Introduction to Arabic Rhetoric

Course Overview

This course will cover the basic principles of Arabic Rhetoric, based on Shaykh Akram Nadwi’s new book, Mabadi al-Balaghah. This book is part of a series of primers which introduce students to the Islamic Sciences. Arabic Rhetoric follows on from the study of Arabic Grammar and Morphology for students of the Arabic language. It is concerned with establishing a framework for better understanding elevated expression, effective discourse and the use of linguistic techniques. This course will cover three main topics: ‘Ilm al-Ma’ani, ‘Ilm al-Bayan and ‘Ilm al-Badi‘.

Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of this course students should be able to:

• Understand the origins and development of the Science of Arabic Rhetoric
• Identify the three main sub-topics in the science (‘Ilm al-Ma’ani, ‘Ilm al-Bayan and ‘Ilm al-Badi’)
• Demonstrate how various linguistic techniques are used in the Arabic language to create rhetorical effect