al-Mustajad min Fi'lat al-Ajwad
- Author died
- 384 AH
- Editions
- al-Mustajad min Fi'lat al-Ajwad
al-Mustajad min Fi'lat al-Ajwad (The Choice Selection of Noble Deeds of the Generous) is an Arabic adab work compiled by the judge and man of letters al-Muhsin ibn Ali al-Tanukhi (327–384 AH / 939–994 CE) . The book compiles narratives, historical anecdotes, and verses celebrating the virtue of generosity and recording the deeds of renowned benefactors across the pre-Islamic and Islamic eras .
Composition and Purpose
In his introduction, al-Tanukhi states that he composed the book in response to a request from a patron or friend who asked him to assemble the finest accounts of generous figures and the most exemplary deeds of noble men . He selected material that came immediately to mind, seeking narratives that would captivate readers and listeners, and gave the work its title so that it would correspond directly to its subject and fulfill the requester’s aim .
Reception and Related Works
In literary criticism, the work has been characterized as a thematic counterpart to the portrayal of avarice by al-Jahiz, showcasing portraits of the munificent just as al-Jahiz had depicted misers . Among early biographers, Ibn Khallikan explicitly recorded the title among al-Tanukhi's works, and later historians, such as Ibn al-Imad in Shadharat al-Dhahab, cited it from him .
The philologist and man of letters Abu al-Fath al-Bulayti (524–599 AH / 1130–1202 CE) wrote a continuation and supplement to the work, entitled al-Mustazad 'ala al-Mustajad fi Fi'lat al-Ajwad .
Manuscripts and Publication
A manuscript copy of the text was preserved in Kirkuk in the possession of Mulla Sabir . The work was printed in a lithographic edition in Stuttgart in 1939, spanning 215 pages of text and indices alongside a 26-page German introduction . It was subsequently edited by Muhammad Kurd Ali and published in Damascus under the auspices of the Arab Scientific Academy . Modern editor Abbud al-Shalji observed regarding the printed Damascus edition that certain narratives within it are transmitted on the authority of the author's son, Ali ibn al-Muhsin al-Tanukhi .
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