Diwan Abi al-Aswad al-Duali
- Author died
- 275 AH
- Editions
- Dār wa-Maktabat al-Hilāl
Diwan Abi al-Aswad al-Duali (The Poetic Collection of Abu al-Aswad al-Duali) is an early compilation of the verse and associated anecdotes of the early grammarian and poet Abu al-Aswad al-Duali (d. 69 AH / 688 CE), collected and edited by the philologist Abu Said al-Sukkari (d. 275 AH / 888 CE).
Compilation and Transmission
The primary classical recension of the Diwan was established by Abu Said al-Sukkari, who based his text on the transmissions of Muhammad ibn Habib via Abu Amr al-Shaybani and Ibn al-Arabi. Al-Sukkari also collated his material with the text of Ahmad ibn Yahya Thalab and cross-referenced the copy of Abu Amr al-Shaybani preserved by Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Sari. The collection was subsequently transmitted through Abu al-Khattab al-Abbas ibn Ahmad ibn al-Furat to Abu al-Qasim Ubayd Allah ibn Uthman al-Daqqaq, who recited it in Baghdad at the Congregational Mosque of the Round City in Safar 386 AH. Another recension of Abu al-Aswad's verse was transmitted by the grammarian Abu al-Fath Uthman ibn Jinni (d. 392 AH).
Themes and Scholarly Reception
The collection contains poetic pieces reflecting Abu al-Aswad's life and environment, ranging from aphorisms and moral admonition to personal disputes, social interactions, and elegies. Notable among these are poems articulating ethical maxims, counsel on temperance, and verses professing devotion to Ali ibn Abi Talib and his family alongside political commentary from the early Umayyad era.
Scholars of Arabic grammar and lexicography drew on the Diwan as a source of linguistic evidence (shawahid). In modern criticism, scholars such as Oskar Rescher evaluated the poems as leaning toward everyday matters, personal entreaties, and didactic themes rather than high artistic ornamentation, with Rescher publishing a German translation of his verse.
Related Materials and Publications
In addition to al-Sukkari's recension, an earlier compilation of Abu al-Aswad's poetry was assembled by al-Asmai (d. 210–217 AH), though it was lost as an independent work and only fragments survive in later citations. Compilations of his lore and poetry also preserve surviving transmissions attributed to Abu Ubaydah and al-Madaini.
Manuscripts of the Diwan are preserved in library collections, including Murad Mulla and Leipzig. Modern printed editions include that edited by Abd al-Karim al-Dujayli in Baghdad (1954), as well as editions and supplements prepared by Muhammad Hasan Al Yasin, alongside publications in Beirut.
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