Sharh Naqaid Jarir wal-Farazdaq
- Author died
- 209 AH
- Editions
- al-Majmaʿ al-Thaqāfī
Sharh Naqaid Jarir wal-Farazdaq (Commentary on the Flytings of Jarir and al-Farazdaq) is a classical Arabic collection and commentary compiled by the Basran philologist and genealogist Abu Ubayda Ma'mar ibn al-Muthanna (110–209 AH / 728–824 CE) . It gathers the poetic flytings (naqa'id) and mutual lampoons exchanged between the prominent Umayyad poets Jarir (d. 110 AH / 728 CE) and al-Farazdaq (d. 110 AH / 728 CE), accompanied by extensive historical and genealogical commentary .
Content and Scope
The work is a poetic compendium (diwan) recording the satirical contest and poetic rivalries (al-tanaqud fi al-hija') between Jarir ibn Atiyya and al-Farazdaq (Hammam ibn Ghalib) . Following the opening preface, the text details the historical incident that initially ignited the mutual lampooning (tahaji) between the two poets, involving a blood-money dispute between clans of the Tamim tribe .
Beyond preserving the poetic texts and their metrical rejoinders, the commentary provides detailed background narratives concerning pre-Islamic and early Islamic battle days (ayyam al-Arab), tribal lineages, personal rivalries, and the historical circumstances surrounding each poem, along with explanations of rare vocabulary and grammatical points .
Transmission
The text of the compilation was transmitted through a chain of renowned Baghdadi and Basran philologists: from Abu Ubayda, it was related by Muhammad ibn Habib (d. 245 AH), from whom it was received by al-Sukkari (al-Hasan ibn al-Husayn, d. 275 AH), and subsequently by Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn al-Abbas al-Yazidi (d. 310 AH) . In compiling his historical and genealogical material, Abu Ubayda drew upon reports from informants connected to the poets' families, including Mis-hal ibn Kusayb ibn Imran, a descendant of Jarir's family .
According to Ibn al-Nadim, several early scholars compiled recensions of the naqa'id between Jarir and al-Farazdaq: while Abu Ubayda compiled the primary recension, al-Asma'i transmitted another version of lesser scope, al-Sukkari refined and improved the recension, and Abu al-Mughith al-Awdi produced a compilation transmitted by Tha'lab .
Publication
The work was edited and published in Leiden by the British orientalist Anthony Ashley Bevan between 1905 and 1912 in three volumes . The edition was prepared based on manuscripts preserved in Oxford, London, and Strasbourg, with additional collation from a manuscript in Baghdad for the third volume . The publication includes an English introduction in the first volume, the edited text across the first and second volumes, and comprehensive indices, a glossary, and addenda in the third volume .
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