Machine summary:
Al-Mu{itataf, (1886), Al-Hiliil and Al-Maniir (1891), and in the works of Sheikh Muhammad 'Abduh, a marked development is noticed in the style of Arabic prose.
1 As 'Abduh's movement aimed to free the minds of the Egyptians -from the fetters of traditions and to reconcile the culture of Islam with the scientific achievements of modern civilization, 2 he had created therefore an environment in which a new 1, Sec Al-Manar, November 6, 1093, pp.
6 He is of the opinion that modern Arabic verse is not even equal to the high standard of :he classical poetry on the ground that the modern poets are neither true to the spirit of the classical periods nor fully modernised, as they do not represent the life of the age in which they live.
Story-writing as an art did not exist in the Arabic literature before the modern period began.
These scholars, who knew various European languages, began to translate and enrich Arabic erudition with the master• pieces of French, English, German and Italian literatures.
Such examples arc numerous indeed in modern Arabic, but the works written on the life of the Prophet Muhammad deserve our special notice, as they indicate how extensive is the scope of writing on this new element in the language.
The activities which were directed towards the critical study of Arabic literature and its history by the professors of the new Egyptian University, the members of Dr. Haikal's circles and by Dr. Taha Husain have reached their full development since the controversy between the old and new schools has ceased.