Dhamm al-Thuqala
- Author died
- 309 AH
- Editions
- Mu'assasat 'Ulūm al-Qur'ān
Dhamm al-Thuqala (The Censure of the Tiresome) is an Arabic literary anthology compiled by the Baghdadi scholar and man of letters Ibn al-Marzuban al-Mahuli (d. 309 AH / 921 CE), devoted to the critique and satire of tedious, overstaying, and unwelcome companions .
Background and Authorship
The work was authored by Abu Bakr (also recorded as Abu Abd Allah) Muhammad ibn Khalaf ibn al-Marzuban al-Ajurri al-Mahuli, a litterateur and transmitter of historical and literary lore (akhbari) based in al-Mahwal, a village west of Baghdad . Bibliographers such as Ibn al-Nadim in al-Fihrist and Shams al-Din al-Dawudi in Tabaqat al-Mufassirin recorded Dhamm al-Thuqala among Ibn al-Marzuban's known thematic monographs .
Contents and Structure
The book is structured around narrated reports (akhbar), prophetic traditions, sayings of early authorities, humorous anecdotes (mulah), and satirical poetry addressing the burden that intrusive or ungracious individuals (al-thuqala', singular thaqil) impose on social gatherings . Ibn al-Marzuban transmits these accounts with chains of transmission (isnads), including reports received from teachers such as Ibn Abi al-Dunya and Ahmad ibn Zuhayr .
The text opens with the Quranic context of social etiquette, citing the narration of Anas ibn Malik regarding the occasion of revelation of the verse فَإِذَا طَعِمْتُمْ فَانْتَشِرُوا ("When you have eaten, disperse") during the Prophet's ﷺ wedding banquet with Zaynab, as well as statements noting divine censure of burdensome overstaying . It incorporates prophetic hadiths reproaching unpleasant social conduct, including the statement: أبغضكم إليّ الثرثارون والمتشدقون المتفيهقون ("The most hateful of you to me are the garrulous, the pompous, and the overbearing") .
The collection further compiles maxims and reactions from early figures to tedious company:
- A statement traced to Umar ibn al-Khattab asserting that whoever feels immune from being tedious is indeed tedious .
- Supplications attributed to Abu Hurayrah when burdened by someone's company: "O Allah, forgive him and relieve us of him" .
- Anecdotes and quips from scholars and poets such as Al-A'mash, Al-Sha'bi, and Waki' describing how they avoided or endured tiresome visitors, alongside classical and contemporary verses satirizing intrusive table-companions and overbearing guests .
The work concludes with anecdotes and verses, ending with a report concerning Hurayrah, the muse of the pre-Islamic poet Al-A'sha .
Manuscripts and Editions
Manuscript copies of the treatise have survived, including one preserved in the Zahiriyyah Library in Damascus . Modern published editions include:
- An edition edited by Ma'mun Mahmud Yasin, published by Mu'assasat 'Ulum al-Qur'an and Dar Ibn Kathir (Sharjah, 1412 AH / 1991–1992 CE) .
- An edition published by Manshurat al-Jamal (Cologne, 1999) .
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