المعنى الاصطلاحي :

Every proposition, whether minor or major, that composes syllogism.

الشرح المختصر :

"Muqaddimmah" (proposition) is a common term in the context of syllogism used by logicians. Syllogism is measuring the validity of minor premises against their respective major premise. The term "muqaddimah" refers to the outcome of the conclusion, to a minor premise, or to the proof of validity. The "muqaddimah" is divided into two parts: 1. Minor: It is the "muqaddimah" whose validity is tested via syllogism. 2. Major: It is the "muqaddimah" against which the validity of the minor "muqaddimah" is tested via syllogism. First example: the Mu‘tazilites deny seeing Allah, the Exalted, by the believers using the logicians' syllogism. They state minor and major premises and then their conclusion, as follows: First "muqaddimah": Allah is not in a specific direction. Second "muqaddimah": anything without a direction cannot be seen. Conclusion: Allah cannot be seen. Second example: Scholastic theologians negate Allah’s attributes based upon several propositions that they claim to be true: First "muqaddimah": attributes can only describe a physical body. Second "muqaddimah": bodies are similar. Conclusion: Affirming Allah’s attributes necessitates likening Allah to His creation, which is disbelief, and therefore it is obligatory to negate Allah’s attributes.

التعريف اللغوي المختصر :

"Muqaddimah": a group of soldiers moving ahead of the army. Derived from "qaddama", which means moving ahead. Opposite: "mu’akhkhirah" (rear). Other meanings: beginning.