Amali al-Yazidi
- Author died
- 310 AH
- Editions
- Maṭbaʿat Jamʿīyat Dāʾirat al-Maʿārif
Amali al-Yazidi (The Dictations of al-Yazidi) is an early classical Arabic literary and philological compilation by the Baghdadi scholar and transmitter Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn al-Abbas al-Yazidi (228–310 AH / 842–922 CE; also reported 313 AH) . It gathers a broad variety of poetry, metered verse, historical reports, and literary anecdotes transmitted through the author's scholarly lineage .
Historical Context
The work belongs to the genre of literary amali (dictation sessions). Within the development of literary dictations, it is classified among the earliest compilations, following the Majalis of Abu al-Abbas Tha'lab (200–291 AH) and preceding or coinciding with the Amali of Abu Ishaq al-Zajjaj (d. 311 AH) and that of Jahzah al-Barmaki (d. 324 AH) . The author, who died at the age of eighty-two in Jumada al-Akhirah, belonged to the prominent Yazidi family of philologists, grammarians, and historians; notable figures who transmitted from him include Abu Bakr al-Suli, al-Zajjaj, and Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani .
Content and Method
Poetry forms the dominant element of the compilation, occupying extensive sequences of complete poems and short poetic fragments (muqatta‘at) . The material spans multiple historical periods:
- Poets and eras: The collection encompasses pre-Islamic (Jahili), mukhadram (transitional), early Islamic, Umayyad, and Abbasid poets . These include prominent figures such as al-Muhalhil, al-Shammakh, al-Khansa', Malik ibn al-Rayb, Jarir, al-Farazdaq, and Ishaq al-Mawsili, alongside lesser-known or obscure poets .
- Themes: Elegies (ritha') make up the majority of the recorded verses, alongside selections dedicated to praise (madih), satire (hija'), wine (khamr), wisdom (hikmah), and nobility (su'dud) .
- Transmission: A substantial portion of the poetry is transmitted anonymously, with the author recording only the source from whom he received it—most frequently his uncle, the grammarian Abu al-Abbas al-Fadl ibn Muhammad al-Yazidi (d. 278 AH) .
- Rajaz poetry: The work includes significant selections of rajaz verses by well-known figures of the genre, such as al-Ajjaj, Rubah ibn al-Ajjaj, Abu Nukhaylah, Dukayn, and al-Marrar, presented directly without contextual narratives, commentary, or thematic introductions .
In addition to poetic material, the compilation incorporates varied historical reports (akhbar) and literary anecdotes .
Publication History
The work was first printed in Hyderabad, India, by the Da'irat al-Ma'arif al-'Uthmaniyyah in 1367 AH / 1948 CE . It was subsequently reprinted in Cairo and Beirut . An edition edited by Muhammad Nabil Tarifi was published under the title al-Marathi by the Ministry of Culture in Damascus in 1991 CE .
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