Middle East Media and Book Reviews Online Volume 1, Issue 2

2/2/2016

Middle East Media and Book Reviews Online

The Unique Necklace: Al-'Iqd al-Farid, Volume III (Great Books of Islamic Civilization)
By: Ibn Abd Rabbih
Translated By: Issa J. Boullata
The Unique Necklace: Al-'Iqd al-Farid, Volume III (Great Books of Islamic Civilization). Reading, UK: Garnet Publishing
Limited, 2011. (Center for Muslim Contribution to Civilization). 330pp. $95.00. ISBN: 185964239X. Pbk.: 330pp. $34.95.
ISBN: 1859642403.
Volume: 1 Issue: 2
June 2013
Review by
Abed el-Rahman Tayyara, PhD
Cleveland State University
Ohio
Professor Issa Boullata renders a great contribution to the study of Islamic civilization by translating the third volume of Ibn ‘Abd Rabbih’s al-‘Iqd
al-farīd . This volume is one the most important literary works that serves as a repository that comprises the main genres and themes in classical
Arabic literature. The translated book, which is a continuation of the project that began in 2006, follows closely the thematic arrangement of the
original text and is divided into four chapters: the Book of the Gem, the Book of the Emerald, the Book of the Mother of the Pearl, and the Book of
the Unique Jewel. The translator relies on the three latest editions of the ’Iqd, but the translation follows, on the whole, the Beirut edition. (The
Beirut edition was edited by Mufīd Muḥammad Qumayḥ and published by Dār al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyya in 1997.) The translation has a general index of
names and important terms.
The first chapter, which is entitled “On Proverbs” (pp. 1-49), contains collections of aphorisms, parables, and proverbs, their background and
cultural implications. Since these sayings are arranged according to their importance, the author begins with proverbs adumbrated in the Qur‘an and
the Ḥadīth tradition, and then moves on to present dicta of learned and wise men. The author uses metaphors and traces the origin of these proverbs
and sayings to offer a better understanding of life experiences, vicissitudes of time, and ingenious human interactions.
The second chapter, which is entitled “On Religious Exhortations and Asceticism” (pp. 51-149), is dedicated to exhortatory sayings and ethics and
their place in the moralistic function in pietistic spaces. A significant part of this chapter, therefore, deals with asceticism and its ethical role in
Islamic ethical tradition. The chapter begins with exhortatory examples recurring in the Qur‘an and the prophetic tradition to be followed by the
exhortatory dicta of certain prophets (such as Jesus, John the Baptist, David, and Abraham) and wise men (Muslim and non-Muslim). This
discussion includes pieces of advice given by fathers to their children. A section is also dedicated to encounters between exhorters and caliphs
(Umayyad and ‘Abbasid) where the themes of injustice and piety figure prominently in their discussions. The chapter concludes with aphorisms of
ascetics, which are arranged thematically, and their moral lessons.
The third chapter, entitled “On Women Mourners, Condolences, and Elegies” (pp. 151-226), focuses on elegies and mourning drawn from classical
Islamic literature and the moral lessons that can be deduced from them. The author provides examples for these themes through the sayings of
Muḥammad, other prophets, companions, caliphs, and prominent individuals. The chapter is full of elegies said by family members to their loved
ones. An important section of this chapter is dedicated to elegies by prominent poets, such as al-Khansā’ (died after 630), Abu Nuwās (d. 814), and
Abu al-‘Atāhiya (d. 828),). Interestingly, Ibn ‘Abd Rabbih shares his own elegies dedicated to his loved ones. The chapter concludes with
condolences given by well-known individuals and their socio-religious context.
The fourth chapter, entitled “on lineage and the Virtues of the Arabs,” (pp. 227-310) deals with genealogies and their socio-political significance.
Examining the origins of Arab tribes, the author aims to emphasize the virtues of the Arabs. In doing so, he touches upon important themes in early
Islamic literature, such as the contention between Northern and Southern Arabs and the Shu‘ūbiyya controversy. The chapter begins with the
genealogical origin of the Quraysh emphasizing its merits especially those of its two main clans—Banū Hāshim and Banū Umayya. Then he moves
on to talk about the superiority of the Arabs in terms of genealogy, eloquence, and wisdom. This chapter also includes names of illustrious
genealogists, such as Daghfal b. Ḥanẓala (d. 690), al-Haytham b. ‘Adī (d. 821), and Muḥammad al-Kalbī (d. 723). The chapter also offers detailed
information about the clans classified under the Northern and Southern Arabs, their genealogies, and famous persons that descended from them.
The chapter ends with a discussion of the Shu‘ūbiyya controversy and the arguments of the contended sides.
Again, by translating this volume of al-‘Iqd al-farīd, professor Boullata makes an essential work on classical Arabic literature available to general
readers and scholars of classical Arabic literature. However, the translator does not offer a critical comparison of the different editions (or
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