[Blind-international-students] Taha Hussein.

[Mostafa Al'mahdy]

DR. Taha Hussein,
Dean of contemporary Arabic literature and a pioneer of enlightenment, Taha 
Hussein was born in AI-Minya province, Upper Egypt, on November 14th, 1889 
and grew up, the seventh of thirteen children, in a lower middle-class 
family. At a very early age, he contracted a simple eye infection and, due 
to faulty treatment by an unskilled local practitioner, was blinded, at the 
age of three.

He was placed in a kuttab (a school where children learn Koran,  reading and 
writing) and was later sent to Al-Azhar University, where he acquired a 
thorough knowledge of religion and Arabic literature in the traditional 
manner. He felt deep discontent with the narrow thinking and conservatism of 
his tutors.

In 1908, he learned of the founding of a new, secular university as part of 
a national effort to promote education in Egypt under British occupation, 
and was very keen to enter it. He was blind and poor, but overcoming many 
obstacles, he was accepted in that university. He later stated, in Al-Ayyam 
(The Days) that the doors of knowledge were from that day opened wide for 
him.

In 1914, he was the first graduate of this university to receive a Ph.D with 
his thesis on the skeptic poet and philosopher Abu-Alalaa' AI-Ma'arri.

Again with much trouble, he was sent to study in France on the university's 
educational mission. His blindness caused him continuing pains, aggravated 
by a careless brother, presumably sent to take care of him. It was in France 
that he met his 'sweet voice', Suzanne, who came to read to him since not 
all the references needed were available in braille. She later became his 
wife, his mentor, advisor, assistant, mother to his children, great love and 
best friend. He states that since he first heard that 'sweet voice', anguish 
never entered his heart."
After his death, Suzanne wrote Ma'ak (With You), published in Arabic; a 
touching remembrance of their life together.

His doctoral dissertation, written in 1917, was on lbn Khaldun, the 
fourteenth century Arab historian, the founder of sociology.
In 1918 he obtained his second  PhD in Social Philosophy from the Sorbonne, 
Paris.
In 1919 he received a diploma in post-graduate studies in the Roman Civil 
Code from the same university.
He was granted honorary doctorates from the universities of Oxford, Madrid, 
and Rome.
In 1919 he was appointed a professor of history at the Egyptian University. 
He did not confine himself to political and constituational history but 
transferred to his students his knowledge of Greek drama such as Sophocles 
and Aeschylus.


When he assumed office as Minister of Education in 1950, he managed to put 
his motto, "Education is like water we drink and the air we breath," into 
practice.
He succeeded in making all elementary and secondary education.
Millions of Egyptians owe their literacy to Taha Hussein

His Work

The greater part of Taha Hussein's canon is basically influenced by Greek 
culture. He issued "Selected Pages" from Greek Dramatic poetry (1920), "The 
Athenian System" in 1921, and "Leaders of Thought" in 1925. Thus, the link 
between his Arabic culture with that of Greece was a turning point as 
thinker.
The first book was an incomplete attempt at an expose of Greek poets and 
their works. The second book was a meticulous translation of one of the most 
important texts of Greek history of civilization. He deals with the 
religious impact on thought in the Middle Ages, then moves on to the Modern 
Ages of multi influences.
Thus,Taha Hussein was not merely influenced by Greek thought in his literary 
work but also in his books on politics and civilization. The books he issued 
following his return from Paris greatly influenced modern Arabic classical 
literature.
He waged many battles for enlightenment, the respect of reason and thought, 
and women's emancipation. The first of these was in 1926 when he issued 
"Pre-Islamic Poetry", which was highly controversial in both politically and 
literary circles. It aroused widescale front page arguments in newspapers 
between supporters and opposers. In self defence he argued that he adopted a 
scientific method of approach in his treatise on Pre-Islamic poetry. That 
method, he said, was adopted by western philosopher scientists and men of 
letters who followed the French philosopher Descartes in his reasoning in 
search of the truth of inception. It rennovated science and philosophy and 
changed the outlook of men of letters and artists in the West.

Taha Hussein's works can be divided into three major categories: scientific 
study of Arabic literature and Islamic history; creative literary works with 
social content combating poverty & ignorance, and political articles. The 
latter he published in the two papers of which he was editor-in-chief, after 
being expelled from his post as professor of Classical Arabic literature at 
the Egyptian University. His expulsion came as a result of public reaction 
to his book 'On Pre-Islamic Poetry'.

In his novels, he expresses an astounding sensitivity, insight and 
compassion in that age for a person with his background.
His arguments for justice and equality are supported by deep and honest 
understanding of Islam. Equally remarkable are his sympathy with his 
downtrodden compatriots and his understanding of the deepest emotions and 
thoughts of woman as girl, lover, wife and mother

His type of literature became an independent form and readers competed in it 
passionately, reading and interpreting, discussing analyses, and extracting 
clear meanings from ambiguous allusions .. Looking at his publications, one 
will find allusions to phenomena that one abhorred and could not speak of 
openly during those dismal days. We preferred ambiguity to clarity, symbols 
and riddles to declaration, allusion and insinuation to calling things by 
their names.

The government of that era and its controllers would read and not 
understand. Thus, he defeated the oppression of tyrants and escaped the 
censorship of censors and manage to record the injustices of the unjust and 
the corruption of corruptors.

Taha Hussein, who had to bear the brunt of conservative attacks and confront 
enemies of his reforms, enjoyed affection of his pupils & colleagues. During 
his life time, he was elected member of many educational academies in Arab 
countries, and was honored by many international institutions. The American 
University in Cairo paid no heed to Egyptian Premier Isma'il Sidqi, when he 
warned against offering employment to Taha Hussein. Its Ewart Hall, where 
AUC holds its extra-curricular activities, was teeming in the 1930s with 
listeners eager to hear him and to declare him Dean of Arabic Literature.

President Gamal Abd AI-Nasser bestowed on him the highest Egyptian 
decoration, normally, reserved for heads of state. In 1973, he received the 
United Nations Human Rights Award.

Taha Hussein died in October 1973, immediately after witnessing his 
country's victory in its ultimate war against Israel.
  I thought of sharing this brief biography which chiefly aims to encourage 
and

advocate myself and others to follow the precise steps of this excellent 
role-model.

As  human beings, we may sometimes encounter a state of disheartenment and 
frustration, and in particular, as a blind challenging individuals, as I 
have tend happily to describe ourselves and our situations.

Taha Hussein has attained his perfected success on various levels.

He firstly never give up, he never stopped battling against the 
discouragers.
Secondly, he had a decisively clear objective to achieve, and he was closely 
pacing towards it.
I will never exaggerate if I claimed that he has achieved what many sighted 
people are inadequate of reaching, yet he was never supported by the 
sophisticated tools, equipments, and adaptive technologies that we all are 
using now.
But he insistently affirmed his strengthened courage and commitments to be 
something, and he now is, even after his death, he is still being honoured, 
taught, and respectfully commemorated.
   Amongst that, we find many local schools and institutes for the blind 
were named after him.

He implied a tremendously deterrent example for us to follow. The purpose of 
this message is primarily inspirational, encouraging blind people to 
constitute a significant ambition to prosperously achieve. I feel quite 
optimistic when I read such empowering chronicles. Though I personally 
disagree with DR. Taha Hussein on essentially thoughtful level, but I still 
admire his tendency and persistent adoration to shape the future, overcoming 
any key obstacles that confronts him. I hope you found something good for 
yourself in Taha Hussein inspiring story. You may constantly bear in mind, 
that he never had what we thankfully currently possess of adaptive 
technology and sophisticated facilities that easily complements our coping 
with employment demands. I hope you liked this. Please, publish this on any 
blindness related posting blog or website, that aims to encourage the 
betterment of blind people. Mostafa Al-mahdy. Best wishes. It's always hope 
that gives meaning to life.

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