al-Matali al-Nasriyya lil-Matabi al-Misriyya fi al-Usul al-Khattiyya
- Author died
- 1291 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat al-Sunnah
al-Matali al-Nasriyya lil-Matabi al-Misriyya fi al-Usul al-Khattiyya (The Nasrean Risings for Egyptian Printing Presses on Orthographic Principles) is a treatise on Arabic orthography, spelling, and script rules composed by the Egyptian scholar Abu al-Wafa Nasr al-Hurayni (d. 1291 AH / 1874 CE) . It serves as a practical and theoretical manual consolidating scattered classical orthographic rules for print editors, scholars, and students .
Background and Purpose
Al-Hurayni served as the head of proofreading at the government printing house in Egypt—the Bulaq Press (also known as al-Matba'a al-Amiriyya), established by Muhammad Ali Pasha—following his return from France in 1846 CE . Observing that classical works treating orthography were scarce, difficult for students to access, or dispersed across various disciplines, he compiled the treatise at the request of interested students . He composed it specifically to establish standardized orthographic guidelines for Egyptian printing presses to ensure precision and correctness in the editing and printing of scholarly texts . The title references both the author's own name and its intended function for the Egyptian presses .
Structure and Contents
The author arranged the work into an introduction (muqaddima), a main discourse (maqsad), and an epilogue (khatima) :
- Introduction: Covers the linguistic, conventional, and technical definitions of writing, examines ancient scripts (such as Chinese, Roman, and Himyaritic), and discusses historical reports regarding the origins and earliest development of Arabic script .
- Main Discourse: Details the core mechanics of Arabic orthography, including the rules of word joining and separation (al-wasl wa-al-fasl), writing based on pause and inception (al-waqf wa-al-ibtida'), letter modifications stemming from phonetic substitution—specifically the hamza and weak letters (huruf al-'illa)—and the spelling of word terminations .
- Epilogue: Treats the history and rules of vocalization marks (al-shakl) and diacritical pointing (al-naqt) .
Reception, Commentaries, and Editions
The treatise was praised by contemporary Azhari scholars. Ibrahim al-Saqqa (d. 1298 AH), preacher of al-Azhar Mosque, described it as an indispensable and comprehensive compilation of subtle points of the art . The Azhari scholar Abd al-Hadi Naja al-Ibyari (d. 1305 AH) also praised the work and participated in proofreading its printed text . Al-Hurayni himself wrote a commentary resolving difficult passages in the work, entitled al-Kawkab al-Sati' li-Hall Ba'd Alfaz al-Matali .
The book was printed multiple times in Egypt, including editions at the Bulaq Press in 1275 AH and 1302 AH (the latter preceded by scholarly encomiums), and at al-Matba'a al-Khayriyya in 1304 AH . It was subsequently edited by Taha Abd al-Maqsud and published by Maktabat al-Sunna in Cairo in 1426 AH / 2005 CE .
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