Al Ustadh (magazine)

Al Ustadh was launched by Abdullah Al Nadim, an Egyptian writer and political activist, as his third journal in Cairo in 1892.[1][2] The first issue appeared on 24 August 1892.[3] Al Nadim had been living out of Cairo for a decade following the ʻUrabi revolt and started Al Ustadh shortly after his return to the city.[4][5] He established the journals Al Tankit wal Tabkit and Al Taif before his exile.[2] Sabry Hafez argues that of his journals Al Ustadh is the most prominent one in terms of its influence.[4]

Al Nadim adopted a rationalist approach when he started Al Ustadh[2] which featured satirical content and drawings,[6] didactic fictional materials[1] and political articles.[7] The fictional materials were written in the colloquial prose like those in Abu Naddara, a magazine by Yaqub Sanu.[8] In the articles published in Al Ustadh Al Nadim frequently referred to his former writings published in his early journal Al Tankit wal Tabkit and focused on the Arabic language as a major element of the national identity of Egyptians.[2][9] He also published sketches of hashish consumption which he considered as one of the reasons for the underdeveloped status of the Egyptian society.[10] Al Nadim closed Al Ustadh in 1893 and left Egypt due to his ongoing opposition to the British rule in Egypt.[6][9] The last issue of Al Ustadh was published 13 June 1893 which contained a letter of thanks to the subscribers .[3][11]