Abdul al-Rahman al-Rafai
Encyclopedia
Abdul al-Rahman al-Rafai (February 8, 1889 – December 3, 1966) was an Egypt
ian historian
. He dedicated his life to the study of the roles of the national movement in the history of modern Egypt
. His most prominent work was 15 volumes in which he documented the state of Egypt from the late 18th century to the mid 19th century. He was born in Cairo
even though his family was from the Levant countries.He graduated from the Khadawia school of law in 1908. He spent most of his life in Cairo but moved to Alexandria
for high school.immediately after his graduation he practiced law for less than a month until Mohammad Farid
(a prominent lawyer and historian) asked him to become the editor of the Major General Al-San newspaper and this proved to be the first step in his life as a historian
and a politician
.
ian national
party
that was led by Mostafa Kamel Pasha who was also a journalist and a political figure. At that point al-Rafai started to become concerned with the relationship of national history in terms of national awareness, and the emergence and development of the modern nation-state.
. In this book he showed his political views by writing about issues such as constitutional rule and nation
al independence
, rule of law
and human rights
from different aspects of Islam
. He also discussed in his book ideas about the Europe
an Enlightenment
Era
.
His second book Unions of Agricultural Cooperation was published in 1914. In this book he drew the nation's attention to the importance of development of rural areas is different aspects such as physical, socially and humanly. He also focused on education in this book. Al-Rafai emphasized that education should be guaranteed by the state and should have the priority of improvement over many smaller issues.
Al-Rafai wrote his third book in 1922 titled National Societies where he spoke about the relationship between the social and political cohesion and economic growth.
His most famous achievement is a 16 volume book that he had started to compose in the 18th century and didn't finish it until his fifties.
Numerous historians have agreed that Al-Rafai researched and collected the most the most data concerning these topic that could have been known during that period in time and in his circumstances which makes is why his work became a strong basis to the history of systematic in Egypt and the Arab world as a whole.
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
. He dedicated his life to the study of the roles of the national movement in the history of modern Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. His most prominent work was 15 volumes in which he documented the state of Egypt from the late 18th century to the mid 19th century. He was born in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
even though his family was from the Levant countries.He graduated from the Khadawia school of law in 1908. He spent most of his life in Cairo but moved to Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
for high school.immediately after his graduation he practiced law for less than a month until Mohammad Farid
Mohammad Farid
This article is about the Egyptian political figure. For the former Afghan football coach, see Mohammad Farid Mohammad Farid or Muhammad Farîd was an influential Egyptian political figure of Turkish ancestry...
(a prominent lawyer and historian) asked him to become the editor of the Major General Al-San newspaper and this proved to be the first step in his life as a historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and a politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
.
Politics
In 1907 he became a part of EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian national
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
party
Party
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, or recreation. A party will typically feature food and beverages, and often music and dancing as well....
that was led by Mostafa Kamel Pasha who was also a journalist and a political figure. At that point al-Rafai started to become concerned with the relationship of national history in terms of national awareness, and the emergence and development of the modern nation-state.
Contributions
Al-Rafai started writing at an early age. His first book was written in 1912 by the name of The People's RightsRights
Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people, according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical theory...
. In this book he showed his political views by writing about issues such as constitutional rule and nation
Nation
A nation may refer to a community of people who share a common language, culture, ethnicity, descent, and/or history. In this definition, a nation has no physical borders. However, it can also refer to people who share a common territory and government irrespective of their ethnic make-up...
al independence
Independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....
, rule of law
Rule of law
The rule of law, sometimes called supremacy of law, is a legal maxim that says that governmental decisions should be made by applying known principles or laws with minimal discretion in their application...
and human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
from different aspects of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. He also discussed in his book ideas about the Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an Enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
Era
Era
An era is a commonly used word for long period of time. When used in science, for example geology, eras denote clearly defined periods of time of arbitrary but well defined length, such as for example the Mesozoic era from 252 Ma–66 Ma, delimited by a start event and an end event. When used in...
.
His second book Unions of Agricultural Cooperation was published in 1914. In this book he drew the nation's attention to the importance of development of rural areas is different aspects such as physical, socially and humanly. He also focused on education in this book. Al-Rafai emphasized that education should be guaranteed by the state and should have the priority of improvement over many smaller issues.
Al-Rafai wrote his third book in 1922 titled National Societies where he spoke about the relationship between the social and political cohesion and economic growth.
His most famous achievement is a 16 volume book that he had started to compose in the 18th century and didn't finish it until his fifties.
Numerous historians have agreed that Al-Rafai researched and collected the most the most data concerning these topic that could have been known during that period in time and in his circumstances which makes is why his work became a strong basis to the history of systematic in Egypt and the Arab world as a whole.
External links
- Profile on scc.gov.eg.
- http://arts.eldoc.ub.rug.nl/FILES/publications/general/Historical/2002/debaets_censor/egypt.pdf
- http://moheet.com/show_news.aspx?nid=61858