Masari al-Ushshaq

Masari al-Ushshaq (The Fatalities of Lovers) is an Arabic literary anthology compiled by the Baghdadi scholar, traditionist, and poet al-Siraj al-Qari (d. 500 AH / 1106 CE), documenting stories, poetry, and biographical anecdotes of passionate lovers who perished or suffered out of intense love Tarikh al-Adab al-Arabi l…+1.

Content and Structure

The work collects anecdotes, literary reports, and poetry concerning passionate lovers across various backgrounds, including bedouins, urbanites, and devout ascetics and worshippers (al-ubbad wa-l-nussak) whose hearts were overwhelmed by longing and affection Tarikh al-Adab al-Arabi l…+1. The author arranged the text into twenty-four parts (ajza'), opening each individual section with original poetic verses composed specifically for it Mujam al-Matbuat al-Arabi…+1. At the beginning of the first part, he inscribed the lines Tarikh al-Adab al-Arabi l…+1:

هذا كتاب مصارع العشّاق ... صرعتهم أيدي نوى وفراق تصنيف من لدغ الفراق فؤاده ... وتطلّب الراقي فعزّ الراقي "This is the book of the battlegrounds of lovers, struck down by the hands of distance and separation; Authored by one whose heart was stung by departure, who sought a healer, yet no healer could be found." Tarikh al-Adab al-Arabi l…+1

Methodology and Transmission

Reflecting al-Siraj al-Qari's training as a scholar of hadith, the narratives and poetic fragments in the book are recorded with explicit chains of transmission (asānīd) tracing back to earlier authorities, narrators, and witnesses Tazyin al-Aswaq fi Akhbar…+1.

The work enjoyed wide audition and transmission in Baghdad and beyond Dhayl Tabaqat al-Hanabila…. Among the primary transmitters through whom the text survived was the renowned female scholar and calligrapher Shuhdah bint al-Ibari (d. 574 AH / 1178 CE), who held direct audition of the book from al-Siraj; the historian and jurist Ibn al-Jawzi studied and read Masari al-Ushshaq directly under her instruction Tarikh al-Adab al-Arabi l…+1.

Influence and Editions

Masari al-Ushshaq served as an influential source for later Arabic love literature and encyclopedias of passion Dhayl Tabaqat al-Hanabila…. The Mamluk scholar Ibrahim ibn Umar al-Biqa'i (d. 885 AH / 1480 CE) incorporated al-Siraj's entire text into his own expanded compilation, adding substantial supplementary material to form a large single volume Dhayl Tabaqat al-Hanabila…. Elements and narratives from the work were also adapted in other compilations, including Tazyin al-Aswaq fi Akhbar al-Ushshaq by Dawud al-Antaki Tazyin al-Aswaq fi Akhbar….

The book has been published in multiple modern editions, beginning with an early printing by Matba'at al-Jawa'ib in Istanbul (1301 AH / 1883 CE), followed by multi-volume printings in Beirut, including editions issued by Dar Sadir and Dar Bayrut Mirat al-Zaman fi Tawarik…+1.