Similarity and Difference in Modern Arabic Criticism: A Case Study of Abdullah Al-Ghadhami and Muhammad Miftah.

Abstract

The issue of similarity and difference is one of the intellectual and creative concerns that has preoccupied many theorists of Arab culture and thought. Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghadhami and Dr. Muhammad Muftah are among those who have focused on this duality, each dedicating a book to it; the former in his book "Al-Mushakala and Al-Ikhtilaf" (Similarity and Difference), and the latter in his book "Al-Tashabuh wa Al-Ikhtilaf" (Similarity and Difference). While Muftah sees that the laws of the universe are based on similarity, and that corruption arises from difference—whether at the cosmic physical level or the human intellectual level—Al-Ghadhami emphasizes and explains the idea of difference, advocating for divergence and illustrating its value in all aspects of creativity. Al-Ghadhami believes that creativity lies in difference, while similarity leads to redundancy and repetition, ultimately resulting in the death of creativity. Both thinkers provide several arguments to support their perspectives. What is noteworthy is the partial difference in terminology reflected in the titles of the two critics' books, namely (similarity and mushakala). There are numerous terms associated with these concepts: (similarity/mushabaha, tashakul/mushakala, tamathul/mumathala, etc.), and

concerning difference: (taba'in, mughayara, ikhtilaf, etc.). What interests us here are the terms (similarity/mushabaha, mushakala/tashakul) in the titles of Muftah's and Al-Ghadhami's books. Al-Ghadhami's book focuses on the concept of mushakala, while Muftah's book encompasses both similarity and tashakul. It is clear that Muftah's concept of similarity is a philosophical, cognitive, universal notion aimed at linking two limits, states, structures, cultures, or boundaries. The underlying concern behind this linkage is "the synthesis between seemingly opposing elements such as body and soul, mind and heart, natural and human, promoting values of tolerance without abandonment, difference without fragmentation or partisanship, and freedom within the framework of responsibility." Similarity and difference are general principles encompassing all phenomena in the universe—both natural and cultural; through them, communication and connection between natural beings

and cultural entities can occur, facilitating growth and development (Muftah 1995, p. 6). For Muftah, similarity is not limited to the textual world alone but extends to the external world, including metaphysical aspects and cultural cognitive horizons. It represents "a metaphysical similarity based on the order and harmony of the universe and its continuous overflow; this etaphysical construction makes everything resemble everything else" (Muftah 1995, p. 25), albeit to varying degrees. That is to say, "the principle that everything resembles everything else in some respect while differing from it in another respect" is what leads to difference. This transition moves the construction from the metaphysical realm to the epistemological (cognitive) cultural domain. On the other hand, tashakul is a textual linguistic or artistic concept.