Fann al-Tahrir al-Arabi

Fann al-Tahrir al-Arabi (The Art of Arabic Composition and Editing, fully subtitled in some editions as Fann al-Tahrir al-Arabi: Dawabituhu wa-Anmatuhu) is a manual on Arabic writing, orthography, and compositional genres by the scholar and critic Muhammad Salih al-Shanti al-Tahrir al-Adabi+1.

Purpose and Scope

Al-Shanti composed the work to present the foundational rules of Arabic writing and to provide a comprehensive guide covering both technical writing mechanics and various literary and functional prose forms Fann al-Tahrir al-Arabi+1. He noted that earlier contemporary works either overlooked modern literary genres or paid insufficient attention to formal writing regulations, prompting him to compile an accessible reference intended for university students, aspiring writers, and professionals requiring functional drafting skills Fann al-Tahrir al-Arabi+1.

Structure and Contents

The book is arranged into an introductory section followed by two main parts divided into thematic chapters Fann al-Tahrir al-Arabi:

• Introduction (al-Madkhal): Explains foundational terms, distinguishing between writing (kitabah), drafting (tahrir), expression (ta'bir), recording (tadwin), and composition (ta'lif), alongside an overview of the cultural and linguistic prerequisites for writing Fann al-Tahrir al-Arabi.
• Part One: Rules of Writing (Dawabit al-Kitabah): Covers structural and mechanical rules across three chapters:
  1. Elements of expressive construction ('anasir al-bina' al-ta'biri).
  2. Connective devices (adawat al-rabt), utilizing standard grammatical and rhetorical terms.
  3. Orthographic rules (dawabit al-rasm al-kitabi), summarizing principles of Arabic spelling (imla') and punctuation Fann al-Tahrir al-Arabi.
• Part Two: Compositional Styles and Genres (Anmat al-Tahrir): Divided into three chapters by writing category:
  1. Functional and procedural drafting (al-tahrir al-'amali al-ijra'i), including summary writing, report drafting, and administrative letters.
  2. Creative prose forms (funun al-kitabah al-ibda'iyyah al-nathriyyah), covering short stories, novels, plays, biographical sketches, and public address, alongside the craft of poetry.
  3. Hybrid forms combining creative and functional writing, including essays, academic lectures, panel discussions, commentary, research papers, and literary text analysis Fann al-Tahrir al-Arabi.

Method and Sources

The author relied on classical heritage sources on Arabic prose and composition—including al-Qalqashandi's Subh al-A'sha, al-Jahiz's al-Bayan wa-al-Tabyin, and Ibn al-Athir's al-Mathal al-Sa'ir—while incorporating modern references for newer literary genres Fann al-Tahrir al-Arabi. For genres lacking established treatments, such as modern symposium administration and commentary, al-Shanti supplied original observations and practical writing models Fann al-Tahrir al-Arabi. Each chapter concludes with an annotated guide to relevant references Fann al-Tahrir al-Arabi.

Reception and Editions

The book was adopted as a textbook in various colleges and universities Fann al-Tahrir al-Arabi. Following its initial publication, colleagues remarked that certain inclusions—such as rhetorical disjunction and conjunction, text analysis, oral delivery, and poetry—fell under rhetoric or literary criticism rather than composition; al-Shanti addressed these remarks in the preface to his second edition (dated 1 Rabi' al-Thani 1412 AH in Hail), defending their inclusion on the grounds that oral arts and creative forms still depend on written preparation Fann al-Tahrir al-Arabi+1.

A second edition was published by Dar Alam al-Kutub in Riyadh (1412 AH / 1992 CE) al-Tahrir al-Adabi. A fifth, one-volume edition was issued by Dar al-Andalus in Hail (1422 AH / 2001 CE), containing expanded practical exercises in spelling and a supplementary discussion on composition pedagogy for general education Fann al-Tahrir al-Arabi+1.