The Project Gutenberg EBook of Arabic Authors, by F. F. Arbuthnot This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org Title: Arabic Authors A Manual of Arabian History and Literature Author: F. F. Arbuthnot Release Date: November 24, 2006 [EBook #19914] Language: English Character set encoding: ASCII *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ARABIC AUTHORS *** Produced by Thierry Alberto, Don Perry and the Online Distributed Proofreaders Europe at http://dp.rastko.net ARABIC AUTHORS. A MANUAL OF ARABIAN HISTORY AND LITERATURE. BY F.F. ARBUTHNOT, M.R.A.S., AUTHOR OF "EARLY IDEAS" AND "PERSIAN PORTRAITS." LONDON: WILLIAM HEINEMANN. 1890. PREFACE. The following pages contain nothing new and nothing original, but they do contain a good deal of information gathered from various sources, and brought together under one cover. The book itself may be useful, not, perhaps, to the Professor or to the Orientalist, but to the general reader, and to the student commencing the study of Arabic. To the latter it will give some idea of the vast field of Arabian literature that lies before him, and prepare him, perhaps, for working out a really interesting work upon the subject. Such still remains to be written in the English language, and it is to be hoped that it will be done some day thoroughly and well. It is gratifying to think that the study of Oriental languages and literature is progressing in Europe generally, if not in England particularly. The last Oriental Congress, held at Stockholm and Christiania the beginning of September, 1889, brought together a goodly number of Oriental scholars. There were twenty-eight nationalities represented altogether, and the many papers prepared and read, or taken as read preparatory to their being printed, showed that matters connected with Oriental studies in all their branches excite considerable interest. England, too, has been lately making some efforts which will be, it is sincerely hoped, crowned with success. The lectures on modern Oriental languages lately established by the Imperial Institute of the United Kingdom, the Colonies, and India, in union with University College and King's College, London, is full of promise of bringing forth good fruit hereafter. So much is to be learnt from Oriental literature in various ways that it is to be hoped the day may yet come when the study of one or more Oriental languages will be taken up as a pastime to fill the leisure hours of a future generation thirsting after knowledge. In addition to the above, a movement is also being made to attempt to revive the old Oriental Translation Fund. It was originally started in A.D. 1828, and did good work for fifty years, publishing translations (see Appendix) from fifteen different Oriental languages, and then collapsing from apathy, neglect, and want of funds. Unless well supported, both by donations and annual subscriptions, it is useless to attempt a fresh start. To succeed thoroughly it must be regarded as a national institution, and sufficiently well-off to be able to afford to bring out Texts and Indexes of [Transcriber's note: Missing page in the source document.] -cially An-Nadim's 'Fihrist,' a most valuable book of reference, ought to be done into English without further delay. Private individuals can hardly undertake the business, but a well-organized and permanent Oriental Translation Fund, assisted by the English and Indian Governments, could and would render extraordinary services in the publication of texts, translations, and indexes of Oriental literature generally. For assistance in the preparation of this present volume my thanks are due to the many authors whose works have been freely used and quoted, and also to Mr. E. Rehatsek, of Bombay, whose knowledge of the Arabic language and of Arabic literature is well known to all Oriental scholars. F.F. ARBUTHNOT. 18, Park Lane, W. CONTENTS CHAPTER I. HISTORICAL. Arabia: its boundaries, divisions of districts, revenues, area, population, and history.--Tribe of Koraish.--The Kaabah at Mecca.--Muhammad.--His immediate successors: Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman, Ali.--The Omaiyides.--Fate of Hasan and Hussain, sons of Ali--Sunnis and Shiahs.--Overthrow of the Omaiyides by the Abbasides.--The Omaiyides in Spain; their conquests and government.--The Moors, and their final expulsion.--To what extent Europe is indebted to the Spanish Arabs.--Their literature and architecture.--The Abbaside Khalifs at Baghdad.--Persia, Egypt, Syria, Palestine, and Arabia become detached from their government in the course of time.--Fall of Baghdad itself in A.D. 1258.--Dealings of the Turks with Arabia.--The Wahhabi reform movement.--Expeditions of the Turks and Egyptians to suppress it.--Various defeats and successes.--Present form of government in Arabia.--Its future prospects.--List of the Omaiyide Khalifs, preceded by Muhammad and his four immediate successors.--List of the Abbaside Khalifs.--List of the Arab rulers in Spain. CHAPTER II. LITERARY. About the Arabic and Chinese languages.--The permanent character of the former attributed to the Koran.--Division of Arab literature into three periods: I. The time before Muhammad.--The sage Lokman; the description of three Lokmans; Arab poetry before the Koran; the seven suspended poems, known as the Mua'llakat, at Mecca; notions of the Arabs about poetry; their Kasidas; description of the Kasidas of Amriolkais, Antara, Labid, Tarafa, Amru, Harath, and Zoheir; the poets Nabiga, Al-Kama, and Al-Aasha. II. The period from the time of Muhammad to the fall of the Abbasides.--Muhammad considered as a poet; the poets who were hostile to him; his panegyrist Kab bin Zoheir; account of him and his 'Poem of the Mantle,' and the results; Al-Busiri's 'Poem of the Mantle;' names of poets favourable and hostile to Muhammad; the seven jurisconsults; the four imams; the six fathers of tradition; the early traditionists; the companions; the alchemists; the astronomers; the grammarians; the geographers and travellers; the historians; the tabulators and biographers; the writers about natural history; the philologists; the philosophers; the physicians; the poets; the collectors and editors of poems; the essayist Al-Hariri; many translators; special notice of Ibn Al-Mukaffa; support given to learning and literature by certain of the Omaiyide, Abbaside, and Spanish Arab Khalifs; description of Baghdad; reign of Harun-ar-Rashid; the Barmekides; the Khalif Razi-billah; Hakim II. at Cordova; his education; his accession to the throne; his collection of books; his library, and its catalogue; places of learning in the East at this time. III. Third period, from the fall of Baghdad to the present time.--Certain historians; Ibn Malik, the grammarian; Ibn Batuta, the traveller; Abul Feda, Ibn Khaldun, Ibn Kesir, Ibn Hajar, Ibn Arabshah--all historians; Firuzabadi, Taki-uddin of Fez, Al-Makrisi, Sayuti, Ibn Kamal Pasha, Abu Sa'ud the mufti, Ibrahim of Aleppo, Birgeli, Abul Khair; celebrated caligraphers, past and present, Haji Khalfa, Muhammad al Amin of Damascus, Makkari. Decline of Arabic literature: its present form. About the printing-presses of Arabic works at various places. CHAPTER III. ABOUT MUHAMMAD. A complete summary of the details of his life, from his birth to his death.--Remarks upon him as a reformer, preacher, and apostle.--The Hanyfs.--Muhammad's early idea of establishing one religion for the Jews, Christians, and Arabs.--His long struggle with the Koraish.--His failure at Mecca.--His success at Madinah.--Adapts his views to the manners and customs of the Arabs only.--The reason of his many marriages.--His love of women.--About the Koran.--Not collected and arranged until after his death.--Comparison of the Koran with the Old and New Testaments.--Superiority of our Bible.--Description of it by 'Il Secolo.'--Rev. Mr. Badger's description of the Koran.--Written in the purest Arabic, and defies competition.--Muhammad and Moses, Jesus and Buddha.--Remarks about Buddhism and Christianity.--Moses and Muhammad the founders of two nationalities.--Abraham the father of the Jewish, Christian, and Muhammadan religions.--Renan's description of the gods of the Jews.--Joseph.--The Twelve Tribes.--Appearance of Moses as a liberator and organizer.--The reasons of his wanderings in the desert.--What the Jews owed to Moses, and the Arabs to Muhammad.--The latter as a military leader.--Resemblance of the warlike expeditions of the Jews and of the Arabs.--Similar proceedings in the Soudan at the present time.--Account of the dogmas and precepts of Islam as embodied in the Koran.--Other points connected with the institutions of Islam.--Faith and prayer always insisted upon.--Democratic character of the Muhammadan religion, excellent in theory, but doubtful in practice.--Muhammad's last address at Mina, telling the Muslims that they were one brotherhood.--His final remarks. CHAPTER IV. TALES AND STORIES. The Kalilah wa Dimnah.--'Early Ideas.'--'Persian Portraits,'--Origin of the 'Arabian Nights.'--The Hazar Afsaneh, or Thousand Stories. Date of the 'Nights.'--Its fables and apologues the oldest part of the work.--Then certain stories--The latest tales.--Galland's edition.--His biography.--His successors, sixteen in number, ending with Payne and Burton.--The complete translations of these two last-named, in thirteen and sixteen volumes respectively.--Brief analysis of Payne's