al-Bukhala lil-Jahiz
- Author died
- 255 AH
- Editions
- Dar wa-Maktabat al-Hilal
Kitab al-Bukhala (The Book of Misers) is an Arabic literary prose work by the Abbasid author and essayist al-Jahiz (d. 255 AH / 869 CE) that investigates the behaviors, social customs, and psychological justifications of stinginess through narrative anecdotes and letters.
Purpose and Themes
The work was framed as a response to an interlocutor who requested an account of stinginess and its anecdotes. It also served as a polemical reply to the anti-Arab Shu'ubiyya movement, whose proponents accused Arabs of stinginess. Beyond humor and entertainment, the book functions as a realistic social critique aimed at examining an emerging economic culture and newly adopted habits in third-century AH Abbasid society. It seeks to expose aberrant habits through irony and moral reprimand, guiding readers toward generosity without extravagance and moderate spending without miserliness. Al-Jahiz stated that the reader gains three benefits from the book: "a witty argument, a clever contrivance, or an astonishing anecdote."
Structure and Contents
The book opens with a detailed prologue discussing humor, seriousness, and the psychology of miserliness, leading into several major textual units:
- The Epistle of Sahl ibn Harun: An included letter sent by Sahl ibn Harun to his relatives, in which he defends his thriftiness against their accusations of miserliness.
- Regional Anecdotes: Narratives chronicling the reputed stinginess of the people of Khurasan in general and the city of Marw in particular, followed by accounts of the mosque-goers (al-masjidiyyun) in Basra, whom al-Jahiz refers to as "the masters of hoarding and withholding."
- Portraits of Contemporaries: Short biographical tales and dialogues involving acquaintances, scholars, and public figures, such as Zubayda ibn Humayd, Ahmad ibn Khalaf al-Yazidi, Khalid ibn Yazid, Abu Muhammad al-Khuzami, al-Harithi, al-Kindi, Bilal ibn Abi Burda, Isma'il ibn Ghazwan, Musa ibn 'Imran, al-Asma'i, and al-Mada'ini.
- Epistolary Debate on Munificence: A letter from Abu al-'As ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab al-Thaqafi condemning stinginess and praising generosity, followed by the rebuttal of Ibn al-Taw'am defending withholding wealth and arguing against the harms of openhandedness.
Method and Style
Al-Jahiz constructs his anecdotes as concise short stories incorporating an introduction, plot conflict, resolution, and conclusion. Rather than imposing direct authorial condemnation, he maintains a detached narrative stance that permits the misers to speak for themselves and expound their philosophies. Through their dialogues, the misers present their penurious habits as sophisticated economic management and reasoned conservation of food and resources. The work is distinguished by its satire, psychological penetration, and realistic depiction of diverse social classes.
Editions and Translations
Kitab al-Bukhala has been published in multiple critical and scholarly editions:
- An edition prepared by Gerlof van Vloten based on an Istanbul manuscript (Leiden, 1900).
- An edition annotated by Ahmad al-'Awamiri and 'Ali al-Jarim, published by the Egyptian Ministry of Education.
- An edition published in Damascus in 1357 AH under the auspices of members of the Arab Academy of Damascus.
- A critical edition by Taha al-Hajiri (Cairo, 1367 AH / 1948 CE).
The work was translated into German by Oskar Rescher and into French by Charles Pellat (Paris, 1951).
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