Majallat al-Tankit wa al-Tabkit

Majallat al-Tankit wa al-Tabkit (The Journal of Jesting and Rebuking) was a satirical weekly Egyptian socio-political and literary periodical established in Alexandria in 1881 CE by the writer and orator Abd Allah al-Nadim (1261–1314 AH / 1845–1896 CE) Majallat al-Tankit wa al-…+1. It addressed social reform, critiqued corrupt practices and foreign influence, and became a prominent satirical publication during the period leading up to the Urabi Revolt Majallat al-Tankit wa al-…+1.

Establishment and Format

Al-Nadim obtained permission to publish the periodical from Riyad Pasha, the president of the council of ministers (ra'is al-nuzzar) Majallat al-Tankit wa al-…. Al-Nadim later recounted that while he requested the license under the title of al-Tankit ("jesting"), his true purpose was al-tabkit ("rebuke" and moral censure), intending the periodical to serve as his oratorical platform across Egyptian towns Majallat al-Tankit wa al-….

The first issue appeared on Sunday, 6 June 1881 CE (also recorded in modern introductory notes as 16 June 1881 CE), printed at the press of the newspapers al-Mahrusa and al-Asr al-Jadid in Alexandria Majallat al-Tankit wa al-…+1. It was published in a booklet format (kurrasa) with continuous page numbering running from one issue to the next so that all issues could be compiled into a single bound volume at the end of each year Majallat al-Tankit wa al-…+1. The periodical's masthead was rendered in large Naskh calligraphy adorned with a crescent and star Majallat al-Tankit wa al-….

Style and Content

In the opening issue, al-Nadim presented the paper to Arabic speakers as a patriotic educational medium dedicated to moral guidance, historical insights, literary maxims, and the exposure of ignorance and superstitious beliefs Nashat al-Nathr al-Hadith…+1. The periodical combined two distinct literary styles:

• Literary Prose: Eloquent, straightforward classical Arabic prose (uslub mursal) directed at the educated elite (al-khassa), handling intellectual and social matters Nashat al-Nathr al-Hadith….
• Vernacular Dialogue: Colloquial Egyptian Arabic (al-ammiyya) tailored for the general public (al-amma), utilizing realistic dialogues and anecdotes to depict ordinary Egyptian life, drunkenness, and social vices while offering practical remedies Nashat al-Nathr al-Hadith…+1.

To navigate political censorship and social sensitivities, al-Nadim frequently employed allegorical storytelling and non-human interlocutors to communicate political concepts and critique tyranny Majallat al-Tankit wa al-….

Political Development and Transition to al-Ta'if

As al-Nadim's articles became more openly political, the prime minister Sharif Pasha monitored the periodical in an attempt to dissuade him from political commentary Majallat al-Tankit wa al-…. Al-Nadim responded with a defiant piece titled "Taqri' al-Aghbiya'" ("Rebuking the Fools"), attacking despotism and declaring that the era of arbitrary administrative banishment had yielded to the rule of law Majallat al-Tankit wa al-….

Following the Abdeen demonstration in September 1881 CE, al-Nadim allied closely with the Urabi movement, and Ahmad Urabi requested that the periodical serve as the official organ of the national uprising under a more solemn title, suggesting Lisan al-Umma (The Tongue of the Nation) from its nineteenth issue Majallat al-Tankit wa al-…+1. Al-Nadim chose instead to relaunch it under the name al-Ta'if, named auspiciously after the town of Ta'if in the Hijaz and reflecting hopes for wide circulation across the Islamic world Majallat al-Tankit wa al-…. Unlike al-Tankit wa al-Tabkit, which was weekly, socially oriented, and contained colloquial pieces, al-Ta'if was written in classical Arabic, published from Cairo, focused directly on political and military affairs, and appeared daily at certain periods Majallat al-Tankit wa al-…+1.

Modern Editions

In 1994, the Center for Documentation and History of Contemporary Egypt and the General Egyptian Book Organization published an edition of the collected issues of Majallat al-Tankit wa al-Tabkit in one volume, prefaced by Abd al-Azim Ramadan and accompanied by an analytical study by Abd al-Mun'im Ibrahim al-Jumay'i Majallat al-Tankit wa al-…+1.