Tarikh Adab al-Arab
- Author died
- 1356 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Kitāb al-‘Arabī
Tarikh Adab al-Arab (History of Arabic Literature) is a multi-volume treatise on the history, linguistics, transmission, and rhetoric of Arabic literature by the writer and scholar Mustafa Sadiq al-Rafi'i (1297/1298–1356 AH / 1880/1881–1937 CE).
Composition and Sources
The book was prompted in part by an initiative of the Egyptian University, which announced a competition for writing a comprehensive history of Arabic literature within seven months. Rafi'i published critical articles in the newspaper al-Jarida, arguing that seven months was insufficient for such an undertaking, which led the university to extend the deadline to two years and increase the award. Rafi'i withdrew into intensive research from mid-1909 until late 1910 and printed the work at his own expense without submitting it for the prize, declining to seek the judgment of a university committee. In compiling the book, he utilized three major libraries in Tanta: his personal library, the library of al-Jami' al-Ahmadi, and the library of al-Qasabi, with moral and financial encouragement from Muhammad Muhibb Pasha, the director of Gharbiyya province.
In terms of methodology, Rafi'i relied extensively on classical biographical and bibliographical dictionaries (such as Ibn al-Nadim's al-Fihrist and Ibn Khallikan's Wafayat al-a'yan) even more than on purely literary anthologies, reading works in full to extract biographical notices, book titles, scientific disciplines, scholarly disputes, and literary anecdotes.
Structure and Content
Rafi'i conceived the work around an overarching schema divided into distinct thematic sections (abwab):
- Volume One: Published in 1911 (or 1330 AH / 1912 CE), containing around 450 pages. Following two introductory chapters on the nature of literary history and the origins of the Arabs, it covers the history, origin, and branches of the Arabic language (Bab 1), and the history of oral and written transmission (riwaya) alongside prominent transmitters (Bab 2).
- Volume Two: Published in 1912 (1332 AH), comprising about 370 pages. It is devoted entirely to the Quran's position in the Arabic language, the inimitability of the Quran (i'jaz al-Qur'an), and prophetic eloquence (al-balagha al-nabawiyya). This volume was later published independently under the title I'jaz al-Qur'an wa-l-Balagha al-Nabawiyya, printed at the expense of King Fu'ad.
- Volume Three: Remained in manuscript form during Rafi'i's lifetime. Following an agreement with al-Maktaba al-Tijariyya, his student Muhammad Sa'id al-Uryan organized, edited, and prepared its draft for posthumous publication, addressing the history of oratory (khataba), proverbs (amthal), and poetry.
Reception
The book received widespread attention from contemporary Arab intellectuals:
- Shakib Arslan published a front-page review in the newspaper al-Mu'ayyad, praising Rafi'i's mastery of classical Arabic prose and his ability to reconstruct a cohesive history from scattered sources.
- Ya'qub Sarruf, editor of al-Muqtataf, praised its linguistic, literary, and philosophical insights and named it the "book of the year."
- Ahmad Lutfi al-Sayyid wrote an extensive review in al-Jarida commending Rafi'i's classical style as free from late linguistic solecisms and comparing his diction to that of al-Mubarrad, and he discussed the work in Cairo intellectual gatherings for a week.
- Ahmad Zaki Pasha described the publication of the first volume as a major intellectual breakthrough.
- Taha Hussein, as a university student in 1912, published a critique in al-Jarida stating that he could not understand the book; however, in 1926 he revised his assessment, praising Rafi'i's insights in the first volume regarding the role of storytelling (qasas) in the fabrication of pre-Islamic poetry.
Publication History
The first two volumes were published in Cairo between 1330 and 1332 AH (1911–1912 CE), while the third volume appeared posthumously. The work went through several subsequent printings, including a four-volume fourth edition issued by Dar al-Kitab al-'Arabi in Beirut in 1394 AH / 1974 CE.
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