Imam’s message series
The start of showing several Ramadan series sparked a state of controversy on social media in Egypt and in a number of Arab countries.
Among them is the historical drama “The Imam’s Message”, which deals with the last years of the life of Imam Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi’i, one of the most famous scholars of jurisprudence and interpretation, which he spent in Egypt.
He was subjected to severe criticism after showing his first episode, because it contained “wrong and incorrect” information about the life of Imam Al-Shafi’i, according to observers.
“historical errors”
Many of the series’ critics focused on “historical errors” that they said they had spotted in it, and many of them described them as “catastrophic.”
Ashraf Hassan, a lecturer and researcher in Arabic at the University of Bern, Germany, said in a series of tweets: “In the series The Imam’s Message, we see a dialogue in the palace of the Abbasid Caliph, who is supposed to be Al-Ma’mun, with Imam Al-Shafi’i in the year 198 AH, and they talk about “the creation of the Qur’an.” “”.
And he adds: “Fact 1: Caliph Al-Ma’mun entered Baghdad in the year 204 AH, despite assuming the caliphate in the year 198. Fact 2: Caliph Al-Ma’mun embraced the saying of “creating the Qur’an” in the year 212 AH, after which what was known as the “sedition of creating the Qur’an” or “ordeal” began. Fact 3: Imam al-Shafi’i died in the year 204 AH in Egypt, and Imam al-Shafi’i did not meet al-Ma’mun.
While others compared the Imam Al-Shafi’i series with the Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal series, which they saw as having come out in a better artistic way.
Innocent said: “I wish the makers of the series Risala al-Imam al-Shafi’i would look at the Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal series, so they would be ashamed and know their destiny.”
A team from the two tweets also criticized the mixing of the characters in their speech between the two dialects, classical and colloquial, and saw that this was not commensurate with a series that takes place in the Abbasid era.
The language of the Egyptians in the time of Imam Shafi’i
In response to a question about the language of the Egyptians at the time of Imam Al-Shafi’i, specifically the dialect of Imam Al-Buwaiti Sahib Al-Shafi’i, the writer and specialist in ancient history, Mahmoud Salem Al-Jundi, said: “There were two groups of languages in Egypt that had no third, not including what is known today (dialect or colloquial). Egyptian).
He added: “The first group is the pure Arabic language, or what is called “Classical Arabic,” and it was widespread in the areas inhabited by Arab tribes after the conquest, such as Belbeis and other cities and villages in the Delta, as well as some areas in Upper Egypt, the most important of which is Fustat, the capital of the Egyptian country and its sisters. These areas speak to people, as we said, in the language of the Qur’an, in an authentic way without impurities.”
Al-Jundi continued: “As for the second group of languages, they are Greek and Latin, the languages of the countries prior to the conquest, which spread in the Greek cities in Egypt, such as Alexandria in the north and Ptolemy in the south. It was the language of the Copts, which they mixed with some ancient Egyptian vocabulary. Then the remnants of ancient Egyptian languages and dialects were It is spoken by the Egyptians and those who lived in the villages, villages and regions of Egypt, far from the cities of the Coptic Christians and the cities of the Arab Muslims.
Speaking of the colloquial dialect, Mahmoud said: “As for the Egyptian colloquial dialect, it did not begin to appear and spread until after a long period of the Islamic conquest of Egypt, especially with the spread of Islam there in the year 400 AH, and here we are talking about after the conquest of less than 180 years only. And after the rise of The Abbasid state was less than 90 years old, and non-Arab Muslims, whether Turks, Kurds, or others, had not yet arrived in Egypt with their broken Arabic language, which, in merging with the dialects of the population in Egypt, was one of the most important factors for the emergence of the Egyptian dialect or slang.
And he added: “And the people in Egypt continued to speak only classical, Greek, and Latin, or the remnants of ancient Egyptian languages and dialects after the death of Imam Al-Shafi’i, so that when Al-Ma’mun came to Egypt, one of the most famous things he narrated about him was that he was walking in the markets accompanied by translators, and so he used to receive notables, and with him more than one translator.
He concluded by saying: “Imam al-Buwaiti, the owner of al-Shafi’i, used to speak classical Arabic. He is from a Qurashi tribe that settled in Upper Egypt and its most important area is Buwayt, in which Imam Abu Yaqoub Yusuf bin Yahya al-Qurashi was born. He was named by it, so it is said al-Buwaiti.”
Defenders of the series
On the other hand, tweeters defended the series, and expressed their “admiration for the return of historical and religious series again after a hiatus of years.”
Hassan said: “A beautiful series in its first episodes, which brings to mind the beauty of historical series and their great value.”
While others praised the image in which the artwork came out and saw that “the series is worth watching. It came after a great absence from the production of religious and historical dramas in Ramadan.. Dazzling mastery of the classical Arabic language.. Classy acting, conscious and elaborate directing. Dazzling visual image. Integrated artwork “.
Sayings of Imam Shafi’i
Tweeters reported sayings attributed to Imam Shafi’i, as they came in recounting the events of the story.
Among them is the artist Khaled Al-Nabawi, who played the role of Imam Al-Shafi’i in the series, and who said in a tweet through his official account: “O family of the Messenger of God, your love is an obligation from God in the Qur’an that He revealed. Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi’i.
On the other hand, another team criticized the sayings attributed to Imam Shafi’i in the series transmitted on social media, and expressed their fear that viewers would confuse the correct sayings with phrases from the dramatic dialogue that have nothing to do with Imam Shafi’i.
It is noteworthy that the series “The Imam’s Message” was called “Imam Al-Shafi’i”, and it was replaced and changed to “The Imam’s Message” as requested by Al-Azhar.
And the series is starring Khaled Al-Nabawy, Arwa Jouda, Nidal Al-Shafei, Hamza Al-Aili, Khaled Anwar, Ahmed Al-Rafei, Salma Abu Daif, Khaled Al-Qish, Farah Bseiso, Muhammad Al-Amrousi, and written by Muhammad Hisham Obeya, directed by Laith Hajjo.
