جهود محمود محمد شاكر في تحقيق التراث العربي

Mahmoud Muhammad Shakir's Efforts in Arab Heritage’s Verification (Tahqeeq)

Abstract

Throughout its history, Arab heritage has been distinguished by great scholars who played a significant role in preserving, disseminating, and facilitating access to this heritage for students of knowledge. They achieved this through their efforts in verification (تحقيق), commentary, summarization, and research. In the twentieth century, one of the most prominent scholars in this field was Mahmoud Muhammad Shakir, who left a profound impact. This research focuses on his verification of twelve books, and we have attempted to highlight the most important contributions he made in each book. We followed the descriptive method in this research, and  it consists of an introduction and two chapters: the first is entitled Mahmoud Shakir’s Point of View on his Use of the Word “Verification / Tahqeeq” This is a brief chapter, then the second chapter is entitled: Books with “Verification” or “reading” by Mahmoud Shakir, which is the core of the research. We faced significant challenges in summarizing and condensing this research, as doing full justice to it would have turned this study into a voluminous book. Nevertheless, we have strived to make this research comprehensive and concise, covering the most significant achievements of Mahmoud Shakir.

Many researchers and scholars have written about Shakir's verification work and his literary writings. He delved into numerous fields, including Tafseer, linguistics, poetry, narrative, rhetoric, history, and more. In each field, his influence is evident. However, his contributions to Arab-Islamic heritage still warrant further and ongoing studies. Many students in Academic institutions specializing in Arabic language and literature are either unaware of this towering figure or know only fragments about him. Through this concise research, we hope to introduce this eminent scholar to them and highlight his most important contributions, thereby adding a brick to the edifice of uncovering and preserving the heritage of our great nation.