Durus al-Balagha — First Lessons in Arabic Rhetoric (دروس البلاغة) — Page 7

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

دُرُوسُ الْبَلَاغَةِ كَثِيرَةٌ مَا بَيْنَ مَنْظُومٍ وَمَنْثُورٍ وَمُطَوَّلٍ وَمُخْتَصَرٍ، حَسَبَ مَا تَدْعُو إِلَيْهِ الْحَاجَةُ وَتَقْتَضِيهِ السَّاحَةُ الْعِلْمِيَّةُ فِي كُلِّ عَصْرٍ وَمِصْرٍ، مُرَاعِينَ فِي ذَلِكَ أَحْوَالَ مَنْ حَوْلَهُمْ مِنْ طَلَبَةِ الْعِلْمِ وَالتَّلَامِذَةِ.

Rhetoric textbooks are abundant, varying between verse and prose, long and short, shaped by the needs of the time and the demands of the scholarly community in every age and region, always with an eye toward the needs of students and learners.

وَمِنَ الْكُتُبِ الْمُخْتَصَرَةِ الَّتِي صُنِّفَتْ فِي هَذَا الْعِلْمِ كِتَابُ دُرُوسِ الْبَلَاغَةِ الَّذِي أَلَّفَهُ أَرْبَعَةٌ مِنْ عُلَمَاءِ مِصْرَ فِي الْقَرْنِ الْمَاضِي، وَهُمْ حَفْنِي نَاصِفٌ، وَمُحَمَّدٌ دِيَابٌ، وَسُلْطَانُ مُحَمَّدٍ، وَمُصْطَفَى طُمُومٌ، رَحِمَهُمُ اللَّهُ أَجْمَعِينَ.

One notable abridged work in this field is Lessons in Rhetoric, written by four Egyptian scholars in the last century: Hafni Nasif, Muhammad Diab, Sultan Muhammad, and Mustafa Tumum, may God have mercy on them all.

حَفْنِي أَوْ مُحَمَّدُ حَفْنِي بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ ابْنِ خَلِيلِ بْنِ نَاصِفٍ: قَاضٍ أَدِيبٌ، لَهُ شِعْرٌ جَيِّدٌ، وُلِدَ سَنَةَ: (١٢٧٢هـ ١٨٥٦م)، وَتَعَلَّمَ فِي الْأَزْهَرِ، وَتَقَلَّبَ فِي مَنَاصِبِ التَّعْلِيمِ، ثُمَّ فِي مَنَاصِبِ الْقَضَاءِ، وَعُيِّنَ أَخِيرًا مُفَتِّشًا أَوَّلَ لِلُّغَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّةِ بِوِزَارَةِ الْمَعَارِفِ الْمِصْرِيَّةِ، كَمَا شَارَكَ فِي إِنْشَاءِ الْمَجْمَعِ اللُّغَوِيِّ الْأَوَّلِ، لَهُ تَارِيخُ الْأَدَبِ أَوْ حَيَاةُ اللُّغَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّةِ، وَاشْتَرَكَ فِي تَأْلِيفِ كِتَابِ (الدُّرُوسِ النَّحْوِيَّةِ)، تُوُفِّيَ بِالْقَاهِرَةِ سَنَةَ: (١٣٣٨هـ ١٩١٩م).

Hafni, or Muhammad Hafni bin Ismail bin Khalil bin Nasif, was a judge and man of letters who wrote fine poetry. Born in 1856 (1272 AH), he studied at Al-Azhar and held various posts in education and the judiciary. He eventually served as the chief inspector of Arabic at the Egyptian Ministry of Education and helped establish the first Language Academy. He authored The History of Literature, also known as The Life of the Arabic Language, and co-authored Grammatical Lessons. He died in Cairo in 1919 (1338 AH).

مُحَمَّدٌ دِيَابٌ بَكُ ابْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ دَرْوِيشٍ الشَّافِعِيُّ الْمَنُوفِيُّ بَاحِثٌ مِنْ رِجَالِ الْعِلْمِ وَالتَّعْلِيمِ بِمِصْرَ، وُلِدَ فِي مَنُوفَ سَنَةَ: (١٢٦٩هـ ١٨٥٢م)، وَتَعَلَّمَ فِي الْأَزْهَرِ وَدَارِ الْعُلُومِ.

Muhammad Diab Bey bin Ismail bin Darwish Al-Shafi'i Al-Manufi was an Egyptian scholar and educator. Born in Manuf in 1852 (1269 AH), he received his education at Al-Azhar and Dar Al-Ulum.

وَاخْتِيرَ مُعَلِّمًا فَمُفَتِّشًا فِي دِيوَانِ الْمَعَارِفِ، وَكُفَّ بَصَرُهُ فِي آخِرِ عُمْرِهِ، وَتُوُفِّيَ بِالْقَاهِرَةِ، لَهُ تَأْلِيفٌ، مِنْهَا: تَارِيخُ آدَابِ اللُّغَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّةِ، وَمُعْجَمُ الْأَلْفَاظِ الْحَدِيثَةِ، وَالْإِنْشَاءُ النَّظَرِيُّ، تُوُفِّيَ سَنَةَ: (١٣٣٩هـ ١٩٢١م).

He served as a teacher and later as an inspector for the Department of Education. He lost his sight late in life and died in Cairo. His writings include The History of Arabic Literary Traditions, A Dictionary of Modern Terms, and Theoretical Composition. He passed away in 1921 (1339 AH).

لَمْ أَقِفْ عَلَى تَرْجَمَتِهِ.

I have not found a biography for him.

مُصْطَفَى طُمُومٌ الْمَالِكِيُّ: فَاضِلٌ مِصْرِيٌّ، كَانَ مُدَرِّسَ الْعَرَبِيَّةِ بِالْمَدْرَسَةِ الْخَدِيوِيَّةِ بِالْقَاهِرَةِ، لَهُ مِنَ الْمُؤَلَّفَاتِ: سِرَاجُ الْكَتَبَةِ شَرْحُ تُحْفَةِ الْأَحِبَّةِ فِي عِلْمِ رَسْمِ الْحُرُوفِ، وَهُوَ أَحَدُ مُؤَلِّفِي: الدُّرُوسِ النَّحْوِيَّةِ لِلْمَدَارِسِ الِابْتِدَائِيَّةِ، تُوُفِّيَ سَنَةَ: (١٣٥٤هـ ١٩٣٥م).

Mustafa Tumum Al-Maliki was a distinguished Egyptian who taught Arabic at the Khedivial School in Cairo. His works include The Scribe’s Lamp, a commentary on The Beloved’s Masterpiece on the science of orthography. He was also a co-author of Grammatical Lessons for Primary Schools. He died in 1935 (1354 AH).

Vocabulary · المفردات (16 verbs · 72 nouns)

• دَعَا — to call
• اِقْتَضَى — to require
• صَنَّفَ — to write/compile
• أَلَّفَ — to author
• رَحِمَ — to have mercy
• وَلَدَ — to beget
• تَعَلَّمَ — to learn
• تَقَلَّبَ — to fluctuate
• عَيَّنَ — to appoint
• شَارَكَ — to participate
• اِشْتَرَكَ — to join
• تَوَفَّى — to pass away
• اِخْتَارَ — to choose
• كَفَّ — to lose (sight)
• وَقَفَ — to find/come across
• كَانَ — to be
• دَرْسٌ — lesson
• بَلَاغَةٌ — rhetoric
• كَثِيرٌ — many
• مَنْظُومٌ — poetic
• مَنْثُورٌ — prose
• مُطَوَّلٌ — lengthy
• مُخْتَصَرٌ — abridged
• حَسَبٌ — according to
• حَاجَةٌ — need
• سَاحَةٌ — arena
• عِلْمِيٌّ — scientific
• عَصْرٌ — era
• مِصْرٌ — land
• مُرَاعٍ — observer
• حَالٌ — condition
• طَالِبٌ — student
• عِلْمٌ — knowledge
• تِلْمِيذٌ — pupil
• كِتَابٌ — book
• قَرْنٌ — century
• مَاضٍ — past
• عَالِمٌ — scholar
• أَجْمَعُ — all
• قَاضٍ — judge
• أَدِيبٌ — writer
• شِعْرٌ — poetry
• جَيِّدٌ — good
• سَنَةٌ — year
• مَنْصِبٌ — position
• تَعْلِيمٌ — education
• قَضَاءٌ — judiciary
• مُفَتِّشٌ — inspector
• أَوَّلٌ — first
• لُغَةٌ — language
• عَرَبِيٌّ — Arabic
• وِزَارَةٌ — ministry
• مَعَارِفُ — knowledge
• مِصْرِيٌّ — Egyptian
• تَارِيخٌ — history
• أَدَبٌ — literature
• حَيَاةٌ — life
• تَأْلِيفٌ — authorship
• نَحْوِيٌّ — grammatical
• قَاهِرَةٌ — Cairo
• بَاحِثٌ — researcher
• رَجُلٌ — man
• دَارٌ — house
• عُلُومٌ — sciences
• مُعَلِّمٌ — teacher
• دِيوَانٌ — department
• بَصَرٌ — sight
• آخِرٌ — end
• عُمْرٌ — age
• مُعْجَمٌ — dictionary
• لَفْظٌ — word
• حَدِيثٌ — modern
• إِنْشَاءٌ — composition
• نَظَرِيٌّ — theoretical
• تَرْجَمَةٌ — biography
• فَاضِلٌ — virtuous
• مُدَرِّسٌ — instructor
• مَدْرَسَةٌ — school
• خَدِيوِيٌّ — Khedivial
• مُؤَلَّفٌ — work
• سِرَاجٌ — lamp
• كَاتِبٌ — writer
• شَرْحٌ — explanation
• تُحْفَةٌ — masterpiece
• حَبِيبٌ — beloved
• رَسْمٌ — drawing
• حَرْفٌ — letter
• ابْتِدَائِيٌّ — primary