principal disciplines of Qur'anic studies. The subjects are arranged under six general categories: the history of revelation, recitations, language, style, script, and interpretation. Each category encompasses specific aspects of the Qur'an's form, transmission, and meaning, reflecting the classification of Qur'anic sciences recognized by scholars prior to and during al-Suyuti's time.The first group of chapters discusses the history and circumstances of revelation, including the chronological order and stages of nuzul. The subsequent chapters focus on qiraat, outlining the canonical modes of recitation and their transmitters. The sections on language and style comprise the largest portion of the work and address grammar, syntax, semantics, and rhetoric, including the topics of Ijaz al-Quran and Badai al-Quran. A brief section on the script of the Qur'an considers issues of orthography and the written text.
The final chapters concern interpretation and exegesis, explaining the distinction between tafsir and tawil and outlining the classifications of exegetes. They also describe the development of tafsir as a discipline. Through this structure, Al-Itqan presents a systematic compilation of earlier scholarship on the Qur'anic sciences and serves as a reference for their organization and scope in the classical period.
Methodology
Al-Suyuti employed a systematic approach to the study of Qur'anic sciences. For each topic, he identified earlier scholars and their works, summarized their positions, and assessed them using Qur'anic verses, hadiths, and established scholarly opinions. Relevant passages from the sources were cited, and differing viewpoints were presented before al-Suyuti offered his own conclusions.He documented the origins and transmission chains of reports, particularly hadiths, while generally leaving their verification to later researchers. His approach combined compilation and critical analysis, aiming to provide a structured synthesis of existing knowledge related to the Qur'an.
The treatment of topics varied in length, with some receiving detailed discussion and others only brief mention. Subheadings such as tanbih, far', fasl, tadhnib, faida, and masala were used to organize additional points, clarify details, or expand on secondary issues.