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Book/Printed Material The Fragrant Blossom: A Work on Manners, Society, and Letters.

About this Item

Title

  • The Fragrant Blossom: A Work on Manners, Society, and Letters.

Summary

  • Arij al-zahr: kitab akhlaqi, ijtima'i, adabi (The fragrant blossom: A work on manners, society, and letters) is a collection of essays by Shaykh Mustafa al-Ghalayini, a Lebanese Muslim teacher, writer, and authority on Islamic law. The essays cover a number of subjects presented in a readable style. Ghalayini discusses what it means to be an elegant speaker and writer in the "proper Arabic way," avoiding the influences of what he calls a'ujmah (non-Arabic) or afranj (European) style. In other essays, he treats the nature of mankind, the obligations of the Arabs in light of their rich history, the importance of modern education, local political currents in Beirut, and the place of social classes in a modern state. He calls on his readers to become "men of today and not men of the past." Al-Ghalayini had a colorful career as political activist, essayist, and reformer. He was born and raised in Beirut, where he spent most of his life, except for brief stays in Cairo and Amman. In Cairo he perfected his knowledge of the Arabic language, working with teachers at al-Azhar, and he found time to publish articles in the newspaper al-Ahram (The pyramids). The title page of Arij al-zahr identifies him as Arabic instructor at the Imperial School and Ottoman College in Beirut. In 1910-11 he edited the general interest magazine al-Nibras (The lantern). During World War I, he served as a military chaplain in the Turkish army. In 1917, at the age of 32, he "took off the turban of the religious shaykh and replaced it with a tarboush," because, as he explained, of pressure from the Turkish police to perform services that he deemed inappropriate for an imam. After World War I, he became Arabic tutor to the sons of King Abdullah I (1882-1951) of Jordan. His nationalist politics led him to prison and exile under the French Mandate. Later, because of his commitment to defending Islamic traditions in the face of the French authorities, he once again "placed the turban on his head" and regained prominence as a religious nationalist. In the final decade of his life he served as president and then as councilor of the Sunni Supreme Shari'ah (legal) Council of Lebanon. Arij al-Zahr was printed and sold at al-Ahliyah Press and Bookstore in Beirut.

Names

  • Ghalāyīnī, Muṣṭafá, 1886-circa 1945 Author.

Created / Published

  • Beirut : al-Ahliyah Press, 1911.

Headings

  • -  Lebanon--Beirut
  • -  1911
  • -  Arabic language
  • -  Arabic literature
  • -  Arabs
  • -  Education
  • -  Essays
  • -  Ethics
  • -  Islam
  • -  Politics and government

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource extent: 240 pages : 25 centimeters.
  • -  Original resource at: Qatar National Library.
  • -  Content in Arabic.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021666250

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

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Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Ghalāyīnī, Muṣṭafá, Circa 1945 Author. The Fragrant Blossom: A Work on Manners, Society, and Letters. Beirut: al-Ahliyah Press, 1911. Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666250/.

APA citation style:

Ghalāyīnī, M. (1911) The Fragrant Blossom: A Work on Manners, Society, and Letters. Beirut: al-Ahliyah Press. [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666250/.

MLA citation style:

Ghalāyīnī, Muṣṭafá, Circa 1945 Author. The Fragrant Blossom: A Work on Manners, Society, and Letters. Beirut: al-Ahliyah Press, 1911. Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021666250/>.