The Excellence of the Arabs
Ibn Qutaybah author Peter Webb translator Sarah Bowen Savant translator Peter Webb editor
Format:Paperback
Publisher:New York University Press
Published:4th Sep '19
Should be back in stock very soon
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.
"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 *
"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 *
"[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 *
ISBN: 9781479899265
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 318g
224 pages