al-Falaka wa al-Maflukun

al-Falaka wa al-Maflukun (Poverty and the Impoverished) is an Arabic treatise on the causes, psychological dimensions, and biographical examples of poverty and destitution, composed in 821 AH (1418 CE) by the Egyptian Shafi'i scholar and jurist Shihab al-Din Ahmad ibn Ali al-Dalji (c. 770?–838 AH / 1368?–1435 CE) al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1.

Background and Purpose

The title derives from al-falaka and al-mafluk, terms denoting poverty and the impoverished (al-faqr wa al-fuqara') Mujam al-Matbuat al-Arabi…. In the opening preface, al-Dalji noted that his work addressed an original topic not previously codified into a dedicated volume, describing the treatise as an introductory model and draft in its field al-Falaka wa al-Maflukun+1. He excused any imperfections in phrasing or arrangement by citing bodily obstacles, persistent hardships, limited scholarly materials, and the scarcity or borrowed status of reference books available to him during composition al-Falaka wa al-Maflukun.

Structure and Contents

The work is organized into an introductory address (khutba) followed by thirteen thematic chapters (fusul) Mujam al-Matbuat al-Arabi…:

1. The definition and scope of the term al-mafluk (the destitute) as examined in the book al-Falaka wa al-Maflukun.
2. The theological concept of the creation of human actions (khalq al-a'mal) and the argument that an impoverished person cannot simply use divine decree and predestination (al-qada' wa al-qadar) as an excuse for inaction al-Falaka wa al-Maflukun.
3. The compatibility between reliance on God (tawakkul) and the pursuit of material means (al-asbab), as well as asceticism (zuhd) and the possession of lawful wealth al-Falaka wa al-Maflukun.
4. The personal and social afflictions generated by destitution al-Falaka wa al-Maflukun.
5. The specific vulnerability of scholars and men of learning (ahl al-'ilm) to poverty and neglect, along with its underlying causes al-Falaka wa al-Maflukun.
6. The transformation of disciplines of knowledge into purely spiritual perfections and devotional acts after originally having been practical trades and crafts al-Falaka wa al-Maflukun.
7. The general prevalence of poverty, neglect, and indigence across the human species al-Falaka wa al-Maflukun.
8. The premise that material poverty (al-falaka al-maliyya) inevitably produces behavioral and existential destitution (al-falaka al-haliyya) al-Falaka wa al-Maflukun.
9. Social strategies for the impoverished, such as humility, finding excuses for others, and displaying goodwill, as practical avenues toward achieving their aims al-Falaka wa al-Maflukun.
10. Biographies of scholars who were denied worldly wealth and prosperity al-Falaka wa al-Maflukun.
11. Related historical discussions, particularly the political and financial downfalls (al-nakabat) suffered by prominent notables al-Falaka wa al-Maflukun.
12. Poetry composed by destitute authors, analyzing their verse as a psychological outlet prompted by hardship al-Falaka wa al-Maflukun.
13. Concluding counsels and guidance for enduring poverty al-Falaka wa al-Maflukun.

Themes and Methodology

al-Dalji categorizes destitution into two primary forms: financial destitution (falaka maliyya), where an individual lacks worldly wealth or experiences adverse fortune in material affairs; and moral or behavioral destitution (falaka ma'nawiyya), which encompasses reprehensible traits and acts contravening religious law or sound nature al-Falaka wa al-Maflukun. He argues logically that financial poverty impairs an individual's agency and actions, turning destitution into a pervasive personal condition al-Falaka wa al-Maflukun.

The author also provides sociological observations on the lifestyle of the impoverished. He links the frequent travels and migrations of scholars and poets to financial hardship, asserting that continual relocation between cities—outside the specific context of collecting prophetic traditions—is an inherent consequence of poverty, driven by the hope of encountering better conditions elsewhere al-Falaka wa al-Maflukun+1. Similarly, he notes that persistent distress often leads the destitute to long for political upheavals and changes in ruling states al-Falaka wa al-Maflukun. When denied the ability to improve their standing through practical deeds, such individuals often resort to poetry, rhetoric, and literary eloquence as psychological relief and self-consolation al-Falaka wa al-Maflukun.

Manuscripts and Editions

A manuscript of the work is preserved in Berlin (No. 3165), copied in 1232 AH Mujam Tarikh al-Turath al…. The book was published in Cairo in 1322 AH (1904 CE), edited by Khalil Sadiq at Matba'at al-Sha'b in 144 pages, and was later reprinted in Baghdad in 1385 AH (1965 CE) by Maktabat al-Andalus Mujam al-Matbuat al-Arabi…+1.