Usul al-Insha wal-Khitaba
- Author died
- 1393 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat Dār al-Minhāj lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzīʿ
Usul al-Insha wal-Khitaba (The Principles of Composition and Oratory) is a pedagogical treatise on Arabic prose writing and public rhetoric by the Tunisian scholar Muhammad al-Tahir ibn Ashur (d. 1393 AH / 1973 CE) .
Background and Purpose
Ibn Ashur authored the work in response to what he observed as a decline in the expressive, persuasive, and creative skills of educated youth in his era . He noted that students concentrated heavily on memorizing formal rules and theoretical texts without cultivating practical eloquence or the capacity to articulate ideas effectively . Because composition was not a standard subject in the educational curriculum of his time, he dictated this concise manual (‘ujala) to guide learners toward expressing their intended meaning directly and cogently . In doing so, he deliberately avoided the approach of earlier authors who overloaded works on composition with abstract discussions of rhetoric (‘ilm al-ma‘ani and ‘ilm al-bayan) and other linguistic sciences rather than practical rules specific to the craft .
Structure and Contents
The work consists of two distinct parts addressing written and spoken eloquence:
- Composition (al-Insha’): Ibn Ashur defines composition as the science through which one learns how to convey conceived thoughts into the minds of addressees in an impactful manner, characterized by sound structural coherence, choice vocabulary, and an eloquent style . He analyzes the formulation of core ideas, the structural ordering of sentences, and the adaptation of register to various genres—including official (diwani), literary, scientific, journalistic, poetic, legal, and conversational forms . Among the stylistic principles he establishes is that the default order of clauses in composition should correspond to the chronological occurrence of events in reality, a rule he later cited in his Quranic commentary, al-Tahrir wal-Tanwir .
- Oratory (al-Khitaba): Conceived as a supplementary section on public speaking and the etiquette of orators, this part examines speech preparation, thematic arrangement, smooth transitions (husn al-takhallus), and delivery . Ibn Ashur emphasizes natural spontaneity over artificial ornamentation, cautioning against forced rhymed prose (saj‘) in public addresses, and he identifies a decline in oratory beginning around the mid-fifth century AH as speeches increasingly relied on pre-written texts and superficial verbal embellishments . He also outlines practical training methods for aspiring speakers, centering on mastering the core topic before selecting words, followed by iterative rehearsal and discussion .
Publication History
The treatise was first published in Tunis by Matba‘at al-Nahda in 1339 AH (1920 CE; another record gives 1928 CE) in a 73-page volume, accompanied by a note from the proofreader Mu‘awiya al-Tamimi and a six-page errata list . A later edition edited by Yasir ibn Hamid al-Mutayri was published in Riyadh by Maktabat Dar al-Minhaj in 1433 AH (2012 CE), accompanied by the treatise al-Khitaba ‘inda al-‘Arab by Muhammad al-Khidr Husayn .
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