Reading Is the Key to the Treasure

Abstract

The article presents reading as a key to knowledge, personality formation, imagination, and intellectual growth. It emphasizes that the love of books should be cultivated from early childhood through the family and school, supported by an encouraging reading environment, age-appropriate books, and active involvement from parents and teachers. The article discusses the decline of reading habits in Arab societies and highlights the role of libraries, media, and educational institutions in restoring the book as a tool of awareness and civilization. It also extends its argument to the heritage dimension of reading by referring to Ibn al-Nadim’s Al-Fihrist as evidence of the historical value of books, cataloging, and the preservation of intellectual production in Arab-Islamic civilization. In this way, the article combines a contemporary call for reading development with an appreciation of the Arab bibliographic and cultural heritage.