Islam > Glossary > Al-mghal-ṭa
Discover the meaning of the term Al-mghal-ṭa (مغالطة) in Islamic vocabulary.
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Updated on 11 April 2026 at 1:05 AM
📖 3 min readA corrupt syllogism, either as to form or as to matter. As to form: in that it lacks a productive shape, a condition being breached, whether in quality, quantity, or figure, as when the major of the first figure is particular, or its minor negative or problematic. As to matter: in that the sought and some premise of it are one thing, which is begging the question (musadara 'ala l-matlub), as in: every man is a human, every human is laughing, so every man is laughing; or in that some premises are false while resembling the true, either as to form or as to meaning. As to form: like saying of the horse's image engraved on the wall: it is a horse, and every horse neighs, whence that image neighs. As to meaning: from failure to observe the subject's existence in the affirmative, as in: every man and horse is a man, and every man and horse is a horse, whence some man is a horse; the error lies in the subject of the two premises not existing, for it is not
A statement composed of propositions resembling the certain, the probable, or the reputed.
(Persian: to cast into error). As a technical term: a corrupt syllogism, whether as to matter, as to form, or both together, yielding informative or probable assent not conforming to reality. The corrupt syllogism is one composed of premises resembling the true without being true, called sophistry (safsata), or resembling the reputed or conceded premises, called feigned disputation (mushaghaba). The corruption is either as to form, in that it lacks a productive shape through breach of a condition of quality, quantity, or figure, as when the minor of the first figure is negative or problematic, or its major particular; or as to matter, in that the sought and some premise of it are one thing, which is begging the question, as in: every man is a human, every human is laughing, so every man is laughing.
It is a syllogism composed of premises resembling the true, called sophistry (safsata), or resembling the reputed premises, called feigned disputation (mushaghaba). (Al-Kulliyyat, p. 849).
A syllogism whose form is corrupted by its lacking a productive shape, through breach of a valid condition. And God knows best.
A statement composed of propositions resembling the certain (qat'iyya), the probable (zanniyya), or the reputed (mashhura).