Ahmad al-Shayib

Ahmad al-Shayib was an Egyptian literary scholar, critic, and university professor of Arabic rhetoric and literature, best known for his foundational study on modern Arabic stylistics, al-Uslub (Style) Majallat al-Risala+1.

Academic Career and Critical Method

Al-Shayib taught literature and rhetoric at the Faculty of Arts of Fu'ad I University (later Cairo University) Majallat al-Risala+1. In his scholarly approach, he drew upon English literary theory and rhetoric—consulting critics such as Lascelles Abercrombie—and sought to combine modern Western stylistic concepts with traditional Arabic rhetoric (balaghah) Majallat al-Risala+1. Through al-Uslub, he reformed the methodology of rhetorical instruction in modern Arabic education, examining the criteria of stylistic clarity and distinguishing between expository, oratorical, and poetic forms of expression Majallat al-Risala+1. He also authored Usul al-Naqd al-Adabi (Principles of Literary Criticism) and Tarikh al-Shi'r al-Siyasi (History of Political Poetry) al-Uslub.

In literary criticism, al-Shayib was noted for an orientation marked by Egyptian national consciousness, which led him to evaluate classical figures such as al-Mutanabbi and Baha' al-Din Zuhayr through the prism of their engagement with regional and national themes Majallat al-Risala. Outside his academic work, he was the first university professor to volunteer in Egypt's civil air raid rescue squad during wartime Majallat al-Risala.

The Quranic Narrative Controversy

In 1947 CE (1366 AH), al-Shayib was appointed alongside Ahmad Amin to a university committee tasked with evaluating the doctoral dissertation of Muhammad Ahmad Khalaf Allah, titled al-Qisas fi al-Qur'an (The Narrative Art in the Qur'an), supervised by Amin al-Khuli Majallat al-Risala+1. While Ahmad Amin faulted the work for deficiencies in scientific method, al-Shayib submitted a report condemning its theological premises Majallat al-Risala+1. He argued that the dissertation undermined religious doctrine by asserting that Quranic narratives did not adhere to historical truth, served purely artistic ends, and incorporated unhistorical legends from non-Arabic lore; he consequently ruled the thesis inadmissible for defense Majallat al-Risala+1. Despite al-Khuli's protest in defense of academic freedom, al-Shayib's verdict was adopted across academic, religious, and governmental bodies, resulting in the rejection of the dissertation Majallat al-Risala+1.