Uns al-Masjun wa Rahat al-Mahzun
- Author died
- 625 AH
- Editions
- Dār Ṣādir
Uns al-Masjun wa Rahat al-Mahzun (The Solace of the Imprisoned and the Relief of the Grieved) is a 7th-century AH (13th-century CE) general adab work compiled by Safi al-Din Abu al-Fath 'Isa ibn al-Buhturi al-Halabi (d. after 625 AH / 1228 CE) addressing imprisonment, adversity, and ethical fortitude .
Background and Purpose
The author composed the work as a personal reflection and reminder (tadhkirah) following a sequence of personal calamities . These misfortunes included his own imprisonment, the detention of his patron under whose favor he had been raised, the deaths of his father and brother, and the loss of his financial wealth . He compiled the text so that it would serve as an incentive for gratitude during times of prosperity and an aid to patience and solace during times of hardship .
Structure and Contents
The book is organized into nine thematic chapters (fusul):
- Gratitude (al-Shukr): On its role in sustaining blessings and averting tribulations and afflictions .
- Patience and Contentment (al-Sabr wa-al-Rida): On submission and finding solace amid hardship .
- Death (al-Mawt): On mortality and the severing of earthly ties between families and companions .
- Imprisonment and Detainment (al-Sijn wa-al-Ta'wiq): On incarceration and accounts of individuals who transitioned from confinement to relief .
- Hypocrisy of Friends (Nifaq al-Ashab wa-al-Ikhwan): On the fickleness of companions and their shifting loyalties with changing circumstances .
- Contentment and Detachment (al-Qana'ah wa-al-Ya's): On ascetic self-sufficiency regarding worldly possessions held by others .
- Noble Character and Generosity (Makarim al-Akhlaq wa-al-Karam): On commendable virtues and traits .
- Piety and Trustworthiness (al-Taqwa wa-al-Amanah): On curbing desires and upholding religious devotion .
- Dispraise of Worldly Life (Dhamm al-Dunya): On ascetic detachment from the world and the fluctuating fortunes of its inhabitants .
Although the title references imprisonment specifically, only the fourth chapter is devoted directly to incarceration; the naming represents the traditional rhetorical convention of naming the whole work after a prominent part (tasmiyat al-kull bi-ism al-juz'), with the remaining chapters providing broader moral and emotional context for enduring tribulation .
Sources and Methodology
The author drew material from classical historical and literary works, explicitly citing figures and texts such as al-Muhassin ibn 'Ali al-Tanukhi, al-Mas'udi, and Majalis Tha'lab . He also incorporated direct personal transmissions, including accounts heard from the Sufi master Awhad al-Din al-Kirmani (d. 635 AH / 1238 CE) . Alongside historical narratives and moral aphorisms, al-Halabi interspersed his own poetry written during his hardships, characterized by emotional reflection on his distress .
Reception and Manuscript Tradition
The compilation preserves rare literary material and serves as a witness to several lost works . Critical assessments note that it contains textual errors and misattributions of certain sayings, occasional straying from chapter themes—such as inserting narratives on generosity into the chapter on contentment before concluding it—and the repetition of two distinct reports elsewhere in the text .
A surviving manuscript of seventy-one folios is held at the British Museum (British Library, MS 19534 / 1097), copied in Rabi' al-Awwal 889 AH by Uways ibn Khalil ibn 'Ali al-Muhammadi al-Uwayrati . It was edited by Muhammad Adib al-Jadir and published by Dar Sadir in Beirut .
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