Introduction to Arabic Sciences

Praise

All praise is due to Allah, who has honored the Arabic sciences and made them the key to understanding His noble Book and the Sunnah of His esteemed Prophet. May blessings and peace be upon our master Muhammad, the most eloquent of those who spoke the Arabic language, and upon his family, companions, and those who follow his path until the Day of Judgment.

To proceed,

Among the blessings of Allah upon students of knowledge is that He has facilitated for them works that bring the distant near, shorten the path, and gather the dispersed in a beautiful and well-structured manner. Among these beneficial works is this blessed treatise titled “The Concise Ahmadic Treatise for the Conduct of Arabic Sciences, known as the Collection of Treatises,” authored by the esteemed scholar Abu al-Fayd Mawlawi Wazir Ahmad ibn Ubayd Allah al-Ahmadi al-Harawi from the Kingdom of Afghanistan, from the city of Herat, may Allah protect it.

This treatise presents an innovative approach that combines brevity with comprehensiveness, bringing a wealth of Arabic sciences closer to the student, from morphology and grammar to rhetoric and prosody, and even extending to various other sciences such as tajweed, logic, and the principles of jurisprudence. It employs a clear educational style, relying on precise divisions, beneficial annotations, and practical applications that aid in understanding and solidifying knowledge.

The observer will notice the author’s effort and care in facilitating knowledge, as he follows a gradual method, beginning with fundamentals and principles, followed by clarification and application, making it suitable for beginners and intermediates, and a concise reference for the advanced. The collection of these sciences in a single work indicates the author’s extensive knowledge and mastery of multiple disciplines.

Indeed, this treatise is rightfully considered one of the beneficial books in its field, worthy of being taught and given attention due to its excellent organization, quality of categorization, simplicity of expression, and depth of content.

We ask Allah Almighty to benefit students of knowledge through it, to reward its author with the best of rewards, and to place this work in the scale of his good deeds. Verily, He is the Guardian of that and capable of it.

And may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon our master Muhammad, his family, and companions, abundantly.

Written by

Muhammad Akram al-Nadwi – Oxford

The first of Dhu al-Qa’dah, 1447 AH