al-Shakwa wa al-Itab
- Author died
- 429 AH
- Editions
- National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters
al-Shakwa wa al-Itab (Arabic: الشكوى والعتاب, lit. 'Complaint and Reproach'), also known by its fuller title al-Shakwa wa al-Itab wa-ma waqa‘a li-l-khillan wa-l-ashab (الشكوى والعتاب وما وقع للخلان والأصحاب, 'Complaint and Reproach and What Befell Friends and Companions'), is an Arabic literary anthology by the philologist and man of letters Abu Mansur al-Thaalibi (350–429 AH / 961–1038 CE) .
Subject and Contents
The work belongs to the genre of thematic adab and ethical literature (al-adab al-akhlaqi) . It collects prose sayings, poetic excerpts, epistles, aphorisms, and anecdotes addressing the themes of friendly grievance (shakwa), mutual reproach (‘itab), emotional estrangement, and the vicissitudes of companionship among close friends and peers (al-khillan wa-l-ashab) .
Across its entries, the text brings together traditions and verses attributed to early figures, poets, and prose writers—including Abu al-Darda, al-Ahnaf ibn Qays, Abu Bakr al-Suli, al-Mutanabbi, and Badi al-Zaman al-Hamadhani—illustrating the manners of remonstrance, the boundaries between gentle blame and enmity, and reflections on patience and the turning of time .
Manuscripts and Publication
Manuscript copies of the treatise have been preserved in collections including Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya in Cairo and the Institute of Arabic Manuscripts (Ma‘had al-Makhtutat al-‘Arabiyya) . The text was edited by Ilham Abd al-Wahhab al-Mufti and published in Kuwait by the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (al-Majlis al-Watani li-l-Thaqafah wa-l-Funun wa-l-Adab) in 1421 AH / 2000 CE .
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