Balaghat al-Nisa
- Author died
- 280 AH
- Editions
- Maṭbaʿat Madrasat Wālidat ʿAbbās al-Awwal
Balaghat al-Nisa (The Eloquence of Women) is an Arabic literary anthology compiled by Ibn Tayfur (204–280 AH / 819–893 CE), collecting the speeches, repartees, poetry, and anecdotes of Arab women from the pre-Islamic era and early Islam.
Composition and Context
The work constitutes the eleventh volume of Ibn Tayfur's fourteen-volume encyclopedic anthology Kitab al-Manthur wa-l-Manzum (The Book of Prose and Verse). Of that larger compendium, only volumes eleven and twelve survived, with the twelfth remaining in manuscript. The eleventh volume was printed under the expanded descriptive title Balaghat al-nisa wa-tara'if kalamihinna wa-mulah nawadirihinna wa-akhbar dhawat al-ra'y minhunna wa-ash'aruhunna fi al-jahiliyya wa-l-islam (The Eloquence of Women, Their Witty Remarks, Pleasant Anecdotes, Accounts of Discerning Women Among Them, and Their Poetry in the Pre-Islamic and Islamic Eras). The book exemplifies early thematic specialization in Arabic adab literature, focusing exclusively on female eloquence and literary material, mentioning men only when directly involved in an interaction or dialogue with a woman.
Content and Structure
The book opens with accounts of discerning women, their eloquence, silencing replies, and memorable speeches, followed by their public addresses and poetry. The material is structured around several core themes:
- Prominent Early Muslim Women: It includes speeches and sayings by the Mothers of the Believers, such as Aisha and Hafsa, as well as women of the Prophet's household, including Fatima al-Zahra, Zaynab, and Umm Kulthum bint Ali. It also features notable women such as Safiyya al-Minqariyya eulogizing al-Ahnaf ibn Qays, Asma bint Abi Bakr addressing her son Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, Jumana bint al-Muhajir, and Qayla bint Makhrama.
- Political Confrontations: The anthology records dialogues between early caliphs and notable women, particularly pro-Alid women who confronted Mu'awiya I after he assumed power, such as Sawda bint Umara, al-Zarqa bint Adi, Bakkara al-Hilaliyya, and Umm al-Khayr bint al-Huraysh.
- Pre-Islamic Eloquence: It contains examples of pre-Islamic women's oratory, quick wit, and rhetorical mastery, such as the exchange between Juma and Hind, the daughters of al-Khuss, and al-Qalammas al-Kinani at the market of Ukaz.
- Social and Domestic Life: The work includes dialogues and verses on marriage, relations between spouses, disputes between co-wives, and mothers advising their daughters before marriage, such as the exchange between the daughter of Rawh ibn Zinba' and her husband al-Nu'man ibn Bashir.
- Anecdotes and Humor: The text collects witty anecdotes and exchanges involving discerning women, noble ladies, and singing maidservants, including figures such as Atika bint Abd Allah ibn Muti' with al-Walid I, Aisha bint Uthman with Sa'id ibn al-As, and al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf with Hind bint Asma ibn Kharija.
- Poetry of Women: It presents verse across various poetic categories by pre-Islamic, early Islamic, and later poets, identifying al-Khansa as the foremost among pre-Islamic and Islamic poetesses.
Sources and Transmission
Ibn Tayfur transmits the texts with scholarly chains of narration (isnad), drawing on earlier traditionists and literary scholars such as Abu Zayd Umar ibn Shabba, al-Zubayr ibn Bakkar, Abd Allah ibn Shabib, and Abu Ubayd Allah Muhammad ibn Ziyad al-A'rabi.
Publication History
The work was printed in Cairo, Egypt, in 1326 AH (1908 CE), edited by Ahmad al-Alfi, and later published in Beirut in 1987 CE.
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