SAYENEH -E- PAZHOOHESHome Literary Terms Relating to the Art of Writing among Muslims
نجم احمد جاسم

 بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم ##Translated by Sayyed Hasan Islami
## Many researchers imagine that we have notonly adopted the method of research from the west but have also acquired the terminology of art of writing from them. The writer of this article, by delving into ancient Islamic works and extracting some terms related to the art of writing as practised in the early centuries of Islam, seeks to prove that not only did the Muslims themselves possess their own opinion and Style in this field of research, but at times even the westerners, during the early stages of Renaissance, learnt it along with other sciences from them.
Some of the terms discussed in this article are: Usul, bab, talif, tahrir, tarjemah, taaliq, thabt, daftar and divan.
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The Most Comprehensive Biography
of the Noble Prophet(s)
Mohammad Ali Jawidan
The writer introduces and critically reviews the book Subul al-huda wa al-rashad fi sirat Khayr al-ibad, and is of the opinion that this work is the most comprehensive biography of the Prophet(s) that we have.
The compiler of this book, Imam Mohammad ibn Yousuf Salehi Shami, is a famous hisorian and muhaddith of the 10th century hijri. He compiled this work in 10 large volumes whose pages number more than seven thousand. The compiler, in the preface of the book, writes: This is a book which I have compiled from selections from more than three hundred books; I have made every effort for acquiring correct information and have refrained from mentioning in it any fabricated tradition.
The writer of the article, after enumerating the numerous salient features of the book analyses its weak points which are mostly the result of concealing facts, distorting events, and intense sectarian bigotry.
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The Philosophical Stature
of Qazi Sayeed Qumi
Mohsin Kadivar
Qadi Sayeed Qumi is one of the ulama of the Safavi period. He was for a period of time the official doctor of the court and was for two terms the qadi of Qum, receiving as a result the title of qadi. The major quest of Qadi Sayeed was in solving the problems related to traditions and complementing the shariat, irfan (gnosis) and hikmat (philosophy).
Although Qadi Sayeed benefited to a large extent from Fayd Kashani's tutelage of transcendental philosophy and was influenced by it, but what he actually imbibed from Fayd was irfan.
The writer of this article, while weighing the status and position of Qadi Sayeed among the philosophers of his age and mentioning some of his opinions, observes: It is not for nothing that we rank him among the Islamic philiosophers of the fourth grade because he neither has a school of thought of his own, nor is the proponent of an innovative idea; further he has no strong and comprehensive exposition to his credit.
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A Thought over the book Hayat -e- fikri wa Sayasi -e- Imaman -e- Shiah
Sayyid Ibrahim Sayyid Alawi
The critic of this book has, after providing a brief introduction of the book Hayat -e- Fikri wa siyasi -e- Imaman -e- Shiah which has been compiled by Rasul Jafariyan in two volumes, objected to many aspects of the book. The writer of the article writes in the introduction of the book: "The compiler of this book has, by using the primary and relatively reliable sources, made a effort to place the multi - dimensional lives and experiences of the Shiah Imams which were a lesson all throughout, before the Persian readership". Despite this, the reviewer has mentioned his detailed observations which are basically about the hurry in publishing the book, the discrepancies visible between the text and the references provided, weak translations, and summarily, a dire need for a basic editing of the book.
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Introduction and Review
of al-Shiah fi Misr
Sayyid Mohammad Ali Abtahi
The complete name of the book is 'al-Shiah fi Misr, min al-Imam Ali hatta al-Imam al-Khumeini', and its author is Salih al-Wardani. The author of this book has, in the last few years and after the Islamic Revolution of Iran, written many books which are mostly on politics. He has also been a political prisoner in the prisons of the present regime of Egypt for three years and has recently published his jail memoirs.
In the opinion of the writer of this article, Salih al-Waradani has viewed the history of the Shiahs in Egypt solely from a political angle, and has naturally been unable to fulfil the task of providing a well documented and historical study. This book, although it provides noteworthy information concerning the state of Shiahs in Egypt to the reader, contains discrepancies in its contents.
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A Review of the book Mawda -e- Ilm wa Din dar Khilqat -e- Insan
Sakineh Salman Mahini
The book Mawda -e- Ilm wa Din dar Khilqat -e- Insan (position of science and religion in the creation of man) is a work which discusses the issue of superficial contradiction between science and religion, and in the view of the writer of this article, this book is the first book on epistemology in Persian in this field.
An effort has been made in this book to render the issue of science and religion as discussed in Christian theology in the from of an issue of Islamic Kalam i.e. in a manner in whith it would bedealt by Muslim thinkers in the Islamic civilisation.
It is observed in this article that: The author of the book has by using an eloquent and simple style of expression, which although at times is rather summarised, elaborated her ideas in eight chapters. In the first two chapters the preliminary issues are discussed, and in the next six chapters, the solutions and judgment concerning each solution are presented.
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Abu al-Abbas Lawkari's Account
of Peripatetic Philosophy
Muhsin Fasaiy
Abu al-Abbas Lawkari is the most prominent student of Bahmanyar (d. 458H.), and through his efforts philosophy spread in Khurasan. He was with one intermediary the student of Avicenna and through three intermediaries the teacher of Nasiruddin Tusi. He has composed poetry in Persian and Arabic and has written his philosophical books in both these languages.
In this article, along with an introduction of Abu al-Abbas Lawkari, one of his books by the name 'Bayan al-haqq bi daman al-sidq' has been critically reviewed. Most attention has been paid to the critical analysis of the research methodology adopted by the editor of this book Dr. Sayyid Ibrahim Dibaji.
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A Glance at the book al-Sinaatayn
Ali Reza Zakawati Qaraguzlu
The writer of this short article, by keeping in view the importance of the book al-Sinantayn of Abu Hilal Askari in the field of critique and eloquence, and after acknowledging the good intention the translator of this work had in translating it, has pointed out some obvious errors in the translation with the hope that they will be rectificed in the forthcoming editions.
The writer of the article has quoted the original Arabic text and has provided the reader with the opportunity of comparing the translation and by himself its correctness and incorrectness.
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In the Summary Introductions section of this issue of the magazine the following books have been introduced:
1. Sar aaghaz -e- naw andishi -e- muasir
2. Al-Madkhal ila adhb al-manhal
3. Ialal -e- tafsili
4. Sima nameha -ye- Farsi
5. Nameh -e- Shahidi
6. Miftah al-najat
7. Ghayat al-murad fi sharh -e- nukat al-Irshad
8. Mustanad al-Shiah fi ahkam al-shariah
9. Khatama -e- Mustadrak
10. Munazarat fi al-Imamah
11. Al-Muqni
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National University Library
of Bosnia -Herzegovina
Translated by Husain Habibi
In the section on 'Acquaintance with Centers of Learning' of this issue, the readers are acquainted with the collection of rare manuscripts, periodical publications and valuable archive documents of this library which is the cultural heritage inherited from the earlier generations. Regretfully, as observed by the writer of this article, a major part of this heritage has been destroyed due to the savage bombing of the Serbs.
This collection comprised of about two million volumes of books and nearly six thousand periodical publications, most of which were indexed in accordance with the international standards of descriptive bibliography.