The Nature and Workmanship in the Criticism of Abu Hayyan Al-Tawhidi

Abu Hayyan Al-Tawhidi documented the connections between different binaries in which the old Arabic criticism has dealt with as binaries with extremes far apart. Examples of these binaries include the binaries of thought and sense, science and literature, the ancient and the created and finally, the nature and workmanship with which this research deal. In their studies of nature and workmanship, critics are divided into two groups: those who say the two are separated and those who say they are united. Al-Tawhidi is one of the brightest critics who believe that the two sides of this binary are interacting and united in the field of literary creativity in which thoughts and meanings are correlative. First, people think then, they express their thoughts by in words and in the end, they embellish the linguistic product by workmanship. So, nature is an instinctive and divinely-given flood of thoughts and meanings which is given to the creator (man) to create his own divine artifact by the human gift of linguistic ability. The creative nature of man comes first and then follows his professional workmanship. So, workmanship – in the field of literary creativity- complements nature by the revisions and improvements that it provides.