Align enumerate label with minipage content in its items

Question

This question is based on my previous question, List labels on left with Arabic using Polyglossia, however, it can be read by itself as well.

NOTE: You will have to use XeLaTeX and probably change the Arabic font if you are not using Windows.

I have the following MWE,

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{lipsum}

\usepackage{polyglossia}
\setmainlanguage{english}
\setotherlanguage[numerals=maghrib]{arabic}

\newfontfamily\arabicfont[
Script=Arabic,%
Scale=1.5%
]{Traditional Arabic}

\newenvironment{Arabicitem}{\begin{minipage}{\linewidth}\begin{Arabic}}
{\end{Arabic}\end{minipage}}

\begin{document}
\begin{enumerate}
\item \parbox[t][][t]{\linewidth}{\lipsum[1]}
\end{enumerate}

\begin{enumerate}
  \def\labelenumi{\arabic{enumi}.}
  \item
  \begin{Arabicitem}اللَّهُمَّ بَاعِدْ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ خَطَايَايَ، كَمَا بَاعَدْتَ بَيْنَ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ، اللَّهُمَّ نَقِّنِي مِنْ خَطَايَايَ، كَمَا يُنَقَّى الثَّوْبُ الأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الدَّنَسِ، اللَّهُمَّ اغْسِلْنِي مِنْ خَطَايَايَ بِالثَّلْجِ وَالْمَاءِ وَالْبَرَد.\end{Arabicitem}

  ``O Allāh! Separate me (far) from my sins as you have separated (far) the East and West. O Allāh! Cleanse me of my sins as white cloth is cleansed from dirt. O Allāh! Wash me of my sins with water, ice, and snow.'' He used to say this in obligatory prayers.\footnote{Abū Dāwūd and al-Ḥākim, who declared it \emph{ṣaḥīḥ} and al-Dhahabī concurred.}
\end{enumerate}
\end{document}

Which generates the following,

My problem is the alignment of the enumerate label with the minipage. I was able to fix this when using a parbox by using the t option.

I have tried doing the same for the minipage environment by changing the first argument of the newenvironment command to:

\newenvironment{Arabicitem}{\begin{minipage}[t]{\linewidth}\begin{Arabic}}

However, this made the label higher than the Arabic text as shown below.

How can I fix this so that the label is aligned with the first line of Arabic as is the case for the lipsum item?

Answer 1

There can be other solutions, but the simplest trick I can think of is to put \vspace{-\baselineskip} in the minipage.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{lipsum}

\usepackage{polyglossia}
\setmainlanguage{english}
\setotherlanguage[numerals=maghrib]{arabic}

\newfontfamily\arabicfont[
Script=Arabic,%
Scale=1.5%
]{Traditional Arabic}

\newenvironment{Arabicitem}{\begin{minipage}[t]{\linewidth}%
    \vspace{-\baselineskip}
    \begin{Arabic}}
    {\end{Arabic}\end{minipage}}

\begin{document}
\begin{enumerate}
\item \parbox[t][][t]{\linewidth}{\lipsum[1]}
\end{enumerate}

\begin{enumerate}
  \def\labelenumi{\arabic{enumi}.}
  \item  \begin{Arabicitem}اللَّهُمَّ بَاعِدْ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ خَطَايَايَ، كَمَا بَاعَدْتَ بَيْنَ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ، اللَّهُمَّ نَقِّنِي مِنْ خَطَايَايَ، كَمَا يُنَقَّى الثَّوْبُ الأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الدَّنَسِ، اللَّهُمَّ اغْسِلْنِي مِنْ خَطَايَايَ بِالثَّلْجِ وَالْمَاءِ وَالْبَرَد.\end{Arabicitem}

  ``O Allāh! Separate me (far) from my sins as you have separated (far) the East and West. O Allāh! Cleanse me of my sins as white cloth is cleansed from dirt. O Allāh! Wash me of my sins with water, ice, and snow.'' He used to say this in obligatory prayers.\footnote{Abū Dāwūd and al-Ḥākim, who declared it \emph{ṣaḥīḥ} and al-Dhahabī concurred.}
\end{enumerate}
\end{document}

---

Answer 2

I don't understand why you are using a minipage at all. Beside this: The main point is to start the paragraph with \leavevmode before switching the language:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{lipsum}

\usepackage{polyglossia}
\setmainlanguage{english}
\setotherlanguage[numerals=maghrib]{arabic}

\newfontfamily\arabicfont[
Script=Arabic,%
Scale=1.5%
]%{Traditional Arabic}
 {Arial Unicode MS}

\newenvironment{ArabicitemA}{\begin{minipage}[t]{\linewidth}\leavevmode\otherlanguage{arabic}}
{\end{minipage}}

\newenvironment{ArabicitemB}{\leavevmode\otherlanguage{arabic}}
{}

\newenvironment{ArabicitemC}{\begin{minipage}[t]{\linewidth}\leavevmode\begin{Arabic}}
{\end{Arabic}\end{minipage}}

\newenvironment{ArabicitemD}{\leavevmode\begin{Arabic}}
{\end{Arabic}}
\begin{document}
\begin{enumerate}
  \def\labelenumi{\arabic{enumi}.}
  \item
  \begin{ArabicitemA}اللَّهُمَّ بَاعِدْ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ خَطَايَايَ، كَمَا بَاعَدْتَ بَيْنَ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ، اللَّهُمَّ نَقِّنِي مِنْ خَطَايَايَ، كَمَا يُنَقَّى الثَّوْبُ الأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الدَّنَسِ، اللَّهُمَّ اغْسِلْنِي مِنْ خَطَايَايَ بِالثَّلْجِ وَالْمَاءِ وَالْبَرَد.\end{ArabicitemA}

  \item 
  \begin{ArabicitemB}اللَّهُمَّ بَاعِدْ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ خَطَايَايَ، كَمَا بَاعَدْتَ بَيْنَ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ، اللَّهُمَّ نَقِّنِي مِنْ خَطَايَايَ، كَمَا يُنَقَّى الثَّوْبُ الأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الدَّنَسِ، اللَّهُمَّ اغْسِلْنِي مِنْ خَطَايَايَ بِالثَّلْجِ وَالْمَاءِ وَالْبَرَد.\end{ArabicitemB}

  \item
  \begin{ArabicitemC}اللَّهُمَّ بَاعِدْ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ خَطَايَايَ، كَمَا بَاعَدْتَ بَيْنَ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ، اللَّهُمَّ نَقِّنِي مِنْ خَطَايَايَ، كَمَا يُنَقَّى الثَّوْبُ الأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الدَّنَسِ، اللَّهُمَّ اغْسِلْنِي مِنْ خَطَايَايَ بِالثَّلْجِ وَالْمَاءِ وَالْبَرَد.\end{ArabicitemC}

    \item
  \begin{ArabicitemD}اللَّهُمَّ بَاعِدْ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ خَطَايَايَ، كَمَا بَاعَدْتَ بَيْنَ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ، اللَّهُمَّ نَقِّنِي مِنْ خَطَايَايَ، كَمَا يُنَقَّى الثَّوْبُ الأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الدَّنَسِ، اللَّهُمَّ اغْسِلْنِي مِنْ خَطَايَايَ بِالثَّلْجِ وَالْمَاءِ وَالْبَرَد.\end{ArabicitemD}


\end{enumerate}
\end{document}

Btw: I wonder if "you have separated (far) the East and West" is the suitable quote for a site like this where east and west are quite near.