Atwaq al-Dhahab fi al-Mawaiz wa al-Khutab = Kitab al-Maqalat
- Author died
- 538 AH
- Editions
- Maṭbaʿat Nukhbat al-Akhbār
Atwaq al-Dhahab fi al-Mawaiz wa al-Khutab (Necklaces of Gold in Exhortations and Sermons), also known as Kitab al-Maqalat (The Book of Discourses) and al-Nasa'ih al-Sighar (The Lesser Counsels), is an ethical and homiletic work by the philologist and theologian Abu al-Qasim Mahmud ibn Umar al-Zamakhshari (467–538 AH / 1075–1144 CE) .
Structure and Content
The work is arranged into one hundred short discourses (maqalat) containing moral advice, sermons, and maxims . Following a brief prefatory homily (khutbah), each discourse addresses ethical, spiritual, and behavioral themes composed in rhymed prose (saj'). The individual sections treat matters such as the value of piety and knowledge over worldly wealth and lineage, the necessity of humility, and the fleeting nature of human lifespan .
Influence, Commentaries, and Editions
The book served as a model for subsequent literary imitations, notably Sharaf al-Din Abd al-Mu'min al-Isfahani (known as Ibn Shufruwah), who authored his work Atbaq al-Dhahab (Dishes of Gold) directly on the pattern of Atwaq al-Dhahab .
The text has been commented upon and published in multiple editions and translations:
- An edition was published in Beirut in 1293 AH .
- It was printed in Beirut in 1314 AH accompanied by a commentary by Shaykh Yusuf al-Asir .
- In 1321 AH, it was printed in Egypt with a commentary by Mirza Yusuf Khan ibn I'tisam al-Mulk under the title Qala'id al-Adab fi Sharh Atwaq al-Dhahab .
- The work was translated into German and published alongside the Arabic text in Vienna (1835 CE) and in Stuttgart (1863 CE), and it was translated into French and published in Paris in 1876 CE .
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