Sharh Qatr an-Nada by Ibn Hisham (شرح قطر الندى وبل الصدى) — Page 20

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

تَرْجَمَةُ الشَّارِحِ الْمُحَقِّقِ.

A biography of the meticulous commentator.

وَلَمْ يَأْبَهْ لِوَعِيدٍ، وَذَلِكَ خُلُقٌ قَوِيٌّ فِي تِلْكَ الْفَتْرَةِ الْعَصِيبَةِ الَّتِي يُدْرِكُهَا الْجَمِيعُ،

He remained undeterred by threats—a rare strength of character during that turbulent era we all remember.

ظَلَّ أُسْتَاذُنَا عَلَى هَذَا الْوَضْعِ إِلَى أَنْ صَدَرَ قَرَارٌ بِنَقْلِهِ مُدَرِّساً إِلَى مَعْهَدِ الْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةِ انْتِقَاماً لِمَوْقِفِهِ الْمُشَرِّفِ،

Our professor held his ground until he was reassigned to teach at the Alexandria Institute as retaliation for his honorable stance.

فَلَمْ يَزِدْهُ ذَلِكَ إِلَّا إِصْرَاراً عَلَى مُنَاصَرَةِ الْحَقِّ، وَإِلَّا إِصْرَاراً عَلَى السَّيْرِ فِي رِكَابِ الْحُرِّيَّةِ وَإِلَّا إِصْرَاراً عَلَى الْوُقُوفِ فِي وَجْهِ أُولَئِكَ الطُّغَاةِ الَّذِينَ لَا هَمَّ لَهُمْ إِلَّا أَنْ يَكْبِتُوا الْأَنْفَاسَ، وَيَخْمِدُوا الْأَرْوَاحَ الطَّاهِرَةَ الْبَرِيئَةَ،

This only hardened his resolve to defend the truth, to walk the path of freedom, and to stand against those tyrants whose only goal was to stifle voices and crush innocent, noble spirits.

وَقَدْ أَرَادَ اللَّهُ لِلْأَزْهَرِ أَنْ يَنْتَصِرَ، وَأَرَادَ اللَّهُ أَنْ تَعُودَ الدِّرَاسَةُ بَعْدَ تَعْطِيلِهَا وَأَنْ يَعُودَ أُسْتَاذُنَا إِلَى كُلِّيَّتِهِ مَوْفُورَ الْكَرَامَةِ، مَرْفُوعَ الْهَامَةِ، مُظِلَّاً لِأَبْنَائِهِ بِظِلِّهِ الْوَارِفِ الْقَوِيِّ،

God willed for Al-Azhar to prevail, for studies to resume, and for our professor to return to his college with his dignity intact and his head held high, shielding his students with his protective, steady influence.

لَا يَأْخُذُهُ زَهْوُ الْعِلْمِ، وَلَكِنَّهُ كَانَ كَالْأَبِ الْحَنُونِ الْعَطُوفِ عَلَى أَبْنَائِهِ، بَيْتُهُ بَيْتُ الْأَبْنَاءِ، مَكْتَبَتُهُ مَكْتَبَةُ الْأَبْنَاءِ،

He was never blinded by intellectual pride; instead, he was like a tender, compassionate father to his students. His home was their home, and his library was theirs to share.

فَكُنَّا نَفِدُ إِلَيْهِ نَسْتَطْلِعُ رَأْيَهُ وَنَسْتَفِيدُ مِنْ خِبْرَتِهِ وَمِنْ تَجَارِبِهِ، فَلَمْ يَضُنَّ عَلَى إِنْسَانٍ يَوْماً بِمَا بِأَيِّ نَاحِيَةٍ مِنْ تِلْكَ النَّوَاحِي الْمُتَعَلِّقَةِ بِدِرَاسَتِهِ

We would flock to him to seek his counsel and draw from his wealth of experience. He never once withheld his guidance on any matter pertaining to our studies.

وَعِنْدَمَا أُنْشِئَتِ الدِّرَاسَاتُ الْعُلْيَا كَانَ الرَّائِدَ الْأَوَّلَ لَنَا وَالْمُوَجِّهَ لِنَفْعِنَا.

When the graduate studies program was established, he was our primary pioneer and mentor.

عِنْدَمَا عُيِّنَ وَكِيلاً لِكُلِّيَّةِ اللُّغَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّةِ، وَكَانَتِ الْكُلِّيَّةُ آنَذَاكَ فِي حَرْبٍ ضَرُوسٍ وَمُعَانَاةٍ قَوِيَّةٍ مِنَ الدَّاخِلِ وَالْخَارِجِ، مَا كَادَ يَتَوَلَّى أَمْرَهَا وَيَسُوسُ شَأْنَهَا إِلَّا وَرَأَيْنَاهُ يَقُودُ السَّفِينَةَ بِحِكْمَةِ الرُّبَّانِ الْمَاهِرِ الْحَكِيمِ،

When he was appointed deputy dean of the College of Arabic Language, the institution was embroiled in fierce internal and external strife. No sooner did he take the helm than he began steering the ship with the wisdom of a seasoned captain.

فَيُنْهِي الْمَآزِقَ الْقَوِيَّةَ، وَيَقْضِي عَلَى الْفِتَنِ الَّتِي كَادَتْ تَقْضِي عَلَى تِلْكَ الْكُلِّيَّةِ،

He resolved deep-seated crises and quelled the discord that had nearly brought the college to its knees.

وَإِنَّ أُسْتَاذَنَا الْجَلِيلَ الدُّكْتُورَ عَبْدَ الرَّزَّاقِ السَّنْهُورِيَّ، وَكَانَ وَقْتَذَاكَ وَزِيراً لِلْمَعَارِفِ، رَأَى بِثَاقِبِ فِكْرِهِ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ الرَّجُلَ جَدِيرٌ بِأَنْ يَتَوَلَّى عِمَادَةَ الْكُلِّيَّةِ؛ لِتَفَتُّحِ ذِهْنِهِ وَتَوَقُّدِ فِكْرِهِ، وَإِمْكَانِهِ التَّفَاهُمَ مَعَ كُلِّ النَّاسِ،

Our esteemed professor, Dr. Abd al-Razzaq al-Sanhouri, then Minister of Education, recognized with his keen insight that this man deserved to be dean, given his open-mindedness, sharp intellect, and ability to bridge divides with everyone.

وَلَكِنَّهُ لَمْ يَتَمَكَّنْ مِنْ إِقْنَاعِ الْمَسْئُولِينَ لِمَا عُرِفَ عَنْ فَقِيدِنَا الرَّاحِلِ مِنْ جُرْأَةٍ فِي الْحَقِّ لَا تُرْضِي بَعْضَ النَّاسِ آنَذَاكَ،

However, he could not convince the authorities, as our late mentor was known for a boldness in speaking the truth that did not sit well with certain people at the time.

فَانْتَقَلَ إِلَى التَّفْتِيشِ وَنُقِلَ مِنَ التَّفْتِيشِ إِلَى أُصُولِ الدِّينِ ظَنَّاً مِنْهُمْ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ الرَّجُلَ الَّذِي كَرَّسَ حَيَاتَهُ فِي عُلُومِ الْعَرَبِيَّةِ لَا يُمْكِنُ.

He was moved to the inspection department and then to the faculty of Principles of Religion, under the misguided assumption that a man who had dedicated his life to Arabic sciences could be silenced.

Vocabulary · المفردات (29 verbs · 105 nouns)

• أَبَى — to pay attention to
• أَدْرَكَ — to realize
• ظَلَّ — to remain
• صَدَرَ — to be issued
• زَادَ — to increase
• كَبَتَ — to suppress
• خَمَدَ — to extinguish
• أَرَادَ — to want
• انْتَصَرَ — to triumph
• عَادَ — to return
• أَخَذَ — to overcome
• نَفَدَ — to go to
• اسْتَطْلَعَ — to explore
• اسْتَفَادَ — to benefit
• ضَنَّ — to be stingy
• أَنْشَأَ — to establish
• عَيَّنَ — to appoint
• كَادَ — to be on the verge of
• تَوَلَّى — to take charge
• سَاسَ — to manage
• رَأَى — to see
• قَادَ — to lead
• أَنْهَى — to finish
• قَضَى — to end
• أَرْضَى — to satisfy
• انْتَقَلَ — to move
• ظَنَّ — to think
• كَرَّسَ — to dedicate
• أَمْكَنَ — to be possible
• تَرْجَمَة — translation
• شَارِح — commentator
• مُحَقِّق — researcher
• وَعِيد — threat
• خُلُق — character
• قَوِيّ — strong
• فَتْرَة — period
• عَصِيب — difficult
• جَمِيع — all
• أُسْتَاذ — professor
• وَضْع — situation
• قَرَار — decision
• نَقْل — transfer
• مُدَرِّس — teacher
• مَعْهَد — institute
• انْتِقَام — revenge
• مَوْقِف — position
• مُشَرِّف — honorable
• إِصْرَار — insistence
• مُنَاصَرَة — support
• حَقّ — truth
• سَيْر — walking
• رِكَاب — retinue
• حُرِّيَّة — freedom
• وُقُوف — standing
• وَجْه — face
• طَاغِيَة — tyrant
• هَمّ — concern
• نَفَس — breath
• رُوح — soul
• طَاهِر — pure
• بَرِيء — innocent
• دِرَاسَة — study
• تَعْطِيل — suspension
• كُلِّيَّة — college
• مَوْفُور — abundant
• كَرَامَة — dignity
• مَرْفُوع — raised
• هَامَة — head
• مُظِلّ — shading
• ابْن — son
• ظِلّ — shade
• وَارِف — lush
• زَهْو — pride
• عِلْم — knowledge
• أَب — father
• حَنُون — affectionate
• عَطُوف — kind
• بَيْت — house
• مَكْتَبَة — library
• رَأْي — opinion
• خِبْرَة — experience
• تَجْرِبَة — experiment
• إِنْسَان — human
• يَوْم — day
• نَاحِيَة — side
• مُتَعَلِّق — related
• عَالِي — high
• رَائِد — pioneer
• أَوَّل — first
• مُوَجِّه — guide
• نَفْع — benefit
• وَكِيل — agent
• لُغَة — language
• عَرَبِيّ — Arabic
• حَرْب — war
• ضَرُوس — fierce
• مُعَانَاة — suffering
• دَاخِل — inside
• خَارِج — outside
• أَمْر — matter
• شَأْن — affair
• سَفِينَة — ship
• حِكْمَة — wisdom
• رُبَّان — captain
• مَاهِر — skilled
• حَكِيم — wise
• مَأْزِق — dilemma
• فِتْنَة — strife
• جَلِيل — majestic
• دُكْتُور — doctor
• وَزِير — minister
• مَعَارِف — knowledge
• ثَاقِب — piercing
• فِكْر — thought
• رَجُل — man
• جَدِير — worthy
• عِمَادَة — deanship
• تَفَتُّح — openness
• ذِهْن — mind
• تَوَقُّد — brilliance
• إِمْكَان — possibility
• تَفَاهُم — understanding
• نَاس — people
• إِقْنَاع — persuasion
• مَسْئُول — official
• فَقِيد — deceased
• رَاحِل — departed
• جُرْأَة — boldness
• بَعْض — some
• تَفْتِيش — inspection
• أَصْل — origin
• دِين — religion
• ظَنّ — assumption
• حَيَاة — life