By Yassin Suwaylih

Man has since the earliest times tried to classify human knowledge and books. The history of book and library classification is long and broad, and is not limited to a specific region or nation of the ancient or modern world, but follows centers of cultural radiation and moves with them through the ages from region to region and from homeland to homeland. In the land of the ancient East lie the deepest roots of this long history. The Arabs are owners of civilization and heritage, and were not mere transmitters of civilizations before them, but contributed authentically in various sciences, arts and literature. A House of Books was found in ancient Egypt before Christ by nearly three thousand years, around 2000 BC, containing folded papyri kept in titled jars and arranged on shelves. In Mesopotamia we find the books of the Babylonians and Assyrians since the third millennium BC; clay tablets kept in jars were classified and arranged on shelves in the state structures and palaces of Babylon. As for the Sumerians who inhabited southern Iraq, they classified their books according to subjects; tablets containing poetry were in one place and those containing epics in another. When libraries appeared among the Arabs and developed as a result of the spread of science and knowledge, the Arabs took care of library classification and catalogs were of two types: either written in volumes used as books for references, or names of books and authors written on a sign hung at the entrance of each section. Arabs used classification as a means to arrange materials in their libraries; they arranged books according to subjects. A room or more was allocated for each branch of human knowledge in large libraries, such as the library of Al-Hakam II of Andalusia (350-366 AH) and the library of Dar al-Hikma in Cairo founded by the Fatimid Caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah in 395 AH. They put books on one subject in a special cabinet or independent shelf for easy access.

Classification of sciences among Arab scientists

Jabir ibn Hayyan is considered the first to set an Arabic classification for sciences, followed by Al-Kindi who classified the sciences of his age into religious and philosophical/secular. Al-Kindi divided philosophy into mathematics, physics, and divinity. He mentioned that Islamic sciences are obtained without research or effort. The classification of Al-Farabi is among the oldest and most influential in his book "Ihs'a al-'Ulum" (Enumeration of Sciences) which he divided into: 1- Language, 2- Logic, 3- Mathematics, 4- Physics, 5- Civil Sciences, 6- Metaphysics. Then Al-Khwarizmi (10th century AD, not the algebraist) presented his encyclopedia "Mafatih al-'Ulum" (Keys of the Sciences) dividing knowledge into: First: Legal sciences (sciences of the Arabs) covering jurisprudence, theology, grammar, writing, poetry and history. Second: Philosophical sciences (sciences of the Greeks) covering philosophy, logic, medicine, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, music and chemistry. Ibn Khaldun divided sciences into physical (natural) and transmitted (religious). He considered the sciences of Quran and Sunnah, and language. His introduction is among the best written by Muslims on classification. Al-Qalqashandi (1353 - 1418 AD) devoted a chapter in "Subh al-A'sha" to classification with seven origins and fifty-four branches: 1- Literature, 2- Sharia, 3- Natural Science, 4- Geometry, 5- Astronomy, 6- Accident science, 7- Practical sciences (politics, ethics, home management). In modern times, Tashkubrizada (1495-1595 AD) in "Miftah al-Sa'ada" treated three hundred sciences, dividing his book into seven orchards. Finally, Haji Khalifa (1608 – 1657 AD) wrote "Kashf al-Zunun," the most comprehensive classification of Arabic publications, listing over 15,000 books and 9,500 authors. Classification is vital for library organization, providing easier access for readers to find all books on a specific topic in one place. It benefits both the reader and the librarian. Methods include alphabetical (by title/author), numerical (by entry sequence), alphanumeric, and subject-based (arranging related sciences together). Subject classification is preferred as the topic remains constant regardless of author or title changes.