Sharh Qatr an-Nada by Ibn Hisham (شرح قطر الندى وبل الصدى) — Page 18

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

تَتَلْمَذَ الْأُسْتَاذُ مُحَمَّدُ يَحْيَى الدِّينِ عَبْدُ الْحَمِيدِ عَلَى جِيلِ الرُّوَّادِ الْإِسْلَامِيِّينَ الْكِبَارِ الَّذِينَ ازْدَانَتْ بِهِمُ الْحَيَاةُ الْمِصْرِيَّةُ فِي أَوَائِلِ الْقَرْنِ الْعِشْرِينَ ، وَكَانُوا دِعَامَةَ النَّهْضَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّةِ وَالْأَدَبِيَّةِ وَالْوَطَنِيَّةِ فِي الْعَالَمِ الْعَرَبِيِّ كَافَّةً ، وَمَضَى عَلَى تَخَرُّجِهِ فِي الْأَزْهَرِ الشَّرِيفِ - يَحْمِلُ شَهَادَةَ الْعَالَمِيَّةِ أَعْلَى شَهَادَاتِهِ الْعِلْمِيَّةِ آنَذَاكَ - نَحْوَ نِصْفِ قَرْنٍ مِنَ الزَّمَانِ ، وَكَانَ نَجَاحُهُ بَلْ تَفَوُّقُهُ يَوْمَئِذٍ مَثَارَ الدَّهْشَةِ فَقَدْ جَاءَ الْأَوَّلَ عَلَى فُحُولِ أَقْرَانِهِ مِنَ الْعُلَمَاءِ

Professor Muhammad Muhyi al-Din Abd al-Hamid studied under the great generation of Islamic pioneers who graced Egyptian life in the early twentieth century. They served as the bedrock of the Arab, literary, and national renaissance throughout the Arab world. Nearly half a century had passed since his graduation from Al-Azhar—where he earned the Al-Alamiyyah, the highest degree available at the time—and his success, or rather his brilliance, remained a source of wonder, for he had surpassed all his scholarly peers.

وَاخْتِيرَ مُدَرِّساً بِالْجَامِعِ الْأَزْهَرِ ، وَظَهَرَ مِنْ دَلَائِلِ فَضْلِهِ الْعِلْمِيِّ مَا أَعَدَّهُ بَعْدَ خَمْسِ سَنَوَاتٍ فَحَسْبُ ، لِأَنْ يَكُونَ مُدَرِّساً بِكُلِّيَّةِ اللُّغَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّةِ سَنَةَ ١٩٣١ م ، إِذْ أَصْدَرَ عِدَّةَ أَجْزَاءٍ مِنْ شَرْحِ خِزَانَةِ الْأَدَبِ لِلْبَغْدَادِيِّ جَاءَتْ خَالِيَةً مِنَ التَّحْرِيفِ وَحَافِلَةً بِالضَّبْطِ وَالتَّعْلِيقِ ، فَأَذَاعَتْ عِلْمَهُ كَمَا أَذَاعَهُ تَلَامِيذُهُ الَّذِينَ نَهَلُوا مِنْ حِيَاضِهِ وَأَسَاتِذَتُهُ مِنَ الْمُفَتِّشِينَ الَّذِينَ شَهِدُوا بِنُبُوغِهِ وَتَحَدَّثُوا عَنْهُ مُكَبِّرِينَ ، وَقَدْ كَانَ أَصْغَرَ أَعْضَاءِ هَيْئَةِ التَّدْرِيسِ بِالْكُلِّيَّةِ سِنّاً ، وَلَكِنَّ مَقَامَهُ الْعِلْمِيَّ دَفَعَهُ إِلَى الصَّدَارَةِ ، فَاخْتِيرَ سَنَةَ ١٩٣٥ م لِلتَّدْرِيسِ بِتَخَصُّصِ الْمَادَّةِ لِطَلَبَةِ الدِّرَاسَاتِ الْعُلْيَا ، وَزَامَلَ الْكِبَارَ مِنْ أَسَاتِذَتِهِ مُزَامَلَةً خِصْبَةً مُثْمِرَةً فَاعْتَرَفُوا بِفَضْلِهِ ، وَسَمِعَهُ الْإِمَامُ الْمَرَاغِيُّ فِي زِيَارَاتِهِ الْمُتَعَاقِبَةِ لِلْكُلِّيَّةِ فَاسْتَرْعَى انْتِبَاهَهُ ، وَاخْتَارَهُ مُحَاضِراً فِي الِاجْتِمَاعَاتِ الْعَامَّةِ بِالْجَامِعِ الْأَزْهَرِ عِنْدَ الْمُنَاسَبَاتِ الدِّينِيَّةِ كَالِاحْتِفَالِ بِالْمَوْلِدِ وَالْهِجْرَةِ وَالْإِسْرَاءِ ، إِذْ كَانَ الشَّيْخُ الْأَكْبَرُ يُلْقِي الْكَلِمَةَ الْأُولَى لِيَتْرُكَ لِأُسْتَاذٍ مِنْ نَابِهِي هَيْئَةِ التَّدْرِيسِ بِالْأَزْهَرِ كَالشَّيْخِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَرَفَةَ وَالشَّيْخِ مُحَمَّدٍ أَحْمَدَ الْعَدَوِيِّ وَالشَّيْخِ مُحَمَّدٍ مُحْيِي الدِّينِ عَبْدِ الْحَمِيدِ

He was appointed as a teacher at Al-Azhar Mosque, and his scholarly merit was so evident that, after only five years, he was prepared to join the Faculty of Arabic Language in 1931. His publication of several volumes of Al-Baghdadi’s Khizanat al-Adab—meticulously edited and annotated, and free of errors—spread his reputation, as did the testimony of his students, who drank from his knowledge, and the inspectors who recognized his genius and spoke of him with high regard. Although he was the youngest faculty member, his academic stature propelled him to the forefront. By 1935, he was chosen to teach specialized subjects to postgraduate students. He worked alongside senior professors in a productive partnership that earned their respect. Imam Al-Maraghi, during his frequent visits to the faculty, took note of him and selected him to lecture at public Al-Azhar gatherings during religious occasions like the Mawlid, the Hijra, and the Isra. The Grand Sheikh would deliver the opening address, then yield the floor to one of Al-Azhar’s brilliant scholars, such as Sheikh Muhammad Arafa, Sheikh Muhammad Ahmad al-Adawi, or Sheikh Muhammad Muhyi al-Din Abd al-Hamid.

وَشَغَلَ فِي هَذِهِ الْحِقْبَةِ الطَّوِيلَةِ الْكَثِيرَ مِنَ الْمَنَاصِبِ الْعِلْمِيَّةِ الرَّفِيعَةِ : أُسْتَاذاً بِالْأَزْهَرِ ، فَأُسْتَاذاً بِكُلِّيَّةِ اللُّغَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّةِ ، فَمُفَتِّشاً عَامّاً بِالْمَعَاهِدِ الدِّينِيَّةِ ، فَوَكِيلاً لِكُلِّيَّةِ الْمَجَالِ

Over this long period, he held many prestigious academic positions: professor at Al-Azhar, professor at the Faculty of Arabic Language, general inspector of religious institutes, and deputy dean of the faculty.

Vocabulary · المفردات (21 verbs · 67 nouns)

• تَتَلْمَذَ — to study under
• ازْدَانَ — to be adorned
• مَضَى — to pass
• حَمَلَ — to carry
• جَاءَ — to come
• اخْتَارَ — to choose
• ظَهَرَ — to appear
• أَعَدَّ — to prepare
• أَصْدَرَ — to issue
• أَذَاعَ — to broadcast
• نَهَلَ — to drink
• شَهِدَ — to witness
• تَحَدَّثَ — to speak
• دَفَعَ — to push
• زَامَلَ — to be a colleague
• اعْتَرَفَ — to admit
• سَمِعَ — to hear
• اسْتَرْعَى — to attract
• أَلْقَى — to deliver
• تَرَكَ — to leave
• شَغَلَ — to occupy
• أُسْتَاذ — professor
• جِيل — generation
• رَائِد — pioneer
• حَيَاة — life
• أَوَان — beginning
• قَرْن — century
• دِعَامَة — pillar
• نَهْضَة — renaissance
• عَالَم — world
• تَخَرُّج — graduation
• شَهَادَة — certificate
• نِصْف — half
• زَمَان — time
• نَجَاح — success
• تَفَوُّق — excellence
• مَثَار — source
• دَهْشَة — amazement
• فَحْل — master
• قَرِين — peer
• مُدَرِّس — teacher
• جَامِع — mosque
• دَلِيل — evidence
• فَضْل — merit
• سَنَة — year
• كُلِّيَّة — college
• لُغَة — language
• جُزْء — part
• شَرْح — explanation
• خِزَانَة — library
• أَدَب — literature
• تَحْرِيف — distortion
• ضَبْط — precision
• تَعْلِيق — commentary
• تِلْمِيذ — student
• حَوْض — basin
• مُفَتِّش — inspector
• نُبُوغ — genius
• مُكَبِّر — admirer
• عُضْو — member
• هَيْئَة — body
• تَدْرِيس — teaching
• سِنّ — age
• مَقَام — status
• صَدَارَة — forefront
• تَخَصُّص — specialization
• مَادَّة — subject
• طَالِب — student
• دِرَاسَة — study
• مُزَامَلَة — colleagueship
• إِمَام — imam
• زِيَارَة — visit
• انْتِبَاه — attention
• مُحَاضِر — lecturer
• اجْتِمَاع — meeting
• مُنَاسَبَة — occasion
• احْتِفَال — celebration
• مَوْلِد — birthday
• هِجْرَة — migration
• إِسْرَاء — night journey
• شَيْخ — sheikh
• كَلِمَة — speech
• نَابِه — brilliant
• حِقْبَة — period
• مَنْصِب — position
• مَعْهَد — institute
• وَكِيل — deputy
• مَجَال — field