Arabic Proverbs Or

This is the first detailed study that critically compares and contrasts the wisdom sentences of the Book of Proverbs with classical and post-classical Arabic proverbs; reference is also made to current Arabic proverbs. The wisdom tradition of Solomon is examined and is compared to that of the Arab sage Luqmân. The book deals with three main themes that are of special significance both in the Book of Proverbs and in Arabic proverbial works: royalty, speech and silence, wealth and poverty. The book concludes with a study of some form-critical and traditio-historical aspects of the treated proverbs. Hundreds of classical Arabic proverbs and wisdom sayings of Prophet Muḥammad appear for the first time in English.

Johann Ludwig Burckhardt (1784-1817) was born in Lausanne, Switzerland. In 1806 he first travelled to Africa with an expedition that aimed to explore the continent's inland. Three years later, he was in North Africa where he travelled widely disguised as an Arab. He became so fluent in Arabic dialects and customs that he was able to pass as an Arab merchant, gaining him access to Mecca in 1814, a city forbidden to non-Muslims. Arabic Proverbs was originally compiled by Sheref Addin Ibn Asad in Cairo at the beginning of the 18th century. Burckhardt translation was first published in 1830 as he believed these sayings may 'interest and gratify the Orientalist'. The work provides an intriguing insight into the mannerisms and customs of Egyptian people two-hundred years ago.

The book also includes: - Selected hadith utterances: the Prophet's counsel as traditionally related by Islamic peoples.- Quatrains by Omar Khayyam and Abul Alaa Al-Ma'arri, free-thinking poets of the 11th C.- Couplets by the erudite Sheikh Sadi of Shiraz, a famous Sufi poet of the 13th C.- Stories of Bahlool, a figure from folklore, and his amusing encounters in ancient Baghdad.

"This book presents a selection of more than 700 proverbs and wise sayings from the Arabic world. The dialectal forms are changed and presented in Modern Standard Arabic. The Arabic expressions are paralleled with transliterations, translations into English, and often explanations and English equivalents" --Pref.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1875.