This research examines the contributions of Abd al-Qahir al-Jurjani (d. 1078 CE) in the fields of rhetoric and linguistic criticism, highlighting his pioneering role in establishing an original linguistic theory through the concept of **nazm** (syntactic arrangement). He argued that meaning arises from the interrelations between words within structure, not from isolated words. It is evident that al-Jurjani anticipated many concepts that were later developed in modern linguistics. The significance of this study lies in uncovering the intersections between al-Jurjani’s thought and contemporary Western linguistic theories, such as: structuralism (Saussure), pragmatics (Austin and Searle), contextual semantics (Frege), text linguistics (Halliday and Hasan), cognitive linguistics (Lakoff and Johnson), as well as discourse analysis (Foucault, van Dijk, and Fairclough). His theory of *nazm* serves as a foundational idea that aligns with these approaches in their focus on context, structure, textual relations, and the effect of discourse on the audience. The study also highlights the applied value of al-Jurjani’s thought through examples from the Qur’an and Arabic poetry, showing how syntactic arrangement, word order, and textual structure shape meaning and guide the recipient—an approach consistent with modern discourse analysis. The research concludes that al-Jurjani was not merely a rhetorical critic but a linguistic theorist ahead of his time, addressing central issues later explored in modern linguistics. Thus, he represents a crucial link between Arabic heritage and contemporary linguistic studies, underscoring the importance of re-reading his works for the advancement of modern Arabic linguistic scholarship.

Arabic Rhetoric, Abdul-Qahir al-Jurjani, Theory of *Nazm* (Order), Western Linguistics, Discourse Analysis.