Qasidat Unwan al-Hikam
- Author died
- 400 AH
- Editions
- Maktab al-Matbu'at al-Islamiyyah
Qasidat Unwan al-Hikam (The Title of Wisdom) is a didactic Arabic poem of wisdom, ethics, and moral counsel composed by Abu al-Fath al-Busti (d. 400 AH / 1010 CE).
Opening and Form
The poem rhymes in the letter nūn and begins with the widely cited opening verse:
زِيَادَةُ المَرْءِ فِي دُنْيَاهُ نُقْصَانُ ... وَرِبْحُهُ غَيْرَ مَحْضِ الخَيْرِ خُسْرَانُ
"A person's increase in his worldly life is a diminution; and his gain, if not sheer goodness, is ruin."
Themes and Content
The poem presents a collection of moral admonitions (mawāʿiẓ) and maxims (ḥikam). It cautions against attachment to worldly pleasures and the relentless accumulation of wealth, describing worldly joy as fleeting and deceptive. It urges the listener to focus on spiritual cultivation rather than physical indulgence, observing that human worth lies in the soul rather than the body:
أَقْبِلْ عَلَى النَّفْسِ وَاسْتَكْمِلْ فَضَائِلَهَا ... فَأَنْتَ بِالنَّفْسِ لاَ بِالجِسْمِ إِنْسَانُ
"Attend to the soul and perfect its virtues, for you are human by virtue of the soul, not the body."
The text also highlights interpersonal virtues, advocating generosity, pardon, and benevolence toward others, famously noting that acts of kindness win people's hearts. Alongside social ethics, it stresses piety (taqwā), total reliance on God, and holding fast to God's rope as the only enduring pillar in the face of misfortune.
Attribution and Reception
The zoologist and scholar al-Damiri praised the work as a masterfully composed, resounding poem rich in counsel and wisdom, noting that scholars composed continuations (dhayl) upon it. Although conventionally attributed to Abu al-Fath al-Busti, an alternative report ascribes its authorship to the Abbasid caliph al-Radi bi-Allah. The poem has been frequently anthologized in collections of Arabic literature, ascetic verse, and pedagogical texts.
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