Lubab al-Adab li-Usama ibn Munqidh

Lubab al-Adab (The Essence of Belles-Lettres) is an anthology of ethical counsels, governance, wisdom, and literature compiled by the Arab knight and man of letters Usama ibn Munqidh (488–584 AH / 1095–1188 CE) Lubab al-Adab li-Usama ib…+1.

Composition and Manuscript History

Usama composed the work toward the end of his life at approximately ninety-one years of age, completing it in Safar 579 AH al-Asa - Dimn Nawadir al-…+1. The archetype copy was transcribed by the copyist Ghunaym al-Ma'arri and gifted by Usama to his son, Murhaf ibn Usama, in Damascus in 582 AH, bearing Murhaf's handwritten inscription of the gift Lubab al-Adab li-Usama ib…+1.

This original manuscript comprised 249 folios arranged in twenty-one quires, missing only six leaves from the second quire and part of the margin of the final leaf Lubab al-Adab li-Usama ib…. It came into the possession of Ya'qub Sarruf, editor of the journal al-Muqtataf, who documented its characteristics in 1907 Lubab al-Adab li-Usama ib…+1. Another manuscript copy was later identified in the Egyptian National Library (Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya), where it had previously been cataloged under Sufism Lubab al-Adab li-Usama ib….

Structure and Contents

The work is organized into seven major books (kutub):

1. al-Wasaya (Counsels and Testaments) Tarikh al-Adab al-Arabi l…+1
2. al-Siyasa (Governance and Statecraft) Tarikh al-Adab al-Arabi l…+1
3. al-Karam (Generosity) Tarikh al-Adab al-Arabi l…+1
4. al-Shaja'a (Courage and Bravery) Tarikh al-Adab al-Arabi l…+1
5. al-Adab (Good Manners and Moral Character), which is subdivided into fifteen thematic chapters: cultivating etiquette, concealing secrets, trustworthiness, humility, good neighbourliness, guarding the tongue, contentment, patience, modesty, avoiding ostentation, reconciliation among people, abstaining from begging, warnings against injustice, beneficence, and encouraging good deeds Tarikh al-Adab al-Arabi l…+1.
6. al-Balagha (Eloquence), which addresses the inimitability of the Quran, the concise speech of the Prophet Muhammad, examples of eloquent orators, and select poetry illustrating high morals Tarikh al-Adab al-Arabi l…+1.
7. al-Hikma (Wisdom and Aphorisms) Tarikh al-Adab al-Arabi l…+1.

Method and Sources

Under each topic, Usama adduces relevant passages from the Quran, prophetic hadiths, the sayings of Arab and non-Arab sages, and prose and poetic selections Tarikh al-Adab al-Arabi l…+1. The text also includes forty-two lines of Usama's own poetry interspersed across various topics Lubab al-Adab li-Usama ib….

Editions

The work was edited by the Egyptian scholar Ahmad Muhammad Shakir and published in Cairo by Louis Sarkis in 1935 Majallat al-Risala+1. Shakir provided the edition with vocalization and indexes for notable figures, historical battle days of the Arabs (Ayyam al-Arab), geographical locations, and poetic rhymes Majallat al-Risala.