Category: Arabic

Book Review: Ṣayd al-Khāṭir by Imam Ibn al-Jawzī

Bilal AliLeave a comment


ṢAYD AL-KHĀṬIR
صيد الخاطر (للعلّامة أبي الفرج عبد الرحمن بن علي بن محمد ابن الجوزي – 510-597 هـ)

المؤلف : العلّامة أبو الفرج عبد الرحمن بن علي بن محمد ابن الجوزي

المحقق : أنس بن محمد تدمري

الموضوع : الأدب العربي والوعظ والرقائق والتصوّف والحكمة 

الناشر : دار ابن كثير (دمشق ، بيروت)

سنة النشر : 1444 هـ _ 2023م 

رقم الطبعة : 1

عدد المجلدات : 1

Title:  Ṣayd al-Khāṭir

Author:  ῾Allāmah Abu ‘l-Faraj Ibn al-Jawzi (510-597 AH)

Editor:  Anas ibn Muhammad Tadmuri

Genre:  Classical Arabic literature/counsel/taṣawwuf/wisdom

Publisher:  Dār Ibn Kathīr (Damascus/Beirut)

Year of publication:  1444/2023 (1st edition)

Number of volumes:  1

Number of pages:  719

The photographs below show the difference between my old edition of ῾Allāmah Abu ‘l-Faraj Ibn al-Jawzi’s timeless masterpiece (صيد الخاطر) and the new muhaqqaq edition of Dar Ibn Kathir. This new 2023 edition has 719 pages and contains significantly more than my old edition. The muhaqqiq used 5 manuscripts and had the advantage of seeing all major previous editions, including the (مدار الوطن) edition. He claims to have presented the book in its entirety. He has omitted the section headings that were found in many of the previous editions, stating that they were inserted into the book by editors, and they were not the work of the author. I personally preferred and benefited from the section headings, as they made navigation through the book so much easier. These headings could have been inserted in square brackets with a note in the editor’s introduction, stating that they are not from the author.

Overall, this is a very nice edition of a classical Arabic literary masterpiece in which the renowned author has attempted to document his deep and profound thoughts and reflections on a huge array of topics and issues. 

Abu Asim Badrul Islam
Northampton, ENGLAND
29 Jumāda ‘l-Ᾱkhirah 1446/31 December 2024

Front cover of the new edition of Ṣayd al-Khāṭir.

My old edition (top) and the new edition (bottom). 

A Few Resources for Learning Punctuation Rules in Arabic Writing

Bilal Ali4 Comments

Here are a few useful resources for students of the sacred sciences who want to understand the use of punctuation marks (ʿalāmāt al-tarqīm) in the Arabic language. Students will notice, for the most part, that the rules are similar to European languages.

The following work, authored by Aḥmad Zakī Pāshā (Bāshā), is the earliest work on the subject that I have come across. This edition was published by Shaykh ʿAbd al-Fattāḥ Abū Ghuddah’s publishing house and with his preface. It should suffice most students as a reference.

al-Tarqīm wa ʿAlāmatuhu fī al-Lughah al-ʿArabiyyah li Aḥmad Zakī Bāshā

A colleague at Darul Qasim suggested the following work by his teacher Shaykh ʿAbd al-Muʿizz al-Tūnisī, and friend of my own teacher Shaykh Ramzī al-Ḥabīb al-Tūnisī. The work is not available in pdf format but can be purchased here: “al-Inshāʾ wa ʿAlāmāt al-Tarqīm wa-l-Imlāʾ”

Home

The following web page contains a brief overview of the punctuation marks and how they are used. It can be useful for a quick review:

علامات الترقيم في الكتابة العربية ومواضع استعمالها

An even more concise review of the marks can be found at the following webpage:

علامات الترقيم

If you know of other beneficial sources, please do share and I will add them to this list.

Arabic Reading List for Students of Knowledge by Mawlana Shahin-ur Rahman

Bilal Ali7 Comments

By Shahin-ur Rahman

In order to comfortably read Arabic texts without the need for diacritical marks, one must master the rules pertaining to Naḥw and Ṣarf before embarking on the reading journey. Not only is it an imperative to familiarise oneself with all the rules of grammar, but to be able to apply them into real literature and produce one’s own prose is of more importance. Therefore, it would not be incorrect to say the ability to read Arabic poetry and prose without diacritical marks is a skill acquired, not a science studied.

To reach such a stage, below is a suggested reading list which has been prepared upon request by a student of knowledge.

Note: The list will exclude any non-Arabic primers; the following list has been written for those who already have previous, albeit basic, knowledge of the fundamental Arabic sciences.Read More »

كيفية تنمية المهارات اللغوية العربيّة

Bilal AliLeave a comment

كيفية تنمية المهارات اللغوية العربيّة

بقلم : نور عالم خليل الأميني

الحمد لله وحده والصلاة والسلام على من لا نبي بعده . وبعد :

فأيها الإخوة الكرام ! يطيب لي أولاً أن أُهْدِيَ إليكم أطيبَ التحياتِ وأصدقَ التمنياتِ ؛ لأنكم تجتمعون الآن باسم اللغة العربية ، التي هي أشرفُ اللغاتِ باختيار الله إيّاها وعاءً لكتابِه الأخيرِ ، المهيمنِ على الكتبِ والصحفِ السماويَّةِ كلِّها ، وهي أَحْيَى الّلغَاتِ وأبقاها وأَخْلَدُها ؛ لأن الله عَزَّ وجَلَّ ضَمِنَ حفظَها من خلال وَعْدِه بحفظِ كتابِه ؛ فليس هناك في الكون لغةٌ أَحْرَىٰ بالتعليم والتعلّم من اللغة العربية ، وليس هناك لغةٌ أَنْفَعُ منها ؛ لأنها مفتاحُ علومِ الكتابِ والسنةِ. وقد أَهَّلَها اللهُ تعالى أن تَسْتَوْعِبَ كلامَه وتَسَعَ رسالتَه الخاتمةَ وأن تكون ذريعةً مُبَاشِرةً لآخر اتصالٍ للأرضِ بالسماء ؛ فالذين يتعلّمونها ويُعَلِّمونها ويشتغلون بها بأسلوب من الأساليب هم أَسْعَدُ مِنْ جميعِ الّذين يتعلّمون غيرَها من اللغات ، ويتخذونها هِوَايَةً لهم وشغلاً . فهنيئًا لكم أيها الإخوة الكرام . وَفَّقَكُمُ اللهُ تعالى لكلِّ ما يُحِبُّه ويرضاهRead More »

Arabic Biography of Hakīm al-Ummah Mawlānā Ashraf `Ali al-Thanawi

Faraz Abdul Moid1 Comment

asSalaamu Alaikum,

A 563-page Arabic biography of Hakim al-Ummah Mawlana Ashraf Ali al-Thanawi (ra), written by Mawlana Muhammad Rahmatullah Nadwi. Contains an introduction by Mawlana Syed Rabi’ Hasani Nadwi (db) [the nephew of Mawlana Abul Hasan Ali al-Nadwi (ra) and his successor as the rector of the renowned seminary Nadwat al-Ulama].

Download:  أشرف علي التهانوي: حكيم الأمة وشيخ مشايخ العصر في الهند

Courtesy of Dr. Hanif Kamal of Ashrafiya.