Articles for senior writers of Arabic in the modern era, the first and second group

Prepared by Dr. Muhammad Ibrahim Al-Hamd In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Praise be to Allah, and blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family, companions, and those who follow him. To proceed: This is the first group of (Articles by prominent Arab writers in the modern era). Before discussing these articles, it is good to talk about the article in terms of its origin, concept, subject, types, and other related matters. The article — or the essay — is a great door of knowledge, and a broad path for spreading thought and influencing people. It became known after the appearance of printing presses and the spread of journalism in the late 13th Hijri century, when the Egyptian Gazette was established. Then journalism reached its peak in the mid-14th Hijri century, where its movement flourished in Arab countries, becoming the backbone of writers, poets, and the mold into which they pour their ideas and publish them among people. The article is not strange to classical Arabic literature — even if its forms and conditions have changed. For example, Abdulhamid Al-Katib, when he spoke about hunting or writing, wrote something close to an article. The literary chapters created by Ibn al-Muqaffa’ in “Small Literature” and “Great Literature” were similar to extended articles. Likewise, Al-Jahiz’s works in “Al-Bukhala” (The Misers), “Al-Bayan wa al-Tabyin” (The Clarification and Explanation), and “Al-Masaneh wa al-Adad” (Virtues and Contraries) are extended articles that lack some of the conditions of modern articles. In the modern era, however, the article took on a different tone; it acquired a distinctive character. It became a prose piece in which the writer presents a قضية (issue) or فكرة (idea) in an organized and engaging manner. The article is limited in size; the writer does not expand much. Its topics are numerous and diverse: There is the religious article, in which the writer discusses a باب (chapter) of religion, whether in العقيدة (belief), or الأحكام (rulings), or السلوك (behavior), or الأخلاق (ethics), or السيرة (biography), or writes about a قضية from the issues of Islam and Muslims, or similar topics. There is the social article, in which the writer addresses societal ailments and diseases such as ignorance, poverty, bad customs, and the like; diagnosing these phenomena, analyzing and presenting them in a way that attracts the reader, then reaching a علاج (cure) through that. There is the political article, which analyzes a موقف (stance), or قضية (issue), or similar matters. There is the نقدي (critical) article, in which the author critiques a scientific or literary work, highlighting its merits and exposing its flaws through a style based on an understanding of critical standards and criteria. If the critic is skilled and successful in his method, the critical article becomes a school of refinement. There is the descriptive article, which is broader, as the writer can address any field of life, describing it in a way that depicts it to those who have not seen it, as if they see it with their own eyes. However, this type requires keen observation, truthful depiction, and a comprehensive view. In general, the subject of the article is vast and can encompass everything in existence — expressing emotion, desire, fear, or idea.