al-Mushawwiq ila al-Qiraa wa Talab al-Ilm
- Author died
- -
- Editions
- Dar Alam al-Fawa'id lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzi'
al-Mushawwiq ila al-Qiraa wa Talab al-Ilm (The Stimulator to Reading and Seeking Knowledge) is a treatise by the contemporary scholar and manuscript editor Ali al-Imran (Ali ibn Muhammad al-Imran), compiled to illustrate the passion, diligence, and methods of classical Islamic scholars in acquiring, studying, and transcribing books.
Background and Purpose
The author completed the original manuscript of the treatise in Mecca on 20 Rabi' al-Thani 1420 AH (1999 CE). He stated two main motivations for writing the work:
- Observing the disinterest among many contemporary students of knowledge toward classical scholarly texts, with some becoming content merely with academic titles, degrees, and social prestige, while others assumed that digital storage media and computer programs eliminated the need for purchasing, collecting, and reading physical books.
- Stimulating ambition (himma), sharpening determination, and acquainting students with the patience, sacrifice, and reading practices of earlier generations of scholars.
Structure and Contents
The material in the treatise was drawn from classical biographical compendiums, chronicles, and tabaqat works, bringing related reports and accounts together in thematic arrangement. The book is organized into an introduction and seven main chapters:
- Chapter One: On encouraging the continuous pursuit of knowledge and in-depth scholarly mastery, beginning with Quranic directives and the examples of the prophets, companions, and early Muslims.
- Chapter Two: The eagerness and passion of scholars for books, regarding both reading and acquisition.
- Chapter Three: Reading extensive multivolume works (al-mutawwalat) within a limited number of sittings.
- Chapter Four: Repeatedly rereading a single book numerous times.
- Chapter Five: Teaching and reading through a single book repeatedly across multiple cycles.
- Chapter Six: The manual transcription and copying of books and the hardships scholars endured in that undertaking.
- Chapter Seven: Reminders and observations (Iqadhat wa-tanbihat), addressing the primary disciplines a student should delve into, highlighting the supremacy of the sciences of the Quran and Sunnah, and guiding students to align their pursuits with their natural aptitudes.
Publication
The book was published in a single volume by Dar 'Alam al-Fawa'id. Following the reception of its first edition, the author prepared a second edition completed on 16 Muharram 1422 AH (2001 CE), which incorporated minor corrections and select additions while preserving the concise structure of the original work.
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