Qalaid al-Juman fi Faraid Shuara Hatha al-Zaman
- Author died
- 654 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah
Qalaid al-Juman fi Faraid Shuara Hatha al-Zaman (Necklaces of Pearls on the Unique Gems Among the Poets of This Age) is a multi-volume biographical dictionary and anthology of 7th-century AH poets compiled by the Mosul-born historian and man of letters Ibn al-Sha'ar (593–654 AH / 1197–1256 CE) . The book is also widely known and referenced under the title ‘Uqud al-Juman fi Shu‘ara’ [Hadha] al-Zaman .
Background and Purpose
After Ibn al-Sha'ar completed his work Tuhfat al-Wuzara’, which served as a continuation (dhayl) to the Mu‘jam al-Shu‘ara’ of Abu Ubayd Allah al-Marzubani covering poets from al-Marzubani's death down to the year 600 AH (a work finished in Sha‘ban 631 AH), he resolved to compose a separate, comprehensive compendium devoted to the poets who entered the 7th century AH . He intended it to preserve the records of his contemporaries and those whom he had directly witnessed or encountered, recording both prominent and minor figures .
Structure and Methodology
The compilation is organized alphabetically by the names of the biographees according to the letters of the Arabic alphabet (huruf al-mu‘jam) . Ibn al-Sha'ar spent approximately fifty years collecting and recording poetry and biographical data while traveling and residing at home .
Within each entry, the author provides genealogical information, places and dates of birth and death when known, personal narratives, anecdotes, and selections of their poetry, intentionally including both substantial verse and lighter or lesser material (al-samin wa-al-ghathth) to ensure comprehensive documentation of the period's literary production .
Transmission and Reception
The book served as an essential primary source for later biographers and historians documenting the literary life of the 7th century AH . Scholars who narrated from Ibn al-Sha'ar or utilized his biographical materials include Abd al-Mu'min ibn Khalaf al-Dimyati, Ibn al-Fuwati—who commended the author’s efforts and noted that he relied extensively on his works—and Baha' al-Din Ali ibn Isa al-Irbili . Later authors, including Qutb al-Din al-Yunini in Dhayl Mir’at al-Zaman and Ibn al-‘Imadiyya in Dhayl Takmilat al-Ikmal, drew heavily upon the text, sometimes referring to it simply as Tarikh al-Shu‘ara’ or Shu‘ara’ al-Zaman .
Manuscript volumes of the text are preserved in collections such as the As‘ad Efendi library (volumes 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10), and a facsimile edition of these manuscripts was published in Frankfurt in 1410 AH / 1990 CE . A manuscript was also recorded as being preserved in the Sumaysatiyya madrasa .
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