PhD Degree Awarded to Mr. Ali Ahmed Mohammed in Linguistics
Mr. Ali Ahmed Mohammed Sharaf Al-Deen was awarded a PhD degree in Linguistics for his dissertation titled: Al-Fawa’id Al-Wafiyah bi-Hall Ma‘ani Al-Shafiyah by Mohammed bin Saleh Al-Samawi (d. 1241 AH): A Critical Study and Investigation, which was submitted to the Department of Arabic Studies, Faculty of Education–Sana’a University. The dissertation defense was held on Thursday, May 7, 2026.
The PhD Viva-Voce Committee, which was formed based on a resolution issued by the Graduate Studies and Scientific Research Council, consisted of the following:
# Committee Members Designation Position
1 Prof. Abdullah Ahmed Hamzah Al-Nahari Internal Examiner Chair
2 Assoc. Prof. Hadi Abdullah Naji Shamsan Main Supervisor Member
3 Prof. Abdulkarim Muslih Ahmed Al-Bahlah External Examiner Member
The dissertation aimed to revive one of the important morphological commentaries in Yemeni scholarly heritage, namely the book Al-Fawa’id Al-Wafiyah bi-Hall Ma‘ani Al-Shafiyah by Imam Mohammed bin Saleh Al-Samawi, known as Ibn Haraywah. The researcher described the work as one of the most prominent commentaries on Al-Shafiyah in Arabic morphology, despite the fact that the book survived only in a single manuscript copy that nearly disappeared along with much of Yemen’s scholarly heritage.
The study yielded several key findings summarized as follows:
The study relied on two principal methodologies: the descriptive-analytical approach, which focused on presenting, analyzing, and discussing morphological issues, and the method of scholarly critical editing through text verification, annotation, source tracing, and manuscript comparison, despite the reliance on a unique surviving copy.
The research addressed a broad range of morphological topics, including verbs, nouns, verbal nouns, derivatives, nisbah forms, plurals, diminutives, as well as issues of patterns, analogy, and transmitted usage, while emphasizing Al-Samawi’s methodology in presenting and debating scholarly opinions.
The researcher demonstrated that Al-Fawa’id Al-Wafiyah represents an important link in the history of morphological scholarship in Yemen during the thirteenth Hijri century, and that its critical edition contributes to reviving a scholarly text that remained obscure for decades.
In light of these findings, the researcher recommended the following:
Giving greater attention to Yemeni manuscripts in Arabic linguistic sciences through preservation and scholarly editing, given their significance as an authentic extension of the Arab and Islamic intellectual heritage.
The dissertation defense was attended by a number of academics, researchers, and specialists, students, colleagues, and the researcher’s family.
