On Generosity

The Ḥilyat al-kuramā' of Ibn Abī al-‘Īd

By (author) Antonella Ghersetti

Book cover: On Generosity

Extent: 240, 240 pages

Publisher: Lockwood Press

Subjects: Islamic & Middle Eastern Studies, Literary Studies

Series: Resources in Arabic and Islamic Studies

Series volume number: 13

Language: English

Hardback (Published)

(April 2025)

ISBN: 9781948488693

6.97 x 10 inches

Price: $79.95

In stock

PDF (Published)

(April 2025)

ISBN: 9781948488709

Price: $64.00

In Arabic-Islamic culture, generosity is held in the very highest regard and descriptions of charity, hospitality and largesse are consequently an important component of Arabic literature. The Egyptian judge and man of letters, Ibn Abī al-ʿĪd al-Sakhāwī al-Mālikī, who lived in Cairo and Medina in the ninth/fifteenth century and who practiced charity his whole life, compiled a work titled the Ḥilyat al-kuramā’, literally “The Ornament of the Magnanimous.” A significant example of a flourishing genre devoted to generosity and a testament to the intense cultural and literary activity of the author’s time, the Ḥilyat al-kuramā’ includes aphorisms, poems, and anecdotes about benevolent individuals whose generosity is exemplified by the gifts and money they lavished on others and by the many ways they provided aid to the needy. The lively examples of the liberality exhibited by everyone, from rulers to ordinary people, are intended to urge others to similar acts of generosity, charity, and assistance. On Generosity comprises an introductory study on the work and its author, the first reliable and critical edition of the Arabic text, an annotated English translation, and glossaries designed to make the text more accessible to nonspecialists.

  • By (author) Antonella Ghersetti