Abd al-Rahman al-Jabarti (1753–1825) (Arabic: عبد الرحمن الجبرتي), full name: Abd al-Rahman bin Hasan bin Burhan al-Din al-Jabarti (Arabic: عبد الرحمن بن حسن بن برهان الدين الجبرتي), often simply known as Al-Jabarti, was a Somali-Egyptian scholar and historian who spent most of his life in Cairo.[2][3]
The book of "Sulayman al-Halaby Trial and killing of Sari Askar Klieber" by al-Jabarti
Little is known of al-Jabarti's life. According to Franz Steiner, he was born in the village of Tell al-Gabarti in the northern Delta province of Beheira, Egypt.[4] Abdulkader Saleh asserts that al-Jabarti was instead born in Cairo.[5]
Al-Jabarti was born into a prominent family of ulama[6] with ties to the Egyptian scholarly and political elite. Al-Jabarti's father was Hassan Al-Jabarti, a learned and highly venerated man in Cairo.[7] It is believed that Hassan Al-Jabarti travelled from Zeila to Cairo during the mid-18th century.[8] Al-Jabarti's family was of ethnically Somali background.[2][9][10][11] According to his writings, his name comes from his "seventh-degree grandfather," Abd al-Rahman, who was the earliest member of his family known to him.[12] The older Abd al-Rahman was from the Jabarah ( located in the Horn of Africa ).[7]
Abd al-Rahman visited the Riwaqs of the Jabarti communities in Mecca and Medina before making it back to Egypt, where he became Sheikh of the Riwaq there. Al-Jabarti's father was a Hanafi religious scholar and served as the director of the al-Jabarti residence hall for students at al-Azhar University, a title al-Jabarti inherited following his father's death in 1744.[13] As a result, al-Jabarti was trained as a Sheikh at the Al-Azhar University in Cairo. Through his family ties, al-Jabarti gained access to prominent scholars al-Muradi and al-Murtada, both of whom influenced his decision to write about Egyptian history.[14]
He began keeping a monthly chronicle of local events, from which he compiled his three most famous works. The last and lengthiest of these documents, in Arabic Aja'ib al-athar fi al-tarajim wal-akhbar (عجائب الاَثار في التراجم والاخبار), which is generally known in English simply as Al-Jabarti's History of Egypt, and sometimes as The Marvellous Compositions of Biographies and Events, became a world-famous historical text by virtue of its eyewitness accounts of Napoleon's invasion and Muhammad Ali's seizure of power. The entries from his chronicle dealing with the French expedition and occupation have been excerpted and compiled in English as a separate volume entitled Napoleon in Egypt. He was one of the first Muslims to realise the significance of the wave of modernity that accompanied the French occupation, and the gulf that existed between Western and Islamic knowledge "shocked him profoundly".[15]
Jabarti maintained a strict, puritanical tone in his reaction to his witnessing of the advanced military technology, material sciences and cultural values of the French occupiers. He abhorred the Republican ideas of the French revolution such as egalitarianism, liberty and equality; insisting on the supremacy of Wahy (Islamic Revelation) over European rationalism. Although he had acknowledged the advances made by Europeans in certain fields, Jabarti firmly believed in the eventual triumph of Islam over the West and advocated the restoration of Islamic prowess through his works.[16] Expressing a strong revulsion against the French occupiers in his writings, Jabarti famously prayed for God to:
"strike their tongues with dumbness … confound their intelligence, and cause their breath to cease"[17]
Works
Al-Jabarti's ‘Aja’ib al-athar fi’t-tarajim wa’l-akhbar (The Marvelous Compositions of Biographies and Events), a 27-volume book chronicling the History of Egypt between 1688–1821 C.E/ 1099–1236 A.H
Al-Jabarti is known for three works: Tarikh muddat al-faransis bi-misr (The History of the Period of the French Occupation in Egypt), completed in late 1798; Mazhar al-taqdis bi-zawal dawlat al-faransis (Demonstration of Piety in the Demise of French Society), completed in December 1801; and ‘Aja’ib al-athar fi’t-tarajim wa’l-akhbar (The Marvellous Compositions of Biographies and Events), which was much longer and comprised elements from his first two works.[18]The History of the French Occupation in Egypt chronicles the first seven months of the three-year occupation of Egypt by the French. In this work, in addition to chronicling factual events, al-Jabarti criticises the social and moral depravity of the French, embarks on an extensive correction of the grammar in the French Proclamation, and expresses general feelings of anger towards the invasion. His second work, Demonstration of Piety in the Demise of French Society, is much less well known than his other two. The Marvellous Compositions of Biographies and Events is by far al-Jabarti's most famous work, as well as his longest. This work covers the history of Egypt from 1688 to 1821 but was banned in Egypt in 1870 due to its critical views about Muhammad Ali Pasha's reforms, among other controversial criticisms.[13] Towards the end of the 1870s the ban on his book was lifted, and it was printed in part in 1878 by the press of Alexandria newspaper Misr, and in full in 1880 by the Bulak printing press.[13]
^De Bellaigue, Christopher (2017). "1: Cairo". The Islamic Enlightenment: The Struggle Between Faith and Reason 1798 to Modern Times. New York: Liveright Publishing Corporation. pp. 16–17. ISBN978-0-87140-373-5.
^ abWilfrid Scawen Blunt (1923). My diaries; Being a Personal Narrative of Events. p. 81.
^Beattie, Andrew (2005). Cairo: A Cultural and Literary History. p. 144. ISBN9781902669779.
^al-Jabarti, 'Abd al-Rahman. History of Egypt: 'Aja'ib al-Athar fi 'l-Tarajim wa'l-Akhbar. vol.1. Franz Steiner Verlag Stuttgart. 1994.
^Abdulkader Saleh, "Ǧäbärti," in Uhlig, Siegbert, ed., Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: D-Ha. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2005, p. 597.
^Guardians of Faith in Modern Times: ʻUlamaʼ in the Middle East. Hatina, Meir. Leiden: Brill. 2009. ISBN9789047442936. OCLC 567763241.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
^ abHuart, Clément (1903). "A History of Arabic Literature". New York, Appleton. p. 423.
^Molefi K. Asante (2002). Culture and Customs of Egypt. p. 21. ISBN9780313317408.
^Stewart, Desmond (1981). Great Cairo, mother of the world. p. 173. ISBN9780313317408.
^Mohamed Haji Mukhtar (1987). "Arabic Sources on Somalia" (PDF). p. 149.
^David Ayalon, "The Historian al-Jabartī and His Background," Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, 1960, p.238
^ abcThe Encyclopaedia of Islam. Gibb, H. A. R. (Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen), 1895–1971., Bearman, P. J. (Peri J.) (New ed.). Leiden: Brill. 1960–2009. ISBN9789004161214. OCLC 399624.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
^Ayalon, David (1960). "The Historian al-Jabartī and His Background". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. 23 (2): 217–249. doi:10.1017/s0041977x00149912. JSTOR 609695. S2CID 162747847.
^Christopher de Bellaige, The Islamic Enlightenment. The Struggle between Faith and Reason: 1798 to Modern Time, (New York, Liveright, 2017), ISBN9780871403735, 6 and 33.
^De Bellaigue, Christopher (2017). "1: Cairo". The Islamic Enlightenment: The Struggle Between Faith and Reason- 1798 to Modern Times. New York: Liveright Publishing Corporation. pp. 1–20. ISBN978-0-87140-373-5.
^De Bellaigue, Christopher (2017). "Introduction". The Islamic Enlightenment: The Struggle Between Faith and Reason- 1798 to Modern Times. New York: Liveright Publishing Corporation. pp. xxi. ISBN978-0-87140-373-5.
^Dammen, McAuliffe, Jane (26 September 2017). Islam. Miles, Jack. New York. ISBN978-0393355024. OCLC 1004556269.
Further reading
Karabell, Zachary (2003). Parting the desert: the creation of the Suez Canal. Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN0-375-40883-5.
Jabartī, ʻabd al-Raḥmān; Al-Jabarti, Sheik (1798). Napoleon in Egypt: Al-Jabarti's Chronicle of the French Occupation. Translated by Shmuel Moreh. ISBN1-55876-070-9.
External links
Napoleon in Egypt : Al-Jabartī's chronicle of the French occupation, 1798, Markus Wiener Publishers, 2006
Aja'ib al-athar fi'l-tarajim wa'l-akhbar (in Arabic)
"Jabarti, Abd al-Rahman al-" in Oxford Dictionary of Islam
January 06, 2023
rahman, jabarti, 1753, 1825, arabic, عبد, الرحمن, الجبرتي, full, name, rahman, hasan, burhan, jabarti, arabic, عبد, الرحمن, بن, حسن, بن, برهان, الدين, الجبرتي, often, simply, known, jabarti, somali, egyptian, scholar, historian, spent, most, life, cairo, portr. Abd al Rahman al Jabarti 1753 1825 Arabic عبد الرحمن الجبرتي full name Abd al Rahman bin Hasan bin Burhan al Din al Jabarti Arabic عبد الرحمن بن حسن بن برهان الدين الجبرتي often simply known as Al Jabarti was a Somali Egyptian scholar and historian who spent most of his life in Cairo 2 3 Abd al Rahman al JabartiA portrait of Abd al Rahman al JabartiTitleAbd al Rahman al JabartiPersonalBorn1753 Cairo EgyptDied1825 Cairo EgyptReligionIslamEralate 18th century 19th centuryRegionHorn of Africa North AfricaJurisprudenceShafi iMain interest s Islamic philosophy Islamic Jurisprudence Egyptian historyAlma materAl Azhar UniversityMuslim leaderDisciples Hasan al Attar 1 Contents 1 Biography 2 Works 3 See also 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External linksBiography Edit The book of Sulayman al Halaby Trial and killing of Sari Askar Klieber by al Jabarti Little is known of al Jabarti s life According to Franz Steiner he was born in the village of Tell al Gabarti in the northern Delta province of Beheira Egypt 4 Abdulkader Saleh asserts that al Jabarti was instead born in Cairo 5 Al Jabarti was born into a prominent family of ulama 6 with ties to the Egyptian scholarly and political elite Al Jabarti s father was Hassan Al Jabarti a learned and highly venerated man in Cairo 7 It is believed that Hassan Al Jabarti travelled from Zeila to Cairo during the mid 18th century 8 Al Jabarti s family was of ethnically Somali background 2 9 10 11 According to his writings his name comes from his seventh degree grandfather Abd al Rahman who was the earliest member of his family known to him 12 The older Abd al Rahman was from the Jabarah located in the Horn of Africa 7 Abd al Rahman visited the Riwaqs of the Jabarti communities in Mecca and Medina before making it back to Egypt where he became Sheikh of the Riwaq there Al Jabarti s father was a Hanafi religious scholar and served as the director of the al Jabarti residence hall for students at al Azhar University a title al Jabarti inherited following his father s death in 1744 13 As a result al Jabarti was trained as a Sheikh at the Al Azhar University in Cairo Through his family ties al Jabarti gained access to prominent scholars al Muradi and al Murtada both of whom influenced his decision to write about Egyptian history 14 He began keeping a monthly chronicle of local events from which he compiled his three most famous works The last and lengthiest of these documents in Arabic Aja ib al athar fi al tarajim wal akhbar عجائب الا ثار في التراجم والاخبار which is generally known in English simply as Al Jabarti s History of Egypt and sometimes as The Marvellous Compositions of Biographies and Events became a world famous historical text by virtue of its eyewitness accounts of Napoleon s invasion and Muhammad Ali s seizure of power The entries from his chronicle dealing with the French expedition and occupation have been excerpted and compiled in English as a separate volume entitled Napoleon in Egypt He was one of the first Muslims to realise the significance of the wave of modernity that accompanied the French occupation and the gulf that existed between Western and Islamic knowledge shocked him profoundly 15 Jabarti maintained a strict puritanical tone in his reaction to his witnessing of the advanced military technology material sciences and cultural values of the French occupiers He abhorred the Republican ideas of the French revolution such as egalitarianism liberty and equality insisting on the supremacy of Wahy Islamic Revelation over European rationalism Although he had acknowledged the advances made by Europeans in certain fields Jabarti firmly believed in the eventual triumph of Islam over the West and advocated the restoration of Islamic prowess through his works 16 Expressing a strong revulsion against the French occupiers in his writings Jabarti famously prayed for God to strike their tongues with dumbness confound their intelligence and cause their breath to cease 17 Works Edit Al Jabarti s Aja ib al athar fi t tarajim wa l akhbar The Marvelous Compositions of Biographies and Events a 27 volume book chronicling the History of Egypt between 1688 1821 C E 1099 1236 A H Al Jabarti is known for three works Tarikh muddat al faransis bi misr The History of the Period of the French Occupation in Egypt completed in late 1798 Mazhar al taqdis bi zawal dawlat al faransis Demonstration of Piety in the Demise of French Society completed in December 1801 and Aja ib al athar fi t tarajim wa l akhbar The Marvellous Compositions of Biographies and Events which was much longer and comprised elements from his first two works 18 The History of the French Occupation in Egypt chronicles the first seven months of the three year occupation of Egypt by the French In this work in addition to chronicling factual events al Jabarti criticises the social and moral depravity of the French embarks on an extensive correction of the grammar in the French Proclamation and expresses general feelings of anger towards the invasion His second work Demonstration of Piety in the Demise of French Society is much less well known than his other two The Marvellous Compositions of Biographies and Events is by far al Jabarti s most famous work as well as his longest This work covers the history of Egypt from 1688 to 1821 but was banned in Egypt in 1870 due to its critical views about Muhammad Ali Pasha s reforms among other controversial criticisms 13 Towards the end of the 1870s the ban on his book was lifted and it was printed in part in 1878 by the press of Alexandria newspaper Misr and in full in 1880 by the Bulak printing press 13 See also EditList of Muslim historiansReferences Edit De Bellaigue Christopher 2017 1 Cairo The Islamic Enlightenment The Struggle Between Faith and Reason 1798 to Modern Times New York Liveright Publishing Corporation pp 16 17 ISBN 978 0 87140 373 5 a b Wilfrid Scawen Blunt 1923 My diaries Being a Personal Narrative of Events p 81 Beattie Andrew 2005 Cairo A Cultural and Literary History p 144 ISBN 9781902669779 al Jabarti Abd al Rahman History of Egypt Aja ib al Athar fi l Tarajim wa l Akhbar vol 1 Franz Steiner Verlag Stuttgart 1994 Abdulkader Saleh Ǧabarti in Uhlig Siegbert ed Encyclopaedia Aethiopica D Ha Wiesbaden Harrassowitz Verlag 2005 p 597 Guardians of Faith in Modern Times ʻUlamaʼ in the Middle East Hatina Meir Leiden Brill 2009 ISBN 9789047442936 OCLC 567763241 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint others link a b Huart Clement 1903 A History of Arabic Literature New York Appleton p 423 Hassan al Jabarti Molefi K Asante 2002 Culture and Customs of Egypt p 21 ISBN 9780313317408 Stewart Desmond 1981 Great Cairo mother of the world p 173 ISBN 9780313317408 Mohamed Haji Mukhtar 1987 Arabic Sources on Somalia PDF p 149 David Ayalon The Historian al Jabarti and His Background Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies University of London 1960 p 238 a b c The Encyclopaedia of Islam Gibb H A R Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen 1895 1971 Bearman P J Peri J New ed Leiden Brill 1960 2009 ISBN 9789004161214 OCLC 399624 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint others link Ayalon David 1960 The Historian al Jabarti and His Background Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies University of London 23 2 217 249 doi 10 1017 s0041977x00149912 JSTOR 609695 S2CID 162747847 Christopher de Bellaige The Islamic Enlightenment The Struggle between Faith and Reason 1798 to Modern Time New York Liveright 2017 ISBN 9780871403735 6 and 33 De Bellaigue Christopher 2017 1 Cairo The Islamic Enlightenment The Struggle Between Faith and Reason 1798 to Modern Times New York Liveright Publishing Corporation pp 1 20 ISBN 978 0 87140 373 5 De Bellaigue Christopher 2017 Introduction The Islamic Enlightenment The Struggle Between Faith and Reason 1798 to Modern Times New York Liveright Publishing Corporation pp xxi ISBN 978 0 87140 373 5 Dammen McAuliffe Jane 26 September 2017 Islam Miles Jack New York ISBN 978 0393355024 OCLC 1004556269 Further reading EditKarabell Zachary 2003 Parting the desert the creation of the Suez Canal Alfred A Knopf ISBN 0 375 40883 5 Jabarti ʻabd al Raḥman Al Jabarti Sheik 1798 Napoleon in Egypt Al Jabarti s Chronicle of the French Occupation Translated by Shmuel Moreh ISBN 1 55876 070 9 External links EditNapoleon in Egypt Al Jabarti s chronicle of the French occupation 1798 Markus Wiener Publishers 2006 Aja ib al athar fi l tarajim wa l akhbar in Arabic Jabarti Abd al Rahman al in Oxford Dictionary of Islam Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Abd al Rahman al Jabarti amp oldid 1131740687, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
