Nafhat al-Yaman fima yazul bi dhikrihi al-shajan
- Author died
- 1253 AH
- Editions
- Matba'at al-Taqaddum al-'Ilmiyyah
Nafhat al-Yaman fima yazul bi-dhikrihi al-shajan (The Breeze of Yemen Concerning What Dispels Grief upon Mention) is an Arabic literary anthology compiled by the Yemeni man of letters Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Shirwani (d. 1253 AH / 1837 CE; variants give 1250 AH or 1256 AH) . It gathers curated selections of prose, poetry, and moral and entertaining anecdotes .
Composition and Contents
Al-Shirwani compiled and structured the work in India at the prompting of the British Orientalist Matthew Lumsden, and it was produced under the auspices of Fort William College in Calcutta . In personal passages within the text, the author recounts episodes from his travels prior to settling in India, such as his visit to Zabid in 1224 AH (1809 CE) and his onward journey to al-Hudaydah .
The book is arranged into five chapters (abwab) . It consists of prose and poetic selections (muntakhabat) spanning admired stories and narratives (al-hikayat wa-l-riwayat al-mustahsana), literary verses, and moral exhortations designed to instruct and entertain .
Publication and Reception
Nafhat al-Yaman was first printed in Calcutta in 1226 AH / 1811 CE (603 pages) . It was reissued in multiple editions across the Islamic world, including:
- Calcutta in 1881 CE (286 pages) .
- Bombay in 1307 AH (329 pages) .
- Cairo in 1311 AH (224 pages), followed by an edition printed at Matba'at Abd al-Raziq in 1315 AH (124 pages), and another at al-Matba'ah al-Sharqiyyah in 1324 AH (220 pages) .
The anthology circulated widely beyond India and became known in Egypt as an accessible work of literary counsel and moral guidance, as noted by the Egyptian essayist Zaki Mubarak .
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