al-Jalis al-Salih al-Kafi wa al-Anis al-Nasih al-Shafi
- Author died
- 390 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah
al-Jalis al-Salih al-Kafi wa al-Anis al-Nasih al-Shafi (The Righteous and Sufficient Companion, and the Sincere and Healing Intimate) is an encyclopedic anthology of belles-lettres (adab), hadith, legal insights, and lore by the Baghdadi judge and scholar al-Muafa ibn Zakariya (d. 390 AH / 1000 CE) .
Purpose and Conception
In his introduction, al-Mu'afa explains that he composed the work to serve as a comprehensive, steadfast companion for the reader, noting that an instructive book functions like a wise, trustworthy friend whose company never exhausts and whose counsel never betrays . He aimed to gather diverse branches of knowledge, fine speech, pearls of wisdom, and witty anecdotes without confining the material into rigid chapters or thematic divisions, deliberately presenting principal matters followed by spontaneous expositions of their offshoots to keep the reader engaged and prevent boredom .
Structure and Method
The work is organized in the form of successive didactic sessions (majalis) . Each session typically opens with a prophetic hadith, a report from the early generations, or a literary narrative transmitted with full chains of transmission (isnads) from al-Mu'afa's teachers, such as the grammarian Niftawayh (Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn 'Arafa) and others .
Following the transmitted text, al-Mu'afa provides extensive commentary that incorporates:
- Linguistic and Lexicographical Analysis: Clarifying obscure vocabulary, grammatical structures, and figurative speech .
- Poetic Evidence: Citing classical verses and contemporary poetry to illustrate semantic nuances and ethical themes .
- Moral and Practical Wisdom: Deriving legal, ethical, and social lessons regarding friendship, governance, and human conduct .
Transmission and Modern Publication
The work circulated among later traditionists and literary scholars; Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani recorded his chain of transmission for the book—often cited under the abridged title al-Jalis wa al-Anis—in his bibliography al-Mu'jam al-Mufahras . In modern times, the text was edited by Muhammad Mursi al-Khuli .
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