Sheikh
Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a ...
Ahmad Rida (also transliterated as Ahmad Reda) (1872–1953) ( ar, الشيخ أحمد رضا) was a
Lebanese linguist
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...
,
writer
A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...
and
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
. A key figure of the Arab Renaissance (known as
al-Nahda
The Nahda ( ar, النهضة, translit=an-nahḍa, meaning "the Awakening"), also referred to as the Arab Awakening or Enlightenment, was a cultural movement that flourished in Arabic-speaking regions of the Ottoman Empire, notably in Egypt, Leb ...
), he compiled the modern monolingual
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
dictionary, ''
Matn al-Lugha'', commissioned by the
Arab Academy of Damascus Arab Academy of Damascus ( ar, مجمع اللغة العربية بدمشق) is the oldest academy regulating the Arabic language, established in 1918 during the reign of Faisal I of Syria. It is based in al-Adiliyah Madrasa and is modeled on the ...
in 1930, and is widely considered to be among the foremost scholars of
Arab literature
Arabic literature ( ar, الأدب العربي / ALA-LC: ''al-Adab al-‘Arabī'') is the writing, both as prose and poetry, produced by writers in the Arabic language. The Arabic word used for literature is '' Adab'', which is derived from a ...
and linguistics.
Rida was also heavily involved in Arab nationalist politics and has been variously described as "one of the leading reformers in Syria" and among the "key players in the turn-of-the-century stirrings of Arabism, local patriotism, and even defenses of Shi'i particularism".
He argued for pan-Arab unity, and was among the first scholars in
Jabal Amel
Jabal Amil ( ar, جبل عامل, Jabal ʿĀmil), also spelled Jabal Amel and historically known as Jabal Amila, is a cultural and geographic region in Southern Lebanon largely associated with its long-established, predominantly Twelver Shia Musl ...
to seek to integrate his Shi'ite co-religionists into the greater Arab and Muslim nations while retaining their identity as a religious community.
Political activism and social reform
Born in
Nabatiyeh
Nabatieh ( ar, النبطية, links=no, ', ), or Nabatîyé (), is the city of the Nabatieh Governorate, in southern Lebanon. The population is not accurately known as no census has been taken in Lebanon since the 1930s; estimates range from ...
, he was a main supporter of
King Faisal's
Greater Syria
Syria (Hieroglyphic Luwian: 𔒂𔒠 ''Sura/i''; gr, Συρία) or Sham ( ar, ٱلشَّام, ash-Shām) is the name of a historical region located east of the Mediterranean Sea in Western Asia, broadly synonymous with the Levant. Other s ...
n rule, following the
Arab Revolt
The Arab Revolt ( ar, الثورة العربية, ) or the Great Arab Revolt ( ar, الثورة العربية الكبرى, ) was a military uprising of Arab forces against the Ottoman Empire in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I. On t ...
in the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. With Ahmad Aref al-Zain, he represented
Jabal Amel
Jabal Amil ( ar, جبل عامل, Jabal ʿĀmil), also spelled Jabal Amel and historically known as Jabal Amila, is a cultural and geographic region in Southern Lebanon largely associated with its long-established, predominantly Twelver Shia Musl ...
and Lebanon's
Shi'ites
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most ...
in most of the conferences which, at first, led to the creation of the short-lived Syrian Arab Kingdom ruled by Faisal and later, in 1936, were held to underscore
Syrian unity.
He was one of the three reformers, alongside historian
Mohammad Jaber Al Safa (also his son-in-law) and sheikh Suleiman Daher, to have started a scientific and social renaissance movement in
Jabal Amel
Jabal Amil ( ar, جبل عامل, Jabal ʿĀmil), also spelled Jabal Amel and historically known as Jabal Amila, is a cultural and geographic region in Southern Lebanon largely associated with its long-established, predominantly Twelver Shia Musl ...
. The three had formed a prominent intellectual gathering, known as "the Ameli Three" (or "Amili Trio"), helping establish foundations and associations aiming at eradicating illiteracy in the region. This movement was part of what is known as
Al-Nahda
The Nahda ( ar, النهضة, translit=an-nahḍa, meaning "the Awakening"), also referred to as the Arab Awakening or Enlightenment, was a cultural movement that flourished in Arabic-speaking regions of the Ottoman Empire, notably in Egypt, Leb ...
, of which Rida and his companions were considered to be the among pioneers in the
Levant
The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is eq ...
region.
The Trio played a principal role in forming Jabal Amel's political and cultural history, being the first Shi'i intellectuals to speak of an Arab nation and of an Arab state, and to formulate the arguments of the "Arabism" of the Shi'is. Rida and his companions spent two months in
Aley
Aley ( ar, عاليه) is a major city in Lebanon. It is the capital of the Aley District and fourth largest city in Lebanon.
The city is located on Mount Lebanon, 15 km uphill from Beirut on the freeway to Damascus. Aley has the nickn ...
's military prison, because of the group's violent stands against the
Ottoman rule.
[Chalabi (2006), p.50-2]
Legacy
Sheikh Ahmad Rida wrote the important dictionary "''Matn al-Lugha''". As a writer, a poet and a linguist, he was a member of the
Arab Academy of Damascus Arab Academy of Damascus ( ar, مجمع اللغة العربية بدمشق) is the oldest academy regulating the Arabic language, established in 1918 during the reign of Faisal I of Syria. It is based in al-Adiliyah Madrasa and is modeled on the ...
, and was considered to be one of the greatest intellectuals to have emerged from
Greater Syria
Syria (Hieroglyphic Luwian: 𔒂𔒠 ''Sura/i''; gr, Συρία) or Sham ( ar, ٱلشَّام, ash-Shām) is the name of a historical region located east of the Mediterranean Sea in Western Asia, broadly synonymous with the Levant. Other s ...
, in the twentieth century. He was described by Egyptian writer
Ahmad Amin
Ahmad Amin (Arabic: أحمد أمين), (1954-1886) was an Egyptian historian and writer. He wrote a series of books on the history of the Islamic civilization (1928–1953), a famous autobiography (''My Life'', 1950), as well as an important d ...
as the "greatest writer in the
Levant
The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is eq ...
, and the greatest linguist in the
Arab world
The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...
". He was the uncle of prominent scientist
Hassan Kamel Al-Sabbah
Hassan Kamel Al-Sabbah ( ar, حسن كامل الصباح; August 16, 1894March 31, 1935) was a Lebanese electrical and electronics research engineer, mathematician and inventor. He was born in Nabatieh, Lebanon.
Biography
He studied at the Ameri ...
, father-in-law of
Muhammad Jaber Al Safa
Muhammad Jaber Āl Safa (also spelled Jabir Al Safa) (1875–1945) () was a historian, writer and politician from Jabal Amel (in modern-day Lebanon), known for his founding role in the anti-colonialist Arab nationalist movement in turn-of-the-cen ...
and great-grandfather of General
Hisham Jaber
General Hisham M. Jaber (born September 13, 1942) ( ar, اللواء الركن هشام جابر) is a retired Lebanese Major General and political researcher.
Early life and education
Born in Nabatieh, in South Lebanon, he is the grandson of h ...
. Moreover, he worked with
Ahmad Arif az-Zain and Sulaiman Zahir on the magazine
al-Irfan.
See also
*
Al-Nahda
The Nahda ( ar, النهضة, translit=an-nahḍa, meaning "the Awakening"), also referred to as the Arab Awakening or Enlightenment, was a cultural movement that flourished in Arabic-speaking regions of the Ottoman Empire, notably in Egypt, Leb ...
*
Muhammad Jaber Al Safa
Muhammad Jaber Āl Safa (also spelled Jabir Al Safa) (1875–1945) () was a historian, writer and politician from Jabal Amel (in modern-day Lebanon), known for his founding role in the anti-colonialist Arab nationalist movement in turn-of-the-cen ...
References
External links
Short biography on asharqalarabi.org.uk in
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
Summary of book written about Ahmad Rida in Arabic
Short biography on cultural blog in Arabic
Short biography on alnabatieh.com in Arabic
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rida, Ahmad
1872 births
1953 deaths
People from Nabatieh
Nahda
Lebanese writers
Lebanese Arab nationalists
Ottoman Arab nationalists
Lebanese Shia clerics