Mujam al-Muallifin

Mu'jam al-Mu'allifin (Dictionary of Authors: Biographies of the Compilers of Arabic Books) is a biographical dictionary of Arabic-language authors by the Syrian scholar Umar Rida Kahhala (d. 1408 AH / 1987 CE) al-Maktaba al-Islamiyya+1.

Purpose and Scope

Kahhala compiled the dictionary to document deceased authors of Arabic works, both Arabs and non-Arabs, from the earliest compilation of Arabic books down to the modern era Mujam al-Muallifin. He included poets and transmitters whose works were collected after their deaths, while restricting entries to individuals whose birth and death dates—or the periods in which they lived—were known Mujam al-Muallifin.

Structure and Method

In each biography, Kahhala opened with the author's primary name and common appellation, followed by birth and death dates (or the period in which the subject flourished) in both the Hijri and Gregorian calendars Mujam al-Muallifin. He then listed the author's nisba, kunya, and title (laqab), followed by their scholarly specialization or multidisciplinary contributions, avoiding hyperbolic honorifics Mujam al-Muallifin. The entry typically detailed the subject's birthplace, upbringing, travels, prominent teachers, and official appointments—such as judgeships, issuing fatwas, teaching, vizierates, or scribal positions—concluding with the place and date of death Mujam al-Muallifin.

When listing an author's compositions, Kahhala limited himself to five titles for prolific figures, deliberately selecting works from different disciplines to demonstrate the breadth of the author's knowledge without judging their scientific merit Mujam al-Muallifin. In the footnotes, he recorded variant reports regarding names, lineages, dates, and titles, and noted errors found in earlier reference works, such as Katib Celebi's Kashf al-Zunun Mujam al-Muallifin+1. At the end of each biography, he cited his sources using specific abbreviations: manuscripts were marked with kha' (خ), printed works with ta' (ط), periodicals with mim (م), and newspapers with jim (ج), accompanied by volume and issue numbers Mujam al-Muallifin. The work concluded with an alphabetical index of lineages, titles, and kunyas with cross-references to the main entries Mujam al-Muallifin.

Publication and Continuations

Kahhala signed the initial preface to the work in Damascus in Sha'ban 1376 AH / March 1957 CE Mujam al-Muallifin. The first edition was published in Damascus between 1376 and 1381 AH (1957–1961 CE) in fifteen parts, and later appeared in an eight-volume format Takmilat Mujam al-Muallif…+1.

Kahhala subsequently prepared a supplement titled al-Mustadrak 'ala Mu'jam al-Mu'allifin, completing its introduction in 1403 AH; it was published by Mu'assasat al-Risala in 1406 AH, and the supplement was later incorporated into a four-volume edition published by the same house in 1414 AH Takmilat Mujam al-Muallif…. Muhammad Khayr Ramadan Yusuf compiled a continuation, Takmilat Mu'jam al-Mu'allifin, covering deceased authors from 1397 to 1415 AH (1977–1995 CE) Takmilat Mujam al-Muallif….