Me’anija by Mustafa Ef. Redzic

Towards New Studies of Arabic Stylistics in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the First Half of 20th Century

Abstract

This work deals with al-Ğuz’ al-’awwal min al-tarğama al-Muhtaṣar (al-ma‘ānī) or The First Part of the Translation of “Summary” (Science of Meanings). The author of the manuscript is not so known. His name is Mustafa ef. Redzic and he is from Atmacici village nearby Bijeljina. The manuscript is found in Gazi Husrev Bey Library in Sarajevo (GHB no. 6742). It contains 111 pages (1b-111a). The manuscript has been written most probably at the end of the first half of the 20’Th century. It is written in Bosnian language but with Arabic orthography which makes this work a part of Bosnian alhamiado literature.

This manuscript is a kind of edited translation of the first part alŠarḥ al-Muhtaṣar li Talhīṣ al-Miftāḥ which is well known masterpiece of classical Arabic stylistic by Sa‘d al-Dīn al-Taftāzānī. By its structure and content the manuscript resembles many other works from his field. The originality of the manuscript is reflected in author’s own commentaries and explanations. In this way, he communicates with the literature from the field of stylistic. Furthermore, the author maintains the structure of his work in a very modern way. He masters Arabic language and competent literature from classical Arabic stylistics.

From the other side, this manuscript might be a kind of manual and course book used in madrasas and high schools in northern Bosnia. One of the most significant characteristics of this manuscript is that it represents one of the first studies of Arabic stylistics in Bosnian language. Beside the structure and the content of the manuscript, this work analyses complex situation of period when the manuscript was completed.