The Excellence of the Arabs - (Library of Arabic Literature) by Ibn Qutaybah (Paperback)

About the Book

Written by one of the most prolific scholars of the early Abbasid era, this volume is a spirited defense of Arab identity, its merits, values, and origins at a time of political unrest and fragmentation.

Book Synopsis

A spirited defense of Arab identity from a time of political unrest

In ninth-century Abbasid Baghdad, the social prestige attached to claims of Arab identity had begun to decline. In The Excellence of the Arabs, the celebrated litterateur Ibn Qutaybah locks horns with those members of his society who belittled Arabness and vaunted the glories of Persian heritage and culture. Instead, he upholds the status of Arabs and their heritage in the face of criticism and uncertainty.

The Excellence of the Arabs is in two parts. In the first, Arab Preeminence, which takes the form of an extended argument for Arab privilege, Ibn Qutaybah accuses his opponents of blasphemous envy. In the second, The Excellence of Arab Learning, he describes the fields of knowledge in which he believed pre-Islamic Arabians excelled, including knowledge of the stars, divination, horse husbandry, and poetry. By incorporating extensive excerpts from the poetic heritage--"the archive of the Arabs"--Ibn Qutaybah aims to demonstrate that poetry is itself sufficient evidence of Arab superiority.

Eloquent and forceful, The Excellence of the Arabs addresses a central question at a time of great social flux, at the dawn of classical Muslim civilization: What does it mean to be Arab?

An English-only edition.

Review Quotes

"[A] clear and lively translation."-- "Al-Ahram Weekly"

"An excellent example of the narrative sources available to historians of West Asian late antiquity and early Islam."-- "Speculum"

"Enriches the Library of Arabic Literature and the growing corpus of translations of books from Arabic into English . . . A true delight to read."-- "Reading Religion"

"Ibn Qutayba's extraordinary erudition and literary skill are now on view in the LAL Arabic edition and translation at hand, The Excellence of the Arabs . . . The English translation is a page-turner. The Arabic is difficult, but the translators' command is apparent in how they avoid the complex syntax, verbosity, and numerous repetitions that are characteristic of Classical Arabic. The judiciousness of the series' decision to opt for English felicity over a more literal English rendering of the Arabic provides the reader with a genuine grasp of what Ibn Qutayba is really saying. All involved are to be congratulated!"-- "Journal of the American Oriental Society"