al-Faraj bad al-Shidda lil-Tanukhi
- Author died
- 384 AH
- Editions
- Dār Ṣādir
al-Faraj ba'd al-Shidda (Relief After Distress) is an anthology of narratives, traditions, and verse by the judge and man of letters Abu Ali al-Muhsin ibn Ali al-Tanukhi (327–384 AH / 939–994 CE; another report gives his birth in 329 AH), focusing on deliverance from crises, misfortune, and adversity .
Background and Purpose
In the preface to the book, al-Tanukhi explained his motivation for writing, observing that people in the world fluctuate between good and evil, benefit and harm, finding nothing more advantageous in times of ease than gratitude, nor more effective in times of affliction than patience . Seeing that people resorted most heavily to historical narratives (kutub al-akhbar), he compiled a selection of choice accounts, traditions, and verses on the theme of relief following hardship . He composed the work after completing his earlier book, Nishwar al-muhadara .
The genre had earlier precedents: Abu Bakr Ibn Abi al-Dunya (d. 281 AH) composed a work under the same title, and the Maliki jurist and judge Abu al-Hasan Umar ibn Muhammad ibn Yusuf (d. 328 AH) was credited as the first to author a dedicated work in this genre . Al-Tanukhi's compilation came to be recognized as the most comprehensive and extensive of the earlier works on the subject .
Structure and Content
The work is structured into fourteen chapters . It opens with relevant verses from the Quran and reports concerning the Prophet ﷺ, followed by traditions (athar) and prayers used to dispel impending trials .
A substantial portion of the material covers accounts of imprisonment, interrogation, falls from political grace (nakba), unexpected pardons, and escapes from imminent execution or extreme destitution . The stories encompass historical and contemporary figures, ranging from caliphs, viziers, and judges to ordinary soldiers and commoners . Al-Tanukhi often drew on his own firsthand observations, personal experiences during his judicial appointments, and oral accounts related by his father, Abu al-Qasim Ali ibn Muhammad al-Tanukhi .
Reception and Editions
Abu Mansur al-Tha'alibi praised the book in Yatimat al-dahr, highlighting its beauty, artistic charm, and auspicious nature, remarking that its fame surpassed proverbs and traveled faster than imagination .
The book was translated into Ottoman Turkish by Lutfullah ibn Hasan al-Tuqati (d. 900 AH; another report gives 904 AH) . Modern printings include an edition published by Dar al-Hilal in Cairo (1903–1904) and a critical edition in five volumes prepared by Abbud al-Shalji, published by Dar Sadir in Beirut (1398 AH / 1978 CE) .
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