al-Uslub
- Author died
- -
- Editions
- Maktabat al-Nahdah al-Misriyyah
al-Uslub (Style) is a seminal study on modern Arabic rhetoric and stylistics by the Egyptian scholar Ahmad al-Shayib, first published in 1939 CE (1358 AH) to establish a reformed framework for Arabic rhetorical education.
Background and Purpose
Al-Shayib composed the work based on his observation that traditional Arabic rhetoric had narrowed down to three tripartite sciences: al-Ma‘ani (syntax and sentence structure), al-Bayan (figurative imagery such as simile and metaphor), and al-Badi‘ (rhetorical embellishment). In his view, these classical classifications were inadequate for keeping pace with modern creative literature and literary genres. He asserted that a significant portion of theoretical rhetoric was missing from standard Arabic manuals—principally regarding literary genres and broader stylistic composition—and that traditional categories required reorganization into a modern scientific system linked to human psychology, phonetics, aesthetics, and contextual realities.
Al-Shayib defined style as "the method of writing, composition, or the method of selecting and arranging words to express meanings for the sake of clarity and impact; in short, it is the method of thinking, picturing, and expressing."
Structure and Contents
The work is organized into five major parts (abwab):
- Part One: Introductions (Muqaddimat) – Examines rhetoric's relationship to neighboring literary sciences, standard Arabic versus colloquial dialects, literary criticism, grammar, and philology. It analyzes the definition of rhetoric among classical Muslim and Western scholars, psychological faculties, and whether rhetoric functions as a science or an art.
- Part Two: Definition of Style (al-Ta‘rif bi-l-Uslub) – Discusses the linguistic and technical definitions of style, analyzing Ibn Khaldun's conception of stylistic molds. It contrasts the formation of style in the novice student—who begins with letters, words, and sentences—with the experienced author, who begins with artistic genres and ideas. It also outlines scientific versus literary elements of style.
- Part Three: Style and Subject (al-Uslub wa-l-Mawdu‘) – Details how stylistic choices differ by genre and discipline. It treats poetic style (meter, rhyme, vocabulary, imagery) and its thematic varieties (heroic verse, love poetry, elegy, panegyric, satire, and description), as well as prose forms across scientific and literary categories (essays, historiography, biography, disputation, novels, short stories, epistolary writing, maqamat, and oratory).
- Part Four: Style and the Writer (al-Uslub wa-l-Adib) – Explores the dictum "style is the man" and investigates how an author's individual and social personality, mindset, and originality manifest in poetry, prose, and speech through text samples from classical and modern authors.
- Part Five: Qualities of Style (Sifat al-Uslub) – Outlines the three fundamental qualities of effective style: clarity (al-wuduh), strength or force (al-quwwah), and beauty (al-jamal), concluding with an examination of their balance and mutual harmony.
Reception and Editions
al-Uslub was incorporated as an academic text and taught by al-Shayib at both the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Dar al-Ulum at Cairo University. The book was published in Cairo by Maktabat al-Nahdah al-Misriyyah and went through numerous reprintings, reaching at least twelve editions.
Upon its release, the work became a central point of discussion in Egyptian literary circles and periodicals such as Majallat al-Risalah. Commentators noted that the book fulfilled calls for rhetorical renewal previously voiced by Amin al-Khuli. Reviewers evaluated the work as a synthesis of classical Arabic rhetoric—drawing heavily upon Abd al-Qahir al-Jurjani, al-Jahiz, Qudamah ibn Ja'far, and Ibn Rashiq—with Western theories of rhetoric and style, including Aristotle's Rhetoric and modern English critics such as Lascelles Abercrombie. The book also prompted critical debate by figures such as Zaki Mubarak concerning al-Shayib's evaluations of contemporary authors' styles.
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