Discover the meaning of the term Al-bḥth (بحث) in Islamic vocabulary.
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Updated on 11 April 2026 at 1:05 AM
📖 2 min readIn language: scrutiny and examination; technically: the establishing of an affirmative or negative relation between two things by way of inference.
In language: examination and scrutiny. In the usage of the art of disputation (munazara): establishing an affirmative or negative relation with proof, applying the essential accidents to the subject of the science, and stating a thing's rulings and states; munazara, by contrast, is stating what a thing signifies. In the Rashidiyya: bahth, in technical usage
In language: probing, uncovering, examining. As a technical term: establishing an affirmative or negative relation between two things by way of inference; mentioned by Ibn Kamal. Al-Raghib said: 'al-bahth: uncovering and seeking'; 'he searched (bahatha) the ground': dug it up; hence God's saying: 'God sent a raven scratching the ground.'
The establishing of an affirmative or negative relation between two things by way of inference.
In language: probing, uncovering, and examination; in usage: establishing an affirmative or negative relation between two things by way of inference; mentioned by Ibn Kamal (al-Ta'rifat, p. 43). Al-Raghib said (al-Mufradat, p. 37): bahth is uncovering and seeking; 'he searched the thing': dug up the ground; hence the verse. In the Siraj of al-Kirmani (d. 470): bahth is munazara and muhawara, meaning the establishing of an affirmative or negative relation by way of inference; it may also mean the posing of difficulty and objection.
It is scrutiny and examination, and the seeking of a thing under the ground; technically: establishing an affirmative or negative relation between two things by way of inference.