Methodology of Achieving the book (Al- Mahasen Wa Al-Addad) between Van Vloten and Arab Publishers

Abstract

analyze the methodology of one of the figures of the Dutch Orientalist school in achieving a book from Abbasid literature. The Orientalist is Gerlof van Vloten (1866–1903) in his publication of the book (Al-Mahasen Wa Al-Addad) attributed to al-Jahiz. This study focuses on comparing his work with editions and investigations published in the Arab and Islamic world.

Method: The study examines the phenomena of investigation and its aspects. It then compares between Van Vloten's method and the methods of Arab researchers in terms of describing dimensions, details, and studied phenomena, which include: manuscript of the book, publication introductions, and indexes.

Results: The study highlights differences between the Dutch publication and Arabic/Islamic editions. These lie in the major elements: the diligence of the Dutch publisher in comparing manuscript copies, and the mechanism used in dealing with the deterioration of some manuscript pages, in addition to his attention to supplementary research elements. Regarding Quranic verses, he documented them with the chapter and verse numbers and prioritized not focusing on investigating poetic verses. It is worth mentioning that the Dutch publisher referred to six manuscripts of the book, while the other editions did not refer to any manuscript but relied solely on the Dutch edition.

Conclusion: The study concludes the need for some Arabic heritage books, which are manuscripts, to have Arabic investigations that are more thorough and committed to the principles of the investigation process.