al-Naqd al-Adabi wa Maqayisuhu Khilal Ahd al-Rasul wa Asr al-Khilafa al-Rashida

al-Naqd al-Adabi wa Maqayisuhu Khilal Ahd al-Rasul wa Asr al-Khilafa al-Rashida (Literary Criticism and Its Standards During the Era of the Prophet and the Age of the Rightly Guided Caliphate) is a scholarly treatise on early Arabic literary criticism by Muhammad Arif Mahmud Husayn, a lecturer at the Faculty of Arabic Language at Al-Azhar University al-Naqd al-Adabi wa Maqay…+1. The study examines the impact of Islam on Arabic literary taste and establishes the criteria used to evaluate poetry and prose during the prophetic era and the reign of the Rashidun Caliphate al-Naqd al-Adabi wa Maqay…+1.

Background and Scope

The treatise investigates the intellectual and linguistic transformation brought about by Islam and traces how the emergence of Islamic teachings influenced literary expression in style, vocabulary, subject matter, and critical appraisal al-Naqd al-Adabi wa Maqay…. The author argues that early Islamic literary criticism built upon the innate taste and linguistic sensibility of the pre-Islamic Arabs, while refining critical methods into more defined, reasoned, and value-guided principles al-Naqd al-Adabi wa Maqay…+1. It was published in the journal of the Islamic University of Madinah Majallat al-Jami'a al-Isl….

Content and Structure

The work is organized into an introduction, two central thematic sections analyzing critical practice, and an analytical summary detailing the standards of early Islamic criticism al-Naqd al-Adabi wa Maqay…+2.

The Prophet and Literary Criticism

This section outlines the Prophet Muhammad's reception of poetry, demonstrating that he possessed sound literary discernment, appreciated eloquent and truthful verses, and rewarded skilled poets al-Naqd al-Adabi wa Maqay…. The study surveys his favorable responses to verses by poets such as Labid, al-Nabigha al-Ja'di, Ka'b ibn Zuhayr, al-Khansa', and Qutayla bint al-Nadr, as well as his adjustments to specific verses recited by Ka'b ibn Malik and Ka'b ibn Zuhayr al-Naqd al-Adabi wa Maqay…+1. It highlights two interrelated facets of prophetic criticism: practical judgments on specific poetic works and directive criticism (al-naqd al-tawjihi), which urged poets to embrace conciseness, honesty, and simplicity while rejecting affectation, bombast, and overly ornate rhymed prose (saj') al-Naqd al-Adabi wa Maqay…+1.

Umar ibn al-Khattab and Literary Criticism

The author restricts the detailed discussion of the Rashidun era to Umar ibn al-Khattab, presenting him as the foremost critical mind among the early caliphs al-Naqd al-Adabi wa Maqay…. The section examines Umar's encouragement of learning poetry to acquire high moral virtues, understand lineages, and form sound judgment, citing his correspondence with Abu Musa al-Ash'ari al-Naqd al-Adabi wa Maqay…. It analyzes Umar's preference for Zuhayr ibn Abi Sulma over other pre-Islamic poets because Zuhayr avoided rare, obscure vocabulary (hushi al-kalam), avoided convoluted structures (mu'adala), spoke only what he knew, and praised individuals solely for attributes they genuinely possessed al-Naqd al-Adabi wa Maqay…+1. The author notes that Umar introduced a systematic method to Arabic criticism by articulating specific, objective causes ('ilal) and textual reasons for his literary judgments al-Naqd al-Adabi wa Maqay…+1. The section also examines Umar's critical rebukes of al-Hutay'ah and Suhaym for transgressing factual truth or Islamic decorum, and his referral of the poetic dispute involving al-Najashi and the Banu al-'Ajlan to Hassan ibn Thabit al-Naqd al-Adabi wa Maqay…+1.

Critical Standards Formulated in the Work

In the concluding synthesis, the work summarizes the core standards (maqayis) and distinguishing features of early Islamic literary criticism under six headings al-Naqd al-Adabi wa Maqay…+1:

• The Religious Standard (Miqyas al-Din): Evaluating literary works based on alignment with Islamic teachings and moral principles, approving content that reinforced social virtues and rejecting material that conflicted with Islamic ethics al-Naqd al-Adabi wa Maqay….
• The Rhetorical Standard (al-Miqyas al-Bayani): Demanding natural flow, accessible vocabulary, clarity of syntactic construction, and the avoidance of forced embellishment or rhetorical excess al-Naqd al-Adabi wa Maqay…+1.
• Specification of Causes and Rationales (Tahdid al-Asbab wa Dhikr al-'Ilal): Moving beyond impressionistic verdicts by grounding critical assessments in detailed, transparent textual explanations al-Naqd al-Adabi wa Maqay….
• Emergence of Critical Terminology (Isti'mal al-Mustalahat al-Naqdiyya): The early use of dedicated rhetorical terms, notably al-bayan (clarity/expression) and derivations of al-balagha (eloquence), in prophetic pronouncements al-Naqd al-Adabi wa Maqay….
• Directive Guidance (al-Tawjihat al-Naqdiyya): Formulating constructive advice intended to assist writers and poets in refining their compositions toward aesthetic and moral perfection al-Naqd al-Adabi wa Maqay….
• The Criterion of Specialization (Miqyas al-Takhasus): Acknowledging professional expertise in literature by consulting seasoned poets and critics—such as Umar seeking the judgment of Hassan ibn Thabit—to arbitrate complex literary cases al-Naqd al-Adabi wa Maqay….