الکِتَابَةُ عند الصَّحَابَة (تاريخُها، وآدابُها)

The Ṣaḥābah or Companions of Prophet Muhammad do enjoy a great legacy and a solid experience in Writing; for Islam has urged people to read and write, and hence the Companions were keen to teach and study Writing. The Prophet handpicked certain scribes from his Companions to record Divine Revelation, and others to serve the different needs and affairs of Writing. The Ṣaḥābah have also used surfaces of various materials for writing purposes. There were two perceptions of Kitābah or Writing in that era: a Kitābah that refers to the ability of being able to read and write—that is literacy versus illiteracy; and another that indicates Writing composition. The latter senseincludes Kitābah Diwāniyah, official and administrative writing; and Kitābah Ikhwāniyah or personal correspondence among other genres of Writing. Evidence points to the fact that the Ṣaḥābah used to compile and prepare for their writings before composition. They also had certain traditions and habits in Writing of which were writing the author's name, writing the name of the scribe who wrote down the text, and the names of witnesses, if any; then they stamped the text with a seal. All such steps were kept and followed for documentation purposes, as well as to secure writings against alteration and distortion so that they would serve their intended means. Dating written texts is an established tradition for Ṣaḥābah, and they adopted it from the Prophet (peace be upon him), and not from `Umar ibn al-Khattāb as previously thought. As for text seals, the Companions were keen on maintaining seal rings, and they had them engraved with phrases that often sum up the Ṣaḥābi’s view of life. “Arabic Seal Engraving” is a new subject that the author claims to be untrodden and neglected in both graphic and literary history, and requires further consideration. Moreover, the Ṣaḥābah paid special attention to messengers; they would complement their messages or interpretations; so couriers were carefully chosen based on particular attributes. In addition, some Companions are also credited with citations on Writing principles, organization and archiving.