al-I'tibar wa A'qab al-Surur li-Ibn Abi al-Dunya
- Author died
- 281 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Bashīr
al-I'tibar wa A'qab al-Surur (Arabic: الاعتبار وأعقاب السرور, Taking Heed and the Aftermath of Joy), also referenced as al-I'tibar wa A'qab al-Surur wa al-Ahzan (Taking Heed and the Consequences of Joy and Sorrows), is an ascetic and hortatory treatise by the Baghdadi traditionist and educator Ibn Abi al-Dunya (208–281 AH / 823–894 CE) .
Subject Matter and Themes
The work centers on admonition (i'tibar), renunciation of worldly attachment (zuhd), and the necessity of patience (sabr) when facing the vicissitudes of time . Its central theme illustrates that worldly pleasures and happiness are inherently unstable and fleeting, inevitably followed by grief, bereavement, adversity, or death .
Structure and Content
The author constructs the book around transmitted traditions, historical anecdotes, and verses of poetry illustrating sudden reversals of fortune:
- Maxims and Early Sayings: It incorporates statements from the Companions and early scholars on the transience of worldly joy, including sayings of Abdullah ibn Abbas, Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, Muhammad ibn Sirin, and Sa'id ibn Abi Burdah regarding the inescapable arrival of sorrow after laughter and ease .
- Historical Accounts of Fall and Loss: The work records reports concerning royalty and prominent figures whose elevated status gave way to sudden humiliation or tragedy. These include the Lakhmid princess Hind bint al-Nu'man reflecting on the loss of her family's kingdom, the grief of the Umayyad caliph Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik over the sudden death of his heir Ayyub from the plague, and the afflictions borne with forbearance by Urwa ibn al-Zubayr upon losing his son and leg during a visit to the caliph al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik .
- Personal Tragedies and Elegies: The text preserves moving narratives and poetic elegies of ordinary people struck by unexpected disasters, such as mothers losing all their children to cave-ins or plagues, and travelers devastated by flash floods and wild predators .
Editions
The text was edited by Najm 'Abd al-Rahman Khalaf and published in a single volume by Mu'assasat al-Risalah in Beirut alongside Dar al-Bashir in Amman (1st edition, 1413 AH / 1993 CE) .
Answer updated