By the 3rd/9th century, the growth of authors in the Arab-Islamic world led to a shift from oral to written culture, and the development of a reading public. While the 2nd/8th century was dominated by oral transmission of knowledge, especially through teachers and reciters, writers like ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd al-Kātib and Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ began to produce treatises aimed at specific audiences. However, it was with al-Jāḥiẓ that writing truly began to address the general reader. His texts include introductions, direct addresses, and stylistic richness. In contrast, al-Madāʾinī’s works continued to rely on chains of transmission (isnād) and reflected an oral heritage. This divergence also affected how well their works were preserved through history.