The Cabinet of Literature

The collection of Al-Baghdadi in his treasury of sciences of literature and language and their related fields, and it is considered one of the most prominent classifications in the Ottoman era. Al-Baghdadi took mentioning the witness as a means to ضبط his narration and explanation, and translation for its owner, and to mention some of his famous news. He did not limit himself to mentioning the witness but would include the verse with what preceded and followed it from lines that clarify its meaning, or he would mention the entire poem in which the witness appeared if it was one of the rare poems, along with an explanation of its strange words, the reason for its saying, its origin, and its context. Through this, he preserved in his book many آثار of the Arabic language. Abdul Qader helped him in his compilation by his extensive knowledge and mastery of scientific and literary treasures from the speech of Arabs in poetry and prose. He memorized many diwan collections, Badi' al-Zaman al-Hamadani's maqamat, and Al-Hariri's works, along with knowledge of Arab events, days, stories, and the history of Persians and Turks. His approach to compilation was open-minded, proud of his knowledge, and despite acknowledging the grace of his teachers, he would record in his books his objections to some of what they included.