Encyclopædia Britannica describes it as one of the leading publications founded in the Arab countries in the latter half of the 20th century.
[4][10] The commitment of the magazine was the encouragement of literary outcomes focusing on the Arab world-related politics and social causes.
[11] Al Adab featured articles on politics, poetry, short stories, film criticism, theater, and culture with a special reference to the Arab world.
Its notable contributors included Raif Khoury, Salama Moussa, Nazik Al Malaika and Taha Hussein.
[16] In the Spring 1968 issue of Al Adab the manifesto of Adunis, a Syrian poet, dated 5 June 1967 was published.
[17] Although both were avant-garde publications and supported free verse movement, Al Adab was the main adversary of Shi'r, a poetry magazine started in Beirut in 1968.
[18][19] Al Adab was also critical of the cultural elites of the period due to their inactiveness in regard to the achievement of the liberation of the Arab countries.