al-Tuhaf wal-Hadaya
- Author died
- 371 AH
- Editions
- al-Tuhaf wal-Hadaya
al-Tuhaf wal-Hadaya (Gifts and Presents) is an Arabic adab anthology compiled by the brother-poets al-Khalidiyan—Abu Bakr Muhammad and Abu 'Uthman Sa'id ibn Hashim al-Khalidi (d. 4th century AH / 10th century CE)—bringing together poetry, prose, and historical anecdotes concerning the practice and etiquette of gift-giving.
Purpose and Methodology
The authors compiled the work upon the request of a patron who commissioned them to select choice poetic and prose material on the subject of gifts and presents, while omitting extraneous or trivial material. In their introduction, the authors observe that verse concerning gifts is rare in the poetry of earlier generations (al-mutaqaddimun) but widely prevalent among modern poets (al-muhdathun). They organized the subject into eleven categories, selecting the finest specimens of each and pairing the poetry with historical narratives, rare anecdotes (nawadir), and related accounts (athar).
Structure
The work is organized into eleven thematic chapters (abwab):
- Those who sent a gift accompanied by poetry.
- Those who received a gift and expressed gratitude in verse.
- Those who requested a gift through verse.
- Those who requested a gift without poetry.
- Historical reports and general anecdotes regarding gifts.
- Those who criticized or disparaged gifts presented to them, in verse or prose.
- Those who solicited a gift but were denied or made to wait, and subsequently reproached or expressed impatience in verse.
- Those who refused to accept gifts out of self-respect or pious abstinence.
- Poetry by those unable to afford gifts who confined themselves to supplication and praise.
- Gifts sent by regional rulers to the sovereign along with their accompanying letters.
- The gifts and offerings of fools and the simple-minded.
Publication
The text was edited by Sami al-Dahhan and printed by Dar al-Ma'arif in Egypt in 1952. Another Cairo printing appeared in 1956.
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