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. Lingu ...

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, ...

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 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, ...

), he compiled the modern monolingual

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a 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. E.Watson; Walter ...

dictionary, ''

Matn al-Lugha ''Matn al-Lugha'' (; "Corpus of the Language") was one of earliest modern monolingual dictionaries of the Arabic language, written by Lebanese linguist Sheikh Ahmed Rida, an important figure of the Arab literary renaissance. The five-volume dictio ...

'', 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 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 ...

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 ...

in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. With Ahmad Aref al-Zain, he represented

and Lebanon's Shi'ites 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 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 ...

(also his son-in-law) and sheikh Suleiman Daher, to have started a scientific and social renaissance movement in

. 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, ...

, 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 ...

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 nick ...

'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

, and was considered to be one of the greatest intellectuals to have emerged from

, in the twentieth century. He was described by Egyptian writer Ahmad Amin as the "greatest writer in the

, 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, father-in-law of Muhammad Jaber Al Safa and great-grandfather of General Hisham Jaber. Moreover, he worked with Ahmad Arif az-Zain and Sulaiman Zahir on the magazine al-Irfan.

References

External links

Short biography on asharqalarabi.org.uk
in

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

Political activism and social reform

Legacy

See also

References

External links