(8) (رفاعة الطهطاوي) التعريف بأحد أعلام الأزهر ورواد النهضة الحديثة-شرح أدب ثالثة ثانوي أزهر.

Test yourself on this lesson through the following link: https://forms.gle/Ud7yV98utiwUCJoT7 Rifa'a al-Tahtawi Al-Tahtawi was born in 1801 AD in Tahta, Upper Egypt. He memorized the Holy Quran at a young age. After his father's death, his maternal uncles showed great interest in his family, which was full of sheikhs and scholars. He memorized the texts popular at the time and studied with them on jurisprudence and grammar. When Rifa'a reached the age of sixteen, he enrolled at Al-Azhar in 1817 AD. His studies at Al-Azhar included Hadith, jurisprudence, Sufism, interpretation, grammar, and morphology. He studied under a number of Al-Azhar scholars, some of whom later served as sheikhs of Al-Azhar Mosque, such as Sheikh Al-Quwaysni, Al-Bijuri, and Al-Attar. Al-Tahtawi was deeply influenced by Al-Attar, and his relationship with him strengthened, continuing to accompany him for a long time. He completed his studies at Al-Azhar at the age of twenty-one, and joined its teachers, working as a teacher alongside leading prayers for the new Alawite army units, until he was chosen as the imam of the scientific mission to France. There, Tahtawi devoted himself to learning French, reading books, and translating as much as he could. In addition to the manuscript of his journey, he brought with him from Paris twelve books that he translated from French on various topics of literature, history, geography, mathematics, military research, and a translation of the French constitution. After that, Rifa’a al-Tahtawi returned to Cairo in 1831 after an absence of five years, to spend the rest of his life in Egypt, with the exception of three years he spent in Khartoum. The first job that Rifa’a took on after his return was working as a translator in the School of Medicine, as he was the first Egyptian to hold this position. He stayed there for two years, during which he translated some small medical letters and reviewed the translation of some books. Then, in 1833, he was transferred to the Artillery School to work as a translator of engineering sciences and military arts. Rifa'a al-Tahtawi succeeded in convincing Muhammad Ali to establish a school for translators known as al-Alsun (Languages). The school's duration was five years, which could be extended to six. Rifa'a al-Tahtawi assumed its supervision. Initially, it included classes for teaching French, English, Italian, Turkish, and Persian. The school later expanded to include a department for studying public royal administration, preparing employees for government administration. Two years later, another department for studying private agricultural management was added. Thus, the al-Alsun School became more like a university, encompassing faculties of arts, law, and commerce. In addition to his technical management of the school, Rifa'a al-Tahtawi selected the books translated by the school's students, reviewed them, and proofread their translations. The school remained open for 15 years, during which it was a beacon of learning, a beacon of knowledge, and a meeting place for Arab and Western cultures. This was until it was overrun by the new ruler, Abbas I. He closed it and ordered Rifa'a sent to Sudan under the pretext of assuming the position of superintendent of the country's first elementary school. Rifa'a remained there for a period during which he translated a famous French novel, "The Adventures of Talmaque." After the death of Abbas I in 1854, Tahtawi returned to Cairo, where, under the new governor, Said Pasha, he was assigned several educational positions. He assumed the position of superintendent of the Military Academy, which Said had established to graduate army staff officers in 1856. Tahtawi paid special attention to the school, making the study of Arabic compulsory for all students and giving them the freedom to choose one of two Eastern languages: Turkish or Persian, or one of the European languages: English, French, or German. He then established a special accounting unit and a translation department. The Military Academy became similar to the School of Languages. Not content with these efforts, Rifa'a sought to complete the first project to revive the Arab-Islamic heritage. He succeeded in convincing the government to print several books from the finest Arab heritage at its own expense, such as Fakhr al-Din al-Razi's Qur'anic Commentary, known as Mafatih al-Ghayb (Keys to the Unseen), Ma'ahid al-Tansees 'ala Shawahed al-Talkhis fi al-Balagha (The Institutes of Textual Texts on Evidence of Summary in Rhetoric), al-Baghdadi's Khizanat al-Adab (Literature Treasury), al-Hariri's Maqamat (Maqamat), and other books that were rare at the time. This activity ceased again until Ismail assumed power, at which point Rifa'a resumed his previous work and activity despite his advanced age. He oversaw the teaching of Arabic in schools, the selection and direction of its teachers, the prescribed textbooks, and chaired many examination committees for foreign and Egyp...