A Critical Review of an uncritical edition of Urmawī’s Sharḥ al-Ishārāt wa al-Tanbīhāt

The works of early Muslim scholars are considered as a precious heritage that should be made available to scholars in correct and accurate editions. However, many of the editions of such works that have been printed so far lack the common features and standards of critical editions. Therefore, numerous of these works have been published in undesirable and unreliable editions, and are sometimes replete with errors. These uncritical editions are not valid and reliable, and consulting them in research will culminate in unfortunate consequences. In this article, having referred to the main principles and general standards of a critical edition, a new edition of Urmawī’s Sharḥ al-Ishārāt wa al-Tanbīhāt (d: 682 A.H.) is introduced and reviewed. This review shows that Sheikh Ammār al-Tamīmī’s edition of Urmawī’s work is an unreliable and uncritical edition and that the work needs to be edited and published again.