The topic of this research is Arabic Literary Criticism until the 5th. Century of Hijra, with special reference to `Abdul Qähir's Theory of Construction. Our study of Arabic Literary Criticism consists of its history in the first four centuries of Hijra in PART ONE, and Abdul Qähir's Theory of Construction in PART TWO. Having chosen the historical method, we have had to start with the primitive stage of Arabic Criticism, without lingering too long in that period. With Tabagät Ibn Salläm, criticism becomes a subject of literary research among the Arab critics: Ibn Salläm, Ibn Qutaiba, Aljähiz, Ibnel Mu`tazz and Qudama. By the fourth century we find literary criticism involved in vehement disputes between the supporters of the ancient and the modern schools of poetry. The controversies around Abn Tammäm and Almutanabbi resulted in the practical criticism of Al'Ämid'i and Aljurjän1. The first part of our thesis ends with Al `Askari in a kind of anticlimax. In the fifth century of Hijra `Abdul Qähir Aljurjani established a new and original theory in Arabic Criticism, This fundamental and general principle in literary criticism, which we called The Context Theorem of Meaning takes up the entire second part of this thesis.