Sharh Qatr an-Nada by Ibn Hisham (شرح قطر الندى وبل الصدى) — Page 8

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

فِي عِلْمِ الْعَرَبِيَّةِ وَمَنْ فِي حُكْمِهِمْ ، وَكَانَ مِنْ أَهَمِّ مَا بَعَثَنِي إِلَى هَذَا الْعَمَلِ الرَّغْبَةُ فِي أَنْ أَضَعَ لَبِنَةً فِي إِصْلَاحِ الْجَامِعِ الْأَزْهَرِ بِإِصْلَاحِ مَا يُمْكِنُنِي إِصْلَاحُهُ مِنَ الْكُتُبِ الَّتِي تُدْرَسُ فِيهِ

In the field of Arabic and related disciplines, my primary motivation for this work was a desire to contribute to the reform of Al-Azhar by improving the textbooks studied there.

فَقَدْ وَاللَّهِ ، سَاءَنِي كَمَا سَاءَ كُلَّ مُحِبٍّ لِلْأَزْهَرِ أَنْ يُضْرَبَ الْمَثَلُ فِي رَدَاءَةِ الطَّبْعِ ، وَاخْتِيَارِ أَدْنَى أَنْوَاعِ الْوَرَقِ بِالْكُتُبِ الْأَزْهَرِيَّةِ

By God, it has saddened me, as it has every lover of Al-Azhar, to see our books become synonymous with poor printing and the cheapest available paper.

فَيُقَالُ « هَذِهِ طَبْعَةٌ أَزْهَرِيَّةٌ » وَلَا يَكُونُ لِلْكِتَابِ عَيْبٌ يَزْدَرِيهِ بَعْضُ الْقُرَّاءِ مِنْ أَجْلِهِ إِلَّا أَنَّ حُرُوفَهُ صَغِيرَةٌ ، أَوْ أَنَّ وَرَقَهُ أَصْفَرُ ، أَوْ نَحْوَ ذَلِكَ

The phrase 'an Azharite edition' has become a mark of shame, where readers dismiss a book simply because of tiny print, yellowed paper, or similar defects.

وَرَأَيْتُ ـــ مَعَ ذَلِكَ ـــ كَثِيرًا مِنْ أَبْنَائِنَا مِنْ طَلَبَةِ الْعِلْمِ فِي الْأَزْهَرِ يَجْأَرُونَ بِالشَّكْوَى مِنْ كُتُبِ الدِّرَاسَةِ ، مِنْ غَيْرِ أَنْ يَكُونَ لِذَلِكَ سَبَبٌ فِي نَظَرِي غَيْرُ رَدَاءَةِ الطَّبْعِ وَسُوءِ الْإِخْرَاجِ

I have watched many of our students at Al-Azhar complain bitterly about their textbooks, and in my view, the only reason for their frustration is the shoddy printing and poor production.

وَقَدْ جِئْتُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَحْدَهُ ـــ بِمَا تَقَرُّ بِهِ أَعْيُنُ الْمُطَّلِعِينَ عَلَيْهِ ، وَتَرْتَاحُ لَهُ قُلُوبُ الْمُنْصِفِينَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ ، وَسَمَّيْتُ هَذِهِ التَّحْقِيقَاتِ « سَبِيلَ الْهُدَى ، بِتَحْقِيقِ شَرْحِ قَطْرِ النَّدَى

Praise be to God alone, I have produced a work that will please those who read it and satisfy the fair-minded among the scholarly community. I have titled these investigations 'The Path of Guidance: A Critical Edition of Sharh Qatr al-Nada'.

فَإِنْ كُنْتُ قَدْ بَلَغْتُ مَا أَرَدْتُ ، وَكَانَ هَذَا الْعَرْضُ الْجَمِيلُ بَاعِثًا عَلَى الِانْتِفَاعِ بِالْكِتَابِ ؛ فَهَذِهِ رَغْبَةٌ طَالَمَا تَمَنَّيْتُهَا

If I have succeeded in my aim and this refined presentation encourages readers to engage with the book, then I have achieved a long-held desire.

وَإِنْ تَكُنِ الْأُخْرَى فَلِلَّهِ الْأَمْرُ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَمِنْ بَعْدُ ، وَاللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ الْمَسْئُولُ أَنْ يُحْسِنَ جَزَاءَنَا ، إِنَّهُ السَّمِيعُ الْمُجِيبُ

Should it prove otherwise, the command remains with God, before and after. I ask Him alone to reward our efforts, for He is the All-Hearing, the All-Answering.

وَأَهْتَبِلُ هَذِهِ الْفُرْصَةَ فَأَضْرَعُ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى أَنْ يَتَغَمَّدَ بِرَحْمَتِهِ وَرِضْوَانِهِ وَالِدِي الَّذِي دَفَعَنِي إِلَى الْحِرْصِ عَلَى تَلَقِّي الْعِلْمِ وَتَحْصِيلِهِ

I take this opportunity to implore God Almighty to shower His mercy and pleasure upon my father, who instilled in me a passion for seeking and acquiring knowledge.

وَلَمْ يَدَّخِرْ وُسْعًا فِي تَحْرِيضِي عَلَى أَنْ أَجْعَلَ ذَلِكَ أَبْلَغَ وُكْدِي ، وَأَجْمَلَ مَا أَقْضِي الْوَقْتَ فِيهِ

He spared no effort in urging me to make learning my highest priority and the most rewarding way to spend my time.

وَعَلَى أُسْتَاذِي وَشَيْخِي الَّذِي تَلَقَّيْتُ عَلَيْهِ هَذَا الْكِتَابَ فَانْتَفَعْتُ بِعِلْمِهِ وَخُلُقِهِ وَتَدَيُّنِهِ ، رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا ، وَأَجْزَلَ ثَوَابَهُمَا

I also pray for my teacher and sheikh, from whom I studied this book and benefited from his knowledge, character, and piety. May God be pleased with them both and grant them a generous reward.

هَذَا ، وَقَدِ اتَّفَقَ أَنْ نَفِدَتْ جَمِيعُ نُسَخِ الْكِتَابِ ، وَرَغِبَتْ إِلَيَّ الْمَكْتَبَةُ التِّجَارِيَّةُ الْكُبْرَى فِي إِعَادَةِ طَبْعِهِ ، فَاغْتَنَمْتُ هَذِهِ الْفُرْصَةَ لِأَزِيدَ فِي شَرْحِي عَلَى الْكِتَابِ

With the original copies of the book sold out, the Great Commercial Library requested a reprint. I have seized this opportunity to expand my commentary on the text.

Vocabulary · المفردات (36 verbs · 80 nouns)

• بَعَثَ — to send
• وَضَعَ — to place
• أَمْكَنَ — to be possible
• دَرَسَ — to study
• سَاءَ — to be bad
• ضَرَبَ — to set
• اخْتَارَ — to choose
• قَالَ — to say
• كَانَ — to be
• ازْدَرَى — to despise
• رَأَى — to see
• جَأَرَ — to cry out
• جَاءَ — to come
• قَرَّ — to be pleased
• ارْتَاحَ — to rest
• سَمَّى — to name
• بَلَغَ — to reach
• أَرَادَ — to want
• تَمَنَّى — to wish
• حَسُنَ — to be good
• اهْتَبَلَ — to seize
• ضَرَعَ — to implore
• تَغَمَّدَ — to cover
• دَفَعَ — to push
• تَلَقَّى — to receive
• ادَّخَرَ — to spare
• جَعَلَ — to make
• قَضَى — to spend
• انْتَفَعَ — to benefit
• رَضِيَ — to be pleased
• أَجْزَلَ — to bestow
• اتَّفَقَ — to agree
• نَفَدَ — to run out
• رَغِبَ — to desire
• اغْتَنَمَ — to seize
• زَادَ — to increase
• عِلْمٌ — knowledge
• عَرَبِيَّةٌ — Arabic language
• حُكْمٌ — authority
• عَمَلٌ — work
• رَغْبَةٌ — desire
• لَبِنَةٌ — a brick
• إِصْلَاحٌ — reform
• جَامِعٌ — mosque
• أَزْهَرُ — Al-Azhar
• كِتَابٌ — book
• مُحِبٌّ — lover
• مَثَلٌ — example
• رَدَاءَةٌ — poor quality
• طَبْعٌ — printing
• نَوْعٌ — type
• وَرَقٌ — paper
• أَزْهَرِيٌّ — Azharite
• طَبْعَةٌ — edition
• عَيْبٌ — defect
• قَارِئٌ — reader
• أَجْلٌ — sake
• حَرْفٌ — letter
• صَغِيرٌ — small
• أَصْفَرُ — yellow
• نَحْوٌ — manner
• كَثِيرٌ — many
• ابْنٌ — son
• طَالِبٌ — student
• شَكْوَى — complaint
• دِرَاسَةٌ — study
• سَبَبٌ — reason
• نَظَرٌ — view
• سُوءٌ — badness
• إِخْرَاجٌ — production
• حَمْدٌ — praise
• وَحْدٌ — alone
• عَيْنٌ — eye
• مُطَّلِعٌ — informed person
• قَلْبٌ — heart
• مُنْصِفٌ — fair
• أَهْلٌ — people
• تَحْقِيقٌ — investigation
• سَبِيلٌ — path
• هُدًى — guidance
• شَرْحٌ — explanation
• قَطْرٌ — dew
• نَدًى — dew
• عَرْضٌ — presentation
• جَمِيلٌ — beautiful
• بَاعِثٌ — motive
• انْتِفَاعٌ — benefit
• أُخْرَى — other
• أَمْرٌ — matter
• قَبْلُ — before it
• بَعْدُ — after
• مَسْئُولٌ — responsible
• جَزَاءٌ — reward
• سَمِيعٌ — all-hearing
• مُجِيبٌ — answering
• فُرْصَةٌ — opportunity
• رَحْمَةٌ — mercy
• رِضْوَانٌ — pleasure
• وَالِدٌ — father
• حِرْصٌ — eagerness
• تَحْصِيلٌ — acquisition
• وُسْعٌ — capacity
• تَحْرِيضٌ — incitement
• وُكْدٌ — concern
• أَجْمَلُ — most beautiful
• وَقْتٌ — time
• أُسْتَاذٌ — professor
• شَيْخٌ — sheikh
• خُلُقٌ — character
• تَدَيُّنٌ — religiosity
• ثَوَابٌ — reward
• نُسْخَةٌ — copy
• مَكْتَبَةٌ — library
• تِجَارِيٌّ — commercial
• كُبْرَى — greatest
• إِعَادَةٌ — repetition