{"id":81932,"date":"2026-04-09T01:19:05","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T01:19:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/?p=81932"},"modified":"2026-04-09T01:19:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T01:19:07","slug":"the-lost-meaning-of-authorship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/the-lost-meaning-of-authorship\/","title":{"rendered":"The Lost Meaning Of Authorship"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Knowledge is the basis for a nation&#8217;s development, thus leading to civilisation. The torch of wisdom is passed from one person to another, from one generation to the next. The spread and transmission of such knowledge are fundamentally carried out either through oral communication or through writing books and treatises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The culture of producing such great works, in other words, what we may call authorship, is essential. We must acknowledge that it is almost impossible for us to identify the exact number of works that have been produced throughout the history of mankind. Nevertheless, the culture of authorship must not become stagnant, but should remain vibrant and fertile to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The Importance of Authorship<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Authorship wields a profound and lasting influence on society. When a person dies, his body departs from this world, yet his ideas may continue to live on through time. However, the preservation of his ideas cannot be guaranteed unless he writes something to express them. Without the written word, thoughts fade; with it, they endure. A written work possesses the power to transcend generations, so long as it exists and continues to be read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A famous adage by Edward Bulwer-Lytton (d. 1873) in his 1839 play <em>Richelieu<\/em> states, \u201cThe pen is mightier than the sword,\u201d a line that acknowledges how words, communication, and writing can have a greater impact\u2014shaping minds and societies more profoundly\u2014than physical force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Similarly, \u02bbUmar ibn al-Ba\u1e25r al-J\u0101\u1e25i\u1e93 (d. 868) once mentioned, \u201cThe pen leaves a more lasting effect, while the tongue produces more idle talk\u201d (<em>al-qalam abq\u0101 athar wa al-lis\u0101n akthar hadhar<\/em>). His words underscore a vital truth: speech may be fleeting, but writing endures, leaving an imprint that resists the erosion of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The seriousness and attachment of great scholars toward authorship are illustrated by a report from a student of the great Imam al-Shafi\u02bbi, who mentioned that his teacher divided the night into three periods: first, for writing; second, for prayer; and third, for sleep. In the morning, it is said that he would prioritizs writing, even neglecting his mealtime. Such dedication is not merely discipline, but also a testament to their responsibility toward the written word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Form and Kind of Authorship<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As mentioned, authorship wields a profound and lasting influence on society. However, that influence may be either positive or negative. Nowadays, with the development of technology, authorship is not only manifested in physical forms such as books, but also in non-physical forms on the internet, such as blogs, WordPress, and other platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even though the manifestation of authorship may differ over time, the type of value embedded in it is constant. Books, treatises, or writings\u2014whether physical or digital\u2014may be beneficial (<em>n\u0101fi\u02bbah<\/em>), non-beneficial (<em>ghayr al-n\u0101fi\u02bbah<\/em>), or harmful (<em>mu\u1e0darah<\/em>) to society. Anyone who writes must reconsider before publishing or publicising their work: \u201cWill this writing bring benefit, have no benefit, or\u2014worst of all\u2014cause harm?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As authors, we must also be aware of shamelessness and ignorance in authorship. I would like to propose two kinds of such misconduct. First, plagiarism. A plagiarist\u2014a person without shame or self-respect\u2014is someone who merely copies another person\u2019s work, merely juggling the order without adding, correcting, or clarifying anything, and then claims it as their own. Second, \u201clike a bull in a China shop,\u201d or in Malay \u201cbagai tikus membaiki labu.\u201d Such a type\u2014a person who is ignorant and careless\u2014is someone who adds unnecessary content or even replaces correct information with incorrect material. We must strive to avoid both of these behaviours in the pursuit of responsible authorship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Lessons from Ibn Hazm al-Andalusi (d. 1064)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To produce a great work, one must first cultivate the proper attitude\u2014and above all, a right purpose. Purposeless action leads to meaningless results; therefore, purposeless writing leads to meaningless authorship. Thus, let us pause and question ourselves: \u201cWhy do we write?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Purpose alone, however, is not enough. Besides purposelessness, we must also be cautious, for false purposes in writing can likewise lead to meaningless authorship. Some false purposes in writing that I would like to highlight are: (i) writing for the sake of wealth, (ii) writing for the sake of fame, and (iii) writing to harm another person out of envy. Such motives may fill pages, but they leave no lasting legacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ibn Hazm\u2019s discussion on scholarship and authorship in his <em>al-Taqr\u012bb li \u1e24add al-Mantiq<\/em> outlines seven reasons for writing a book. These reasons are also aligned with the views of Ibn Khaldun (d. 1406) in <em>Muqaddimah Ibn Khaldun<\/em> and Haji Khalifah (d. 1658) in <em>Kashf al-\u1e92un\u016bn<\/em>. These reasons elevate writing from mere communication to an act of service and intellect for the society, thus contributing to building a civilisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The seven purposes for writing a book are: (i) the writer may have something original to say; (ii) he may complete something that has been left incomplete; (iii) he may put right something that is seen to be wrong; (iv) he may clarify and explain a mysterious or complicated matter; (v) he may shorten another person\u2019s work that is too long, without omitting anything vital; (vi) he may collect information from various separate sources; and, (vii) he may assemble things that have been scattered like beads and thread them together again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Though Ibn Hazm notes that only scholars and perceptive people may write with such purpose, we, as the masses, should also take these principles into account before publishing or publicising our work. For example, we can measure our own intentions against these timeless standards before sharing our writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moreover, as authors, we must confront the questions: \u201cDoes our writing fulfil any of these purposes?\u201d and, \u201cDoes my writing serve knowledge, clarity, and truth\u2014or does it merely serve myself?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Writing, when guided by the right purpose and wisdom, transcends time. Without it, words fade; with it, they endure, shaping minds and societies long after the writer has gone. Let us strive, then, not merely to write, but to write with responsibility, insight, and integrity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Knowledge is the basis for a nation&#8217;s development, thus leading to civilisation. The torch of wisdom is passed from one person to another, from one generation to the next. The spread and transmission of such knowledge are fundamentally carried out either through oral communication or through writing books and treatises.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":95,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_analytify_skip_tracking":false,"_wpzoom_pinterest_image_url":"","_wpzoom_pinterest_hidden_image":"0","_wpzoom_pinterest_description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[225],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-81932","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","category-225","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81932","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/95"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81932"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81932\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81933,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81932\/revisions\/81933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81932"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81932"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81932"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}