Mustafa Sadiq al-Rafii مصطفى صادق الرافعي

Mustafa Sadiq al-Rafii rahimahullah (1880-1937 CE) was born in Qalyubiyya in the Egyptian Delta and became one of the most celebrated writers of the Arabic nahda (literary renaissance) without formal university education. Losing most of his hearing as a young man, he channeled his energies entirely into writing and self-study, developing a command of classical Arabic prose that drew comparisons to the great stylists of the Abbasid era. He spent most of his career employed as a clerk in the Egyptian national courts while writing prolifically on literary, social, and religious subjects. His early fame rested on his poetry, collected in Diwan al-Rafii, but he achieved lasting distinction through his prose: Tarikh Adab al-Arab (a history of Arabic literature), Wahy al-Qalam (three volumes of literary essays), and the devotional I'jaz al-Qur'an wa al-Balagha al-Nabawiyya (on the inimitability of the Qur'an). His Kitab al-Masakin (The Destitute) is a compassionate portrayal of poverty in Egyptian society. He passed away in Tanta, Egypt, in 1937.