Kalimat fi Munasabat
- Author died
- -
- Editions
- Without publisher (Cataloging of King Fahd National Library - Riyadh)
Kalimat fi Munasabat (Words on Occasions; Arabic: كلمات في مناسبات) is a collection of aphorisms, reflections, and short situational essays compiled by the Saudi scholar Abd Allah ibn Dayf Allah al-Ruhayli .
Composition and Publication
Al-Ruhayli recorded these reflections over a period of approximately ten years before gathering them into a single work . He completed the introduction to the first volume in Medina on 7 Dhu al-Hijjah 1419 AH (1999 CE) , and the first edition was published in Riyadh in 1421 AH (2000–2001 CE) under the explanatory subtitle Aqwāl wa-kalimāt qultuhā fī munāsabāt mā bayna jiddin fī jidd, aw jiddin fī ṣūrat hazl ("Sayings and Words Uttered on Occasions, Ranging from Earnest Seriousness to Seriousness in the Guise of Jest") .
Content and Themes
The book gathers words, moral advice, and observations prompted by real-life situations, varying across diverse social, educational, and ethical subjects . The author articulated his underlying premise as maintaining a balance between artificial solemnity and unconstrained levity, citing the Prophetic guidance ساعة وساعة ("a time for this and a time for that") to argue that permissible humor and wit, when framed by Islamic objectives, serve to convey wisdom and uplift the spirit .
Structure and Style
The work comprises topical reflections, occasional articles, and short instructional maxims termed shadharāt ("fragments") . Though originally gathered in a single section, these brief aphorisms were later distributed throughout the book as standalone boxed sidebars appended to their relevant topics .
Stylistically, al-Ruhayli emphasized classical Arabic eloquence and clarity, and at the suggestion of colleagues, rhymed, contrasting, and paronomastic terms within the text were set in prominent typeface .
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