The Syntactic Level of the Predicate in al-Ma'arrī's Risalat al-Ghufran: (A Grammatical Study(

Abstract

Al-Ma'arrī's Risalat al-Ghufran (pp. 363-449) is one of the most significant literary texts in the Arabic heritage, as it combines the depth of thought, the richness of culture, and the diversity of Islamic heritage. It is a text abundant in rhetorical, artistic, and linguistic dimensions, which renders it a fertile field for linguistic studies that seek to uncover the aesthetic features of structure and meaning. Among the elements of syntactic structure deserving of investigation is the predicate (al-khabar), which gains prominence when considered a fundamental component of the nominal sentence and a stylistic means to clarify the intended meaning. This study aims to examine the syntactic level of the predicate in Risalat al-Ghufran by exploring its functional, stylistic, and semantic dimensions. The research investigates the various forms of the predicate, its stylistic roles, and the significance it adds to the text. It also seeks to reveal the aesthetic value of the predicate as a grammatical category, highlighting the most important forms of the predicate in the text and analyzing them according to their syntactic, semantic, and stylistic functions. The study employs the descriptive-analytical method, tracing the occurrences of the predicate in the text and classifying them according to specific functions and stylistic patterns. It identifies the nominal predicate (al-khabar al-mufrad), the clause predicate, and the semi-sentence predicate (prepositional phrase and adverbial phrase), including their contextual implications, semantic contributions, and rhetorical effects. The results indicate that al-Ma'arrī did not use the predicate merely as a grammatical constituent, but rather transformed it into a stylistic and expressive device that reflects the flexibility of Arabic and its capacity to convey philosophical and intellectual depth.Moreover, the multiplicity of predicate types in Risalat al-Ghufrän underscores the aesthetic and stylistic value of syntactic analysis and demonstrates that grammatical study can play a central role in unveiling the literary beauty of classical texts. This confirms that Arabic grammar is not only a formal discipline but also a dynamic tool for the appreciation and interpretation of literary discourse.