al-Mustatraf fi Kull Fann Mustazraf
- Author died
- 852 AH
- Editions
- 'Alam al-Kutub
Al-Mustatraf fī Kull Fann Mustaẓraf (The Novelties of Every Elegant Art) is an Arabic anthology of adab (belles-lettres), ethics, and cultural miscellany compiled by the Egyptian scholar and writer Shihāb al-Dīn al-Abshīhī (d. 850 AH / 1446 CE or 852 AH / 1448 CE). The work serves as a comprehensive compendium designed to bring together edifying wisdom, moral counsel, literary refinement, historical lore, and entertaining anecdotes.
Purpose and Sources
In his introduction, al-Abshīhī explained that he observed earlier scholars compiling voluminous treatises across various fields of literature, exhortation, and narratives, each containing distinct insights. Seeking divine guidance, he gathered selections from these works into a single refined collection encompassing every pleasing art.
Among his most prominent source texts, al-Abshīhī acknowledged drawing extensively from:
- Rabīʿ al-Abrār (The Spring of the Virtuous) by al-Zamakhsharī
- al-ʿIqd al-Farīd (The Unique Necklace) by Ibn ʿAbd Rabbih
He also gathered subtleties and choice selections from numerous other esteemed books.
Content and Method
The book integrates religious proofs and secular literary material, supporting discussions with verses from the Qur'an and authentic hadiths of the Prophet. It incorporates edifying stories of the righteous, poetic proverbs, linguistic nuances, historical reports, and serious discourses alongside humorous jests, oddities, and delicate poetry. The text balances gravity with lighthearted entertainment to bring solace and joy to readers.
Reception, Editions, and Translations
The book became one of the most widely circulated and popular adab miscellanies across centuries. It was repeatedly printed in Egypt, including editions produced at Bulaq (1272 AH and 1285 AH), the Muhammad Shahin Press (1277 AH), the Castelli Press (1279 AH), Muhammad Mustafa (1300 AH), Sharaf (1302 AH), 'Abd al-Razzaq (1304, 1306, and 1311 AH), and al-Maymaniyya (1308 and 1321 AH). Modern editors have also published multiple versions of varying precision.
The orientalist G. Rat translated the work into French, published in Paris between 1899 and 1902 in two large volumes comprising around 1,600 pages.
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