The translator Issa J. Boullata is a literary critic and scholar, who also writes fiction. Formerly Professor of Arabic Literature at McGill University, Montreal, Canada, he has published several books, including Trends and Issues in Contemporary Arab Thought (1990) and a novel in Arabic, Homecoming to Jerusalem (1998), in addition to numerous studies of Arabic literature, book reviews, short stories in English, and translations of Arabic poetry and novels.
Professor Issa Boullata renders a great contribution to the study of Islamic civilization by translating the third volume of Ibn 'Abd Rabbih's al-'Iqd al-farid . This volume is one the most important literary works that serves as a repository that comprises the main genres and themes in classical Arabic literature. The translated book, which is a continuation of the project that began in 2006, follows closely the thematic arrangement of the original text and is divided into four chapters: the Book of the Gem, the Book of the Emerald, the Book of the Mother of the Pearl, and the Book of the Unique Jewel. The translator relies on the three latest editions of the 'Iqd, but the translation follows, on the whole, the Beirut edition. (The Beirut edition was edited by Mufid Muḥammad Qumayḥ and published by Dar al-Kutub al-'Ilmiyya in 1997.) The translation has a general index of names and important terms. The first chapter, which is entitled "On Proverbs" (pp. 1-49), contains collections of aphorisms, parables, and proverbs, their background and cultural implications. Since these sayings are arranged according to their importance, the author begins with proverbs adumbrated in the Qur'an and the Ḥadith tradition, and then moves on to present dicta of learned and wise men. The author uses metaphors and traces the origin of these proverbs and sayings to offer a better understanding of life experiences, vicissitudes of time, and ingenious human interactions. The second chapter, which is entitled "On Religious Exhortations and Asceticism" (pp. 51-149), is dedicated to exhortatory sayings and ethics and their place in the moralistic function in pietistic spaces. A significant part of this chapter, therefore, deals with asceticism and its ethical role in Islamic ethical tradition. The chapter begins with exhortatory examples recurring in the Qur'an and the prophetic tradition to be followed by the exhortatory dicta of certain prophets (such as Jesus, John the Baptist, David, and Abraham) and wise men (Muslim and non-Muslim). This discussion includes pieces of advice given by fathers to their children. A section is also dedicated to encounters between exhorters and caliphs (Umayyad and 'Abbasid) where the themes of injustice and piety figure prominently in their discussions. The chapter concludes with aphorisms of ascetics, which are arranged thematically, and their moral lessons. The third chapter, entitled "On Women Mourners, Condolences, and Elegies" (pp. 151-226), focuses on elegies and mourning drawn from classical Islamic literature and the moral lessons that can be deduced from them. The author provides examples for these themes through the sayings of Muḥammad, other prophets, companions, caliphs, and prominent individuals. The chapter is full of elegies said by family members to their loved ones. An important section of this chapter is dedicated to elegies by prominent poets, such as al-Khansa' (died after 630), Abu Nuwas (d. 814), and Abu al-'Atahiya (d. 828),). Interestingly, Ibn 'Abd Rabbih shares his own elegies dedicated to his loved ones. The chapter concludes with condolences given by well-known individuals and their socio-religious context. The fourth chapter, entitled "on lineage and the Virtues of the Arabs," (pp. 227-310) deals with genealogies and their socio-political significance. Examining the origins of Arab tribes, the author aims to emphasize the virtues of the Arabs. In doing so, he touches upon important themes in early Islamic literature, such as the contention between Northern and Southern Arabs and the Shu'ubiyya controversy. The chapter begins with the genealogical origin of the Quraysh emphasizing its merits especially those of its two main clans - Banu Hashim and Banu Umayya. Then he moves on to talk about the superiority of the Arabs in terms of genealogy, eloquence, and wisdom. This chapter also includes names of illustrious genealogists, such as Daghfal b. Ḥanẓala (d. 690), al-Haytham b. 'Adi (d. 821), and Muḥammad al-Kalbi (d. 723). The chapter also offers detailed information about the clans classified under the Northern and Southern Arabs, their genealogies, and famous persons that descended from them. The chapter ends with a discussion of the Shu'ubiyya controversy and the arguments of the contended sides. Again, by translating this volume of al-'Iqd al-farid, professor Boullata makes an essential work on classical Arabic literature available to general readers and scholars of classical Arabic literature. However, the translator does not offer a critical comparison of the different editions (or manuscripts) he uses when variations in the text occur. For example, in the translated text, we are told that a drunken man was brought to 'Umar b. al-Khaṭṭab (p. 16), whereas the name appears in the Beirut edition as 'Ali b, Abi Ṭalib. Second, the translator does not include biographical information about authors and well-known literary figures that Ibn 'Abd Rabbih mentions throughout his work. The translated text is also missing a commentary that can illuminate some of the difficult passages and place the text in a better historical setting. Abed el-Rahman Tayyara, PhD Cleveland State University Ohio
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