An Extraordinary Phenomenon

Sheikh Muhammad Metwally Al-Shaarawy is an extraordinary phenomenon in our time, although he has counterparts and analogues in past days, but most people do not know them.

Introduction to the Public

Most people came to know this venerable sheikh in the early 1970s. He was introduced and presented to the public by the distinguished and talented Mr. Ahmad Farag through his well-known television program at that time, "Noor Ala Noor." Historically, it is said that a group of Saudi writers and dignitaries introduced Sheikh Shaarawy to Mr. Ahmad Farag. They recognized Sheikh Shaarawy's value and treated him with great respect during his time teaching at the College of Sharia in Mecca. The sheikh had a significant impact there.

Television Episodes that Amazed the Public

At that time, Sheikh Shaarawy amazed the people's ears and eyes with three television episodes about the Isra and Miraj, divine decree and destiny, and the Hadith of Hind ibn Abi Hala describing the creation of the Messenger of Allah. On that day, people – all people – realized that they were in the presence of a new voice calling to Allah with insight, using a style that differed from all the usual methods of preaching and guidance. This was because the sheikh took an untrodden path in his sermons, drank from an abandoned source, and sought untended pastures.

Weekly Sessions of Quran Interpretation

The sheikh's meetings with the people on the mentioned television program continued, addressing various issues the sheikh was asked about, until it became a regular weekly session: the interpretation of the Holy Quran.

Clarifying the Sheikh's Methodology

In these sessions, day after day, the sheikh's methodology became clear, and its features were defined. What concerns me in this context is to reveal this methodology, establish its boundaries and features, and understand its reasons and motives. The sheikh represents a model that we should present to the people after identifying its roots and origins. In doing so, we revive a cherished history that has faded or was meant to fade away.

Language: The Key to Understanding

If every scholar or thinker has a key, then the key to this sheikh's personality is "language." Language is the first gateway to the cultures of nations. Neglecting it, abandoning it, or mocking it destroys the history of nations and erases them from existence.

The Care for Language

The sheikh's care for language is evident in its four levels: phonetics, morphology, syntax, and semantics. In these four levels, the sheikh excelled. One of his notable achievements is his boldness and courage in addressing these issues with a predominantly general audience, as he believes it is essential to explain the words of Allah and reveal His intent.

Leading the Public to Linguistic Appreciation

Over this long period, the sheikh was able to lead the general public and middle-class people to issues of taste, eloquence, language, and literature. He delved into these sciences with them, enriching their understanding with numerous examples from poetry, proverbs, and the speech of eloquent people.

The Public's Response

I would like to note here that the general public responds to and enjoys this, even if they cannot express it. We should have a good opinion of them because some of them have a taste that even some of the elite may lack. One of the peculiar things I noticed in our popular neighborhoods is that if the Friday preacher spoke in a light, colloquial manner on the pulpit, people would become annoyed and leave, saying, "What nonsense is this? Come on, leave him, he speaks like us."

Success in Reaching the General Public

Sheikh Shaarawy succeeded in what others failed to do. Despite our extensive writings on the miraculous nature of the Quran and the genius of the Arabic language, we could not bring these issues to the general public. These issues remained confined to our circles, as if we were talking to each other.

Emphasizing Linguistic Approach

From the beginning, the sheikh emphasized the necessity of approaching the Quran with a linguistic mindset to exclude orientalists and others who wrote about Quranic studies without understanding the language. He explained that these people treated the language as a craft rather than an inherent skill.

Delving into Linguistic Issues

Whenever the sheikh explained a verse from the Quran, he delved deeply into linguistic issues, starting with the root and derivation of words, following the method established by Ibn Faris in "Maqayis Al-Lughah" and Ibn Jinni in "Al-Khasais," in a way that both the general public and the elite could understand. He succeeded remarkably in this.

Example: Interpretation of "Pursue"

For example, when explaining the verse: "And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge" (Quran 17:36), he mentioned that "pursue" (taqfu) means to follow something closely. He said that the word "taqfu" is related to "qafa" (nape), which follows the face, and the end of a poetic line (qafiya) is called so because it follows the rest of the words.

Discussing Meanings of Letters

The sheikh frequently discussed the meanings of letters and their impact on semantics, as well as substituting some for others. For example, he explained that the meaning of "from" (min) in the verse: "Are you pleased with the life of this world instead of the Hereafter?" (Quran 9:38) means "in exchange for." In the verse: "because your Lord has inspired her" (Quran 99:5), the verb is followed by "to" (la) instead of "to" (ila), which is used in other verses like: "And your Lord inspired the bee" (Quran 16:68) and "And We inspired the mother of Moses" (Quran 28:7). In the verse: "And indeed, your Lord is full of forgiveness for the people despite their wrongdoing" (Quran 13:6), he did not use "with their wrongdoing." The science of the meanings of letters is a vast field in linguistics, with numerous works dedicated to it, and the sheikh constantly talked about it.

Linguistic Differences in Word Structures

The sheikh also paid great attention to linguistic differences in word structures, such as 'aalim (knowledgeable) and 'aleem (all-knowing), shaakir (grateful) and shakoor (ever-grateful), which differentiate between the active participle and intensified forms derived from it. He also distinguished between words like 'adl (justice) and 'adil (just), huda (guidance) and haadi (guide), which differentiate between description by the source and the active participle. Additionally, he clarified the differences between seemingly synonymous words like doubt (shakk) and uncertainty (rayb), sorrow (huzn) and grief (bath), hope (raja) and wish (tamanni), and envy (hasad) and longing (ghibtah), a well-known topic in linguistics. He also differentiated between broken plural forms like 'ibaad (servants) and 'abeed (slaves).

The Science of Rare Words

I cannot cover all the linguistic issues the sheikh addressed, but I must mention a crucial aspect of language that the sheikh constantly emphasized: rare words. This term refers to obscure words rarely used in everyday speech, often found in high, eloquent language. Rare words in language are not the same as rare words in rhetoric, which refer to harsh and unpleasant expressions. Rare words in language are opposed to clear words, as Khalil ibn Ahmad mentioned in the introduction to his book "Al-Ain," stating: "We began this work with the letter 'Ain, which is the farthest of the letters, and we joined to it what follows until we encompass the clear and rare words of Arabic speech." (Al-Ain, 1/60, Iraq edition).

Neglect of Rare Words in Modern Times

Many works have been dedicated to this science, especially those dealing with rare words in the Quran and Hadith. This science has been neglected in our time, with people abandoning it almost entirely. People have left it for a long time, and some even change rare words in old texts to more familiar synonyms. For example, someone once changed the phrase "Umar ibn al-Khattab was a tall man" (tuwaal) to "a very tall man." Worse still, some have dismissed the use of the word "lughoob" because it is not commonly used today, even though it appears in the Quran: "and no weariness touched Us" (Quran 50:38).

Rejection of Eloquent Words and Expressions

Many writers now reject numerous words and expressions deeply rooted in eloquence. These words and expressions are not only found in literary texts but also in genealogical, historical, geographical, astronomical, medical, agricultural, and other scholarly works. Some now call for abandoning this old language in favor of a more practical language, like that used in journalism and media, to bridge the gap between what students read in old texts and what they hear in everyday life.

The Flawed Argument for Modern Language

Their argument that each era has its own language and customs is flawed. If we raise our children on this proposed method, they will struggle in higher education institutions focusing on language and literature, such as colleges of arts and sciences. How will they cope with these college curricula if they enter them with an empty mind? Unless we also change the language curricula in these colleges to narrow the gap between classical Arabic as presented in texts and modern Arabic in everyday life – as mentioned in "Akhbar Al-Adab," issue 9, September 12, 1993,