His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and Supreme President of the Arabic Language Academy in Sharjah, signed on Thursday morning the inaugural edition of the first phase of the Comprehensive Arabic Encyclopedia of Science, Literature, Arts and Notable Figures, at the Dr Sultan Al Qasimi Centre.
During his speech, His Highness emphasised that the launch of the first phase of the Comprehensive Arabic Encyclopedia of Science, Literature, Arts and Notable Figures marks the initial milestone of a project divided into four phases. He expressed great happiness with this achievement and its launch in conjunction with the World Arabic Language Day.
His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah addressed those who are keen on the Arabic language and who believe that development, modern networks, and social media platforms are monopolised by the West in terms of content production, affirming that various Arabic-language projects aim to correct this perception and enable Arabs to attain leading positions. His Highness also stressed his unwavering commitment to harnessing all available capabilities and supporting scholars in the service of the Arabic language.
His Highness noted that the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language involved 300 scholars, while the number of scholars contributing to the Comprehensive Arabic Encyclopedia has now reached 700. He described them as the finest of the nation, possessing knowledge, culture, and expertise, including analysts, verifiers, reviewers, and contributors, all working collectively like a beehive. His Highness explained that information had been scattered across the east and west of the nation, but sincerity and a commitment to continuous work led to the achievement of this milestone in record time. He affirmed his commitment to continuing the work until the project reaches its fourth year, by which time the encyclopedia will be completed in more than 500 volumes.
His Highness explained that the work completed in the first phase includes 60 printed volumes, which will be made available to everyone online. He praised the dedication and efforts of the 700 scholars involved in the encyclopedia, as well as an equal number of professionals responsible for printing and publishing, emphasising that the process is substantial and requires significant effort.
His Highness revealed that the 60 volumes were completed within a single year, noting that the pace of achievement is expected to accelerate in the next phase, with the aim of reaching 200 volumes in the coming year. He concluded his speech by expressing his hope that all those involved would continue to gather each year to celebrate and take pride in their achievements, as they find fulfilment in this meaningful endeavour. His Highness also expressed his gratitude to Almighty God for guiding everyone toward this beneficial accomplishment for the nation.
His Highness pressed a tablet device to mark the official launch of the Comprehensive Arabic Encyclopedia of Science, Literature, Arts and Notable Figures, the largest comprehensive encyclopaedic work of the modern era. The encyclopedia was established to bring together the diverse fields of science, arts, and literature, along with the specialised terminology of each discipline, presenting them in eloquent Arabic, and compiling biographical entries of notable figures and pioneers who shaped the history of Arab-Islamic civilisation.
His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and the attendees then watched a film presenting the content of the encyclopedia, which is divided into two main sections: the first focuses on science, literature, and arts, while the second is dedicated to biographies of notable figures and influential personalities throughout history. The film highlighted the first completed phase of the encyclopedia, which covers the fields of linguistic and literary sciences and their arts.
The encyclopedia encompasses ten disciplines: Arabic grammar (837 entries), Arabic morphology (398), rhetoric and its three arts (804), prosody and rhyme (174), phonetics (712), lexicography (298), linguistics (434), semiotics (208), discourse analysis (350), and literature and criticism (1,444).
The field of Sharia sciences and their arts encompasses 14 disciplines, namely: Qur’anic sciences, including Tajweed (271 entries), Qira’at (217), Tafsir (100), verse enumeration and division (150); Hadith sciences (1,041), narrator criticism and validation (al-Jarh wa al-Taʿdil) (488); Usul al-Fiqh (494); Maqasid al-Sharia (431); Islamic jurisprudence (2,612); Sharia judiciary (413); Islamic economics (1,398); the Prophetic biography (302); logic and dialectics (1,872); and spiritual purification and ethical conduct (2,933).
The second phase of the encyclopedia will present foundational disciplines in the humanities, as well as the theoretical and applied sciences, and will feature entries on leading Qur’an exegetes, linguists, Hadith scholars, rhetoricians, and poets from the Islamic and Umayyad eras, the Abbasid era, the era of regional states, and the United Arab Emirates.
The third phase will include notable scholars of Islamic jurisprudence from its various schools—Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi‘i, Hanbali, Zahiri, and others—as well as scholars of Usul al-Fiqh, Maqasid al-Sharia, the Sharia judiciary, in addition to writers, literati, ascetics, reciters, philosophers, and historians.
The fourth and final phase will conclude with specialised and digital disciplines linked to the applied sciences, and will be enriched with profiles of notable figures, including the Companions, the Followers, caliphs, kings, and leaders, as well as physicians, pharmacists, biographers and scholars of the Sirah and Maghazi, orators, and leading figures of modern poetry.
