Jawla fi Kitabay (al-Aghani) wa (al-Sayf al-Yamani)
- Author died
- 1420 AH
- Editions
- al-Jāmi‘ah al-Islāmīyah bi-al-Madīnah al-Munawwarah
Jawla fi Kitabay (al-Aghani) wa (al-Sayf al-Yamani) (A Tour of Two Books: al-Aghani and al-Sayf al-Yamani) is a critical treatise written by the Syrian Islamic scholar and writer Muhammad al-Majdhub (d. 1420 AH / 1999 CE) evaluating Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani’s (284–356 AH) Kitab al-Aghani (The Book of Songs) and reviewing the Iraqi poet Walid al-A'zami’s critique of it, Al-Sayf al-Yamani fi Nahr al-Asfahani Sahib al-Aghani (The Yemeni Sword in the Throat of al-Isfahani, Author of al-Aghani) .
Background and Composition
Al-Majdhub states that his interest in examining Kitab al-Aghani began following the public enthusiasm surrounding its Cairo reprint in the early 1930s, which was promoted by modern literary figures such as Taha Hussein and Shafiq Jabri . Al-Majdhub harbored doubts about the work's historical reliability because many of its accounts conflicted with mainstream Islamic historical transmission . He was prevented from undertaking a systematic study of its chains of transmission (isnads) for decades due to livelihood pressures, involvement in national affairs, political unrest that led to his emigration to Medina around thirty years earlier, and his subsequent academic and administrative duties at the Islamic University of Medina .
His treatise was directly prompted after reading Walid al-A'zami’s nearly 300-page book Al-Sayf al-Yamani, which al-Majdhub credited with relieving him of that long-delayed burden by exposing what he viewed as al-Isfahani's Shu'ubi bias and distortions of Islamic history . Initially drafted as a concise essay, al-Majdhub expanded it at the suggestion of colleagues before publication, focusing primarily on sample historical accounts from the twenty-four volumes of al-Aghani .
Content and Arguments
The work is organized into analytical thematic discussions addressing al-Isfahani’s biographical background, methodology, and specific historical narratives:
- Biographical Examination of al-Isfahani: Al-Majdhub outlines al-Isfahani’s lineage tracing back to Marwan ibn Muhammad, his birth in Isfahan (284 AH) and upbringing in Baghdad, his Shi'i inclination, and his career under Buyid patronage . He presents classical evaluations of al-Isfahani, contrasting literary praises by Abu Mansur al-Tha'alibi and Ibn Khallikan with severe criticisms from Ibn al-Jawzi and Ibn Taymiyyah regarding his trustworthiness and personal conduct .
- Critique of Transmission Methods: The author argues that al-Isfahani masked unreliable anecdotes behind standard hadith transmission apparatus, blending trustworthy narrators with fabricators and unknown figures to give defamatory reports an air of authority . He also notes instances where al-Isfahani recorded fantastical stories, such as singing cats or encounters with Iblis, only to superficially append caveats distancing himself from the reports .
- Defense of Abbasid Caliphs: Al-Majdhub critiques the portrayal of the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid (d. 193 AH) in al-Aghani as an excessive hedonist. Drawing on al-Dhahabi’s Siyar A'lam al-Nubala', he highlights al-Rashid's devotion, regular prayer, engagement in military campaigns, pilgrimage, and respect for Islamic scholars . He similarly defends al-Mutawakkil against al-Isfahani's depictions of frivolous court life, emphasizing his historical support for the Sunnah, suppression of the Mu'tazilites, and veneration of Ahmad ibn Hanbal .
- Refutation of Narratives on the Prophet’s Household: Al-Majdhub rejects stories in al-Aghani concerning Sukaynah bint al-Husayn, particularly claims depicting her as orchestrating musical sessions or being the subject of licentious love poetry by Umar ibn Abi Rabi'ah .
- Critique of Musicians and Corruption: Analyzing the extensive coverage given in volume five of al-Aghani to court musicians Ibrahim al-Mawsili and his son Ishaq, al-Majdhub discusses reports of lavish expenditures and corrupt financial practices involving the Barmakid vizier al-Fadl ibn Yahya .
- Critique of Modern Editors and Orientalists: While acknowledging the textual accuracy achieved by the prominent editorial committees that worked on al-Aghani—including scholars such as Ahmad Taymur Pasha, Muhammad al-Khudari, Ahmad Amin, and Hafiz Ibrahim—al-Majdhub laments that they restricted their efforts to linguistic correction rather than critically filtering or annotating misleading historical contents . He further censures Orientalists and modern writers, including Taha Hussein in works like Hadith al-Arbi'a' and Fi al-Adab al-Jahili, for amplifying al-Isfahani's accounts uncritically .
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