Alam al-Hijaz fi al-Qarn al-Rabi Ashar lil-Hijra
- Author died
- 1417 AH
- Editions
- Dār Tihāmah
Alam al-Hijaz fi al-Qarn al-Rabi Ashar lil-Hijra (Eminent Figures of the Hijaz in the Fourteenth Century of the Hijra) is a biographical work by the Saudi author Muhammad Ali Maghribi (d. 1417 AH / 1996 CE), chronicling notable scholars, writers, poets, and public figures associated with the Hejaz across the fourteenth Hijri century (1301–1400 AH / 1883–1980 CE) and adjacent periods .
Scope and Structure
The work was issued in four successive volumes, with the later volumes broadening the chronological coverage beyond the fourteenth Hijri century:
- Volume 1: Comprises thirty biographical entries of prominent Hijazi figures born and deceased during the fourteenth Hijri century, many of whom the author knew personally .
- Volume 2: Features ten biographies devoted to scholars, historians, poets, and literary figures, accompanied by detailed examinations and summaries of their printed and manuscript works .
- Volume 3: Published under the expanded title Aʿlām al-Ḥijāz fī al-Qarn al-Rābiʿ ʿAshar lil-Hijra wa-Baʿḍ al-Qurūn al-Māḍiyah (Eminent Figures of the Hijaz in the Fourteenth Century of the Hijra and Some Past Centuries), this volume incorporates figures from prior eras, such as the twelfth-century poet Sayyid Jaʿfar al-Baytī, alongside transitional figures spanning the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, including Ahmad Muhammad al-Hadrawi and Shaykh ʿAbd al-Rahman Siraj, the Hanafi mufti of Mecca .
- Volume 4: Published under the title Aʿlām al-Ḥijāz fī al-Qarnayn al-Rābiʿ ʿAshar wa-al-Khāmis ʿAshar (Eminent Figures of the Hijaz in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries), this volume contains ten biographical entries encompassing scholars, historians, poets, merchants, reformers, and publishers . Its longest entry is dedicated to Shaykh ʿAbdullah Ghazi al-Makki, in which Maghribi provides an extensive summary of Ghazi's six-volume manuscript history of Mecca, Ifādat al-Anām bi-Dhikr Akhbār al-Balad al-Ḥarām, covering the architectural and topographical history of the Kaaba, the Sacred Mosque, and Mecca's landmarks .
Methodology and Sources
Maghribi established specific criteria for including individuals in his work, stating that mere fame or notoriety was insufficient; inclusion required that the subject's life and activities offered tangible public benefit or cultural service to society, whether through personal sacrifice, charitable support, or intellectual contributions . For contemporary subjects, he relied heavily on firsthand knowledge and personal observation . For earlier figures and historical documentation, he consulted rare manuscripts located in the libraries of Mecca and Medina .
The author explicitly adopted an approach of highlighting virtues and positive achievements while refraining from recording personal shortcomings, citing the hadith: اذكروا محاسن موتاكم ("Mention the good qualities of your deceased") . He also summarized voluminous classical and modern texts within his entries to make their historical data accessible to general readers .
Publication History
The first volume was published in 1401 AH (1981 CE) by Tihama in Jeddah as part of the al-Kitāb al-ʿArabī al-Saʿūdī series (no. 30), and was reprinted in a second edition in 1405 AH (1985 CE) . The second volume appeared in 1404 AH (1984 CE) . The third volume was printed in 1410 AH (1990 CE) at Matbaʿat al-Madani in Cairo . The fourth volume was published by the author in 1414 AH (1993/1994 CE) through Dar al-Bilad in Jeddah .
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