A Treasury of Virtues: Sayings, Sermons, and Teachings of 'Ali, with the One Hundred Proverbs attributed to al-Jahiz [Hardcover]

Insights into a life of integrity by a master of Arabic eloquence

A Treasury of Virtuesis a collection of sayings, sermons, and teachings attributed to 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (d. 40/661), the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, the first Shia Imam and the fourth Sunni Caliph. An acknowledged master of Arabic eloquence and a sage of Islamic wisdom, 'Ali was renowned for his eloquence: his words were collected, quoted, and studied over the centuries, and extensively anthologized, excerpted, and interpreted.

Of the many compilations of 'Alis words,A Treasury of Virtues, compiled by the Fatimid Shafi'i judge al-Quda'i, arguably possesses the broadest compass of genres and the largest variety of themes. Included are aphorisms, proverbs, sermons, speeches, homilies, prayers, letters, dialogues, and verse, all of which provide instruction on how to be a morally upstanding human being. The shorter compilation included here,One Hundred Proverbs, is attributed to the eminent writer al-Jahiz (d. 255/869). This volume presents the first English translation of both of these important collections.

A bilingual Arabic-English edition.

al-Q
+ al-Qu
?+ (Author)
Al-Q
+ al-Qu
?+(d. 454/1062) was a Sunni jurist, a scholar of hadiths and history, and a senior government official of the Fatimid dynasty in Cairo.

Tahera Qutbuddin (Edited and Translated by)
Tahera Qutbuddinis Abdulaziz Saud AlBabtain Laudian Professor at the University of Oxford. She is the author ofArabic Oration: Art and Function.

Powerful and compelling in its portrayal of the vicissitudes of fate and the inevitability of death and decay. Many of the translated aphorisms and wise sayings are equally powerful. . . . Qutbuddin's volume is well written and well executed . . . a valuable addition to any scholar's library. The quality of the translation is superior and the choice of maxims is well advised, al#'