al-Tashbihat li-Ibn Abi Awn
- Author died
- 322 AH
- Editions
- al-Tashbihat li-Ibn Abi Awn
al-Tashbihat (also known as Kitab al-Tashbihat, "The Book of Similes") is a thematic anthology and critical compendium of Arabic poetic similes compiled by the Baghdadi scribe and author Ibn Abi Awn (d. 322 AH / 934 CE) .
Purpose and Composition
Ibn Abi Awn composed the work in response to a request to compile apt and striking poetic similes (tashbihat) . In his introduction, he states that earlier anthologists had selected and evaluated verses without categorizing similes into topical chapters . He classifies effective poetry into three main categories:
- Current maxims or proverbs (al-mathal al-sa'ir) .
- Rare metaphors (al-isti'arah al-gharibah) .
- Apt and rare similes (al-tashbih al-waqi' al-nadir) .
Ibn Abi Awn considers simile to be the most sublime and intellectually demanding of these three divisions, asserting that it can only be achieved through sustained reflection, refined perception, and subtle discernment . He notes that he intended to follow this work with companion books on proverbs and metaphors .
Structure and Content
The anthology begins with examples of divine similes from the Quran as the foremost authority on eloquence . The verses are then organized into 91 thematic chapters covering a wide range of motifs across both ancient (pre-Islamic and early Islamic) and modern (muhdathun) Arabic poetry . The chapters address topics such as:
- Astronomical bodies, including the Pleiades (Chapter 2), the sun, and the moon .
- Weapons and martial imagery, such as swords (Chapter 26) .
- Desert relics and hearthstones (al-athafi, Chapter 32) .
- Wine and drinking gatherings (Chapter 34) .
- The description of poetry and verse crafting (Chapter 43) .
- Miscellaneous similes and standalone verses (Chapter 91) .
Reception and Influence
Kitab al-Tashbihat served as a pioneering prototype for specialized rhetorical anthologies dedicated to similes in both the Islamic East and West . In al-Andalus, Ibn al-Kattani modeled his Kitab al-Tashbihat min ash'ar ahl al-Andalus directly upon it, sharing fifty chapter titles with Ibn Abi Awn's work . In later centuries, authors such as Ali ibn Zafir al-Azdi drew on Ibn Abi Awn's precedent when composing works on the same subject, including Ghara'ib al-tanbihat 'ala 'aja'ib al-tashbihat .
The book is recorded by bibliographers such as Ibn al-Nadim in al-Fihrist and Yaqut al-Hamawi in Mu'jam al-Udaba' .
Modern Publication
The text was edited from manuscript by Muhammad Abdul Mu'id Khan and published in the E. J. W. Gibb Memorial Series in London and Cambridge in 1950 .
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