Ibn Malik's Alfiyah cover

Sheikh Abdullah Al-Fawzan In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Introduction Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and blessings and peace be upon the noblest of prophets and messengers, our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and companions all together. To proceed: It is not hidden from students of knowledge the importance and status of Ibn Malik’s Alfiyya in the science of grammar and morphology, and the widespread dissemination it has received, as well as the attention it has garnered from scholars in the past and present — in memorization, teaching, explanation, and parsing — making it one of the most prominent compositions in this field. By the grace of Allah Almighty, I have had an interest in this Alfiyya for more than forty years — in memorization, teaching, and explanation. With Allah’s help, I have reviewed the text of the Alfiyya included in my commentary on it: "The Guide of the Seeker to Ibn Malik’s Alfiyya," based on several copies and writings in its explanations and parsing. Some brothers suggested that I extract the text of the Alfiyya to be in a separate book, and I agreed to that. The text has been reviewed many times, and I have exerted effort and time in its proper pronunciation, paying attention to the connecting and stopping marks, punctuation, and I provided a brief biography of the poet. In the original, I included what was well-known among preservers and students, or what is more likely, and I mentioned in the margin what corresponds to that, benefiting from books on the parsing of the Alfiyya and its explanations. This does not necessarily mean that what was mentioned is from authentic narrations; rather, it is subject to possibility and consideration. I have also adhered to brevity so as not to burden the footnotes, and I did not mention both options in the pronunciation to avoid confusion for some readers between the preferred and the less preferred. Most editions of the text of the Alfiyya and its explanations — especially the later ones — are not relied upon for the proper pronunciation of the verses. Some explanations have even mispronounced the text contrary to the interpreter’s explanation. I hope I have contributed to presenting the text correctly, in accordance with what Ibn Malik wrote. My success is only from Allah; upon Him I rely, and to Him I turn. In conclusion, I thank some of the teachers of grammar and morphology who kindly read the text of the Alfiyya and offered some observations. I ask Allah to reward me and them. May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and companions. Written by Abdullah bin Saleh Al-Fawzan On the morning of Saturday, 1429/12/15 AH Qassim - Buraidah