Balaghat al-nisa' (book)
 | |
| Author | Ibn Tayfur |
|---|---|
| Original title | بلاغاتُ النّساء |
| Language | Arabic |
| Subject | Sayings of the prominent women of first three centuries |
| Publisher | Sharif al-Radi |
Balāghāt al-nisāʿ (Arabic: بلاغات النساء, Eloquences of Women) is a book in Arabic, written by the Sunni historian Ibn Tayfur (204/819 – 280/893), in which eloquent sayings of the women of the first three centuries of Islamic history are collected.
This book is among the sources of Bihar al-anwar and al-Ghadir. Allama al-Majlisi has quoted the sermon of Lady Fatima (a) and the sermons of other ladies of Ahl al-Bayt (a) in Kufa and Damascus from this book.
Balaghat al-nisaʿ is in fact the eleventh volume of the book al-Manthūr wa-l-manẓūm (The Prose and the Poem).
Author
Ahmad b. Abi Tahir al-Khurasani (204/819 – 280/893), known as Ibn Tayfur, was a Sunni historian and author. According to Khayr al-Din al-Zirkili, he was from Merv but resided in Baghdad.[1]
About fifty works are attributed to him, including the books Tarikh Baghdad (The History of Baghdad) and al-Manthur wa l-Manzum.[2]
Reliability and Importance
Balaghat al-nisa, is a part of the eleventh volume of the book al-Manthur wa l-Manzum, which is printed separately.[3] Although the author is a Sunni, Shiite scholars have quoted some of its contents in their works.[4] Allama al-Majlisi, for instance, has quoted the speech of Lady Fatima (a) in Medina and the speeches of other ladies of Ahl al-Bayt (a) in Kufa and Damascus from this book.[5]
The literary aspect of this book has been a matter of interest among literati.[6] It is also said that this book illustrates the freedom of Muslim women and their awareness of social issues.[7]
Contents
The book contains the sayings of the women of the first three centuries of Islamic history on social and political matters.[8] Among the women whose sayings are collected in this book are the following:
- Sayings of Aisha, the daughter of Abu Bakr[9]
- The speech of Lady Fatima (a) in the mosque of Medina and her speech in the gathering of the women of Medina.[10]
- The speech of Lady Zaynab (a) in the court of Yazid b. Mu'awiya[11]
- The speech of Umm Kulthum in Kufa[12]
- The sayings of Hafsa, the daughter of ʿUmar[13]
Ibn Tayfur has also collected short sayings and poems of some women in special occasions,[14] which include their praising or defaming their husbands, the advices of mothers to daughters about marriage, and the sayings of female Bedouins.[15]
Publication
The book Balaghat al-nisa' was published in 1326/1908 by Madrasa Walida 'Abbas publications in Cairo.[16] According to A. Arna'ut, this edition was based on a manuscript held in Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya, handwritten by Mahmud Pasha Barudi in 1297/1879, and annotated by Sayyid Ahmad Ulfi.[17]
A manuscript of this book, handwritten by Shaykh Shanqiti, is held in Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya.[18]
Notes
- ↑ Ziriklī, al-Aʿlām qāmus tarājum, vol. 1, p. 141.
- ↑ Ziriklī, al-Aʿlām qāmus tarājum, vol. 1, p. 141.
- ↑ Ziriklī, al-Aʿlām qāmus tarājum, vol. 1, p. 141.
- ↑ Amīnī, al-Ghadīr fī al-kitāb wa al-sunna wa al-ʾadab, vol. 10, p. 238.
- ↑ Āqā Buzurg Tihrānī, al--Dharīʿa ilā taṣānīf al-Shīʿa, vol. 3, p. 142.
- ↑ Arnaʾūt, Kitāb min al-turāth, simāt al-ʿadab al-Nisāʿī fī Balāghāt al-nisāʿ li-Aḥmad Ibn Ṭayfūr, p. 104.
- ↑ Balāghāt al-nisāʿ, Official Website of Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi
- ↑ Arnaʾūt, Kitāb min al-turāth, simāt al-ʿadab al-Nisāʿī fī Balāghāt al-nisāʿ li-Aḥmad Ibn Ṭayfūr, p. 105.
- ↑ Ibn Ṭayfūr, Balāghāt al-nisāʿ, p. 7-22.
- ↑ Ibn Ṭayfūr, Balāghāt al-nisāʿ, p. 23-34.
- ↑ Ibn Ṭayfūr, Balāghāt al-nisāʿ, p. 34-37.
- ↑ Ibn Ṭayfūr, Balāghāt al-nisāʿ, p. 37-40.
- ↑ Ibn Ṭayfūr, Balāghāt al-nisāʿ, p. 40-43.
- ↑ Arnaʾūt, Kitāb min al-turāth, simāt al-ʿadab al-Nisāʿī fī Balāghāt al-nisāʿ li-Aḥmad Ibn Ṭayfūr, p. 105.
- ↑ Ibn Ṭayfūr, Balāghāt al-nisāʿ, p. 112-280.
- ↑ Āqā Buzurg Tihrānī, al--Dharīʿa ilā taṣānīf al-Shīʿa, vol. 3, p. 142.
- ↑ Arnaʾūt, Kitāb min al-turāth, simāt al-ʿadab al-Nisāʿī fī Balāghāt al-nisāʿ li-Aḥmad Ibn Ṭayfūr, p. 105.
- ↑ Arnaʾūt, Kitāb min al-turāth, simāt al-ʿadab al-Nisāʿī fī Balāghāt al-nisāʿ li-Aḥmad Ibn Ṭayfūr, p. 105.
References
- Amīnī, ʿAbd al-Ḥusayn. Al-Ghadīr fī al-kitāb wa al-sunna wa al-ʾadab. Qom: Markaz al-Ghadīr, 1416 AH.
- Āqā Buzurg al-Tihrānī, Muḥammad Muḥsin. Al-Dharīʿa ilā taṣānīf al-Shīʿa. Edited by Aḥmad b. Muḥammad Ḥusaynī. Beirut: Dār al-Aḍwāʾ, 1403 AH.
- Ibn Ṭayfūr, Aḥmad Ibn Abī Ṭāhir. Balāghāt al-nisāʿ. Qom: al-Sharīf al-Raḍī, [n.d].
- Ziriklī, Khayr al-Dīn al-. Al-Aʿlām qāmus tarājum li ashhur al-rijāl wa al-nisāʾ min al-ʿarab wa al-mustaʿribīn wa al-mustashriqīn. Eighth edition. Beirut: Dār al-ʿIlm li-l-Malāyyīn, 1989.
- Arnaʾūt, ʿAbd al-Laṭīf. Kitāb min al-turāth, simāt al-ʿadab al-Nisāʿī fī Balāghāt al-nisāʿ li-Aḥmad Ibn Ṭayfūr. [n.p], al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, Rajab 1413 AH.
- Balāghāt al-nisāʿ, in Official Website of Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi. Accessed: 2023/12/28.