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Apart from texts cited, the following review draws upon:

An Isma’ili perspective on the Ikhwan as-Safa

A Review of Susan Diwald’s German Translation of the Rasa’il Ikhwan as-Safa

A Wikipedia Article on the Ikhwan as-Safa

An article from the Institute of Isma’ili Studies (University of London)

The Muslim Philosophy website (an article by Ian Richard Netton, Copyright © 1998, Routledge.)

The Rasa’il (“epistles”) or Kitab (“book”) of the Ikhwan as-Safa (“Brethren of Purity” is the popular rendering here) is a vast Arabic encyclopædia of 52 epistles. Throughout this online summary, the work will be most commonly referred to as the Encyclopædia.

The Encyclopædia was distributed in various mosques of Baghdad. It played an important role in attempting a creative synthesis of Greek philosophy and the doctrines of Islam, giving a new dimension to the religion and it showed the compatibility of the Islamic faith with other religions and intellectual traditions.

The [pseudo-?] author of the Picatrix, Abu’l-Qasim Maslama Ibn Ahmad al-Majriti (338-398 AH / 950-1007 or 1008 CE) assimilated Muslim sciences in the Arab Orient where he seems to have had close contacts with the originators of the Encyclopædia, to which he has even been attributed partial authorship, most probably in error and maybe because the organisation of subjects in his Picatrix is similar to one that of the Encyclopædia of the Ikhwan as-Safa, which was one of the sources of the Picatrix, and either al-Majriti actually bought a new edition of the Encyclopædia to Spain, or his disciple, the mathematician and surgeon al-Karmani did (367-459 AH / 977-1066 CE). The Encyclopædia was considered heretical in the Orient, and eventually burnt in Baghdad in 545 / 1150 by order of the Abbasid Caliph Mustanjid. Right after publication, the treatises were submitted to an authority on religious matters, Abu Sulayman al-Mantiqi al-Sijjistani. He returned them with very unfavourable comments, declaring that the authors had attempted to conceal philosophical heresies under the cloak of the Shari’ah, and had failed. In spite of this charge, the treatises continued to circulate and exercised influence both on Muslim and Jewish philosophy – equally on al-Ghazali and Ibn Rushd, and on Ibn Gabirol and Jehuda Halevi (p. 35, Sheikh, M. Saeed - Islamic Philosophy, 1982, Octagon Press).

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Influences

AAA Fyzee (1899-1981) writes in “Religion in the Middle East”, (ed. by A.J. Arberry, Cambridge, 1969, 2nd vol., p. 324) that, “The tracts are clearly of Ismaili origin; and all authorities, ancient and modern, are agreed that the Rasa’il constitute the most authoritative exposition of the early form of the Ismaili religion.” According to Yves Marquet, “It seems indisputable that the Epistles represent the state of Ismaili doctrine at the time of their compositions” (“Encyclopædia of Islam”, 1960, p. 1071). Bernard Lewis in “The Origins of Ismailism” (London, 1940, p. 44) was more cautious than Fyzee, ranking the Epistles among books which, though “closely related to Ismailism” may not actually have been Isma’ili, despite their Batini (Isma’ili, esotericist) inspiration. Ibn Qifti (d.646 / 1248), reporting in the 7th / 13th century in “Tarikh-i Hukama” (p. 82) that, “Opinions differed about the authors of the Epistles. Some people attributed them to an Alid Imam, proffering various names, whereas other put forward as author some early Mutazalite theologians.”

Among the Syrian Isma’ilis, the earliest reference of the Epistles and its relation with the Isma’ilis is given in “Kitab Fusul wa’l Akhbar” by Nuruddin bin Ahmad (d. 233 / 849). Another important work, “al-Usul wa’l-Ahakam” by Abul Ma’ali Hatim bin Imran bin Zuhra (d. 498 / 1104), quoted by Arif Tamir in “Khams Rasa’il Isma’iliyya” (Salamia, 1956, p. 120), writes that, “These dais, and other dais with them, collaborated in composing long Epistles, fifty-two in number, on various branches of learning.” 

The Isma’ili Imam Taqi Muhammad succeeded to the throne of Imamat at Salamiya during the Caliphate of the Abbasid Caliph Mamun. Prof. Masudul Hasan writes in “History of Islam” (Lahore, 1987, 1st vol., p. 486) that, “Al-Habib (Taqi Muhammad) had his headquarters at Salamiya near Hims in Syria, and from there he sent missionaries in all directions to propagate the Isma’ili creed and enrol adherents.” The period of Taqi Muhammad is also noted for the several skilled exponents of Sufi thought, such as Harith Muhasibi, Dhun al-Nun Misri (d. 243 / 859), Bayazid Bustami (d. 260 / 874), Junaid Baghdadi (d. 298 / 910), etc.

Taqi Muhammad exercised taqiya (secrecy, i.e. of doctrine) during the period of his Imamate to escape the snares of the Abbasids. A rhetorical reference to him is found in “Rasa’il Ikhwan as-Safa” (Rasa’il 4th, p. 199), indicating that the veiled Imam was apparent in reality. Taqi Muhammad is reported to have died in 225 / 840 in Salamiya after bequeathing the office of Imamate to his son, Hussain Raziuddin Abdullah. He had another son, Muhammad Sa’id al-Khayr, whose posterity were living in Salamiya and killed at the hands of the Qarmatians in 290 / 902 (after he tried to usurp the Imamate for himself, as opposed to his newphew, Imam al-Mahdi).

Susanne Diwald seems to be of the opinion that the work is Sufi and not Fatimid. She points out that the word Safa in the title is indicative of the Sufistic nature of the work (p. 22 of Volume 1 of her German translation – see Further Reading section) and the generally Isma’ili ideas contained in the Rasa’il’s summary, Risalat at-Jami’a should be considered separately from the main body of the text (ibid., p. 26). Again the Batini (esoteric) teachings of the Rasa’il need not be necessarily Isma’ili. They could also be mystical (ibid. p. 27). There is an explicitly anti-Isma’ili story (Beirut Arabic ed. (1957) p. 312ff). She also implies that the Rasa’il is an orthodox work when she says that in this connection there is no need to stress the relationship between Sufism and Shi’ism (p. 27 of Volume 1 of Diwald’s German translation – see Further Reading section). She is, however, perplexed by the question of Imamat that pervades the Rasa’il. In the end she promises to reopen this discussion in the last two volumes of her work. Equally valuable is her information from [pseudo-] Majriti’s work, the Picatrix, composed before 343 / 954 which pushes back the terminus ad quem for the Rasa’il’s composition to any time before 343 / 954 instead of the generally accepted 373 / 984.

Al-Tawhidi’s report proves beyond doubt that the group of men he is referring to are heretical (whom ‘Abd al-Jabbar, another contemporary, confirms to be Qarmatian). There seems to be a contradiction in Susanne Diwald’s acceptance of the Tawhidi report and her characterization of the Rasa’il as an orthodox Sufi work. Moreover, a close examination of al-Tawhidi’s story shows that he is more concerned about proving the heresy of Zayd bin Rifa’a and his colleagues than about proving their authorship of the Rasa’il.

The numerology of the Ikhwan as-Safa owes a debt to Pythagoras, their metaphysics are Aristotelian and Neoplatonic and they incorporate also a few Platonic notions into their philosophy. The latter, however, is more than a mere synthesis of elements from Greek philosophy, for it is underpinned by a considerable Qur’anic substratum.

The metaphysics of the Ikhwan as-Safa are built upon those of Aristotle and Plotinus, though it must be emphasised that it is a Middle Eastern version of Aristotelianism and Neoplatonism which we encounter when we read the Encyclopædia.

It is no misnomer to describe the Brethren as ‘Muslim Neoplatonists’. Neoplatonic elements dominate the articulation of all thought in the writings of the Ikhwan as-Safa and their metaphysics are no exception. The latter are imbued in particular with the Neoplatonic concepts of emanation and hierarchy. By contrast with the simple triad of Plotinus, which comprised the three hypostases of The One or The Good, Intellect and Soul, with the lower eternally emanating from the higher entity, the Ikhwan elaborated this into an emanationist hierarchy of nine ‘members’, hypostases or levels of being, as follows: the Creator, the Intellect, the Soul, Prime Matter, Nature, the Absolute Body, the Sphere, the Four Elements and the Beings of this world in the three divisions of mineral, plant and animal. In such a hierarchical profusion we can perhaps see the ghosts of Iamblichus and Proclus, who also multiplied the hypostases about which they wrote. It is noteworthy that for the Brethren, and in contrast to the view of Plotinus, matter becomes a full part of the emanationist hierarchy and is regarded in a positive light. Furthermore, and this time in a very Neoplatonic way, God in the Brethren’s scheme entrusts the movement of the world and the spheres to the Universal Soul, and it is the latter which channels God’s gifts finally into Matter itself.

The Neoplatonic dimensions of the thought of the Brethren have profound implications for their view of God. On the one hand, the Brethren present a God at the top of a complex emanationist hierarchy who is unknowable in the classic Neoplatonic sense. On the other hand, the Brethren present a Qur’anic God who is a guide and a help, and who is invoked at the end of many of the epistles as one who will grant success in correct action and show his people the path of righteousness. The majority of epistles also invoke God with the traditional Islamic Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim, “In the name of God, the Benevolent, the Merciful”. However, God’s power, as noted above, seems to be ‘shared’ in some way when it is exercised via the Universal Soul. To what extent, one may reasonably ask, does that compromise the traditional Islamic view of God? Furthermore, to what extent do the recognizably Islamic features in the Ikhwan’s portrait of God prevent that deity being considered as a total mirror of Plotinus’ One?

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Epistemology

The Brethren revere the Platonic hero rather more than they revere purely Platonic philosophy. Socrates is admired as a great and wise philosopher who knew how to meet death bravely.

The Brethren’s epistemology differs quite radically from that of Plato. The latter looked forward to a state of real knowledge achieved when the soul was separated from the body; but in the soteriology and epistemology of the Ikhwan, one could gain some knowledge of the Divine in this world to help one reach Paradise. Indeed, they present their epistles to the world as a body of just such knowledge. For them, learning was much more than mere recollection or reminiscence. They held that the soul was “potentially knowledgeable” and, with instruction, could become “actually knowledgeable”. That instruction should be via the senses, the intellect and logical deduction, and they stressed that we could know nothing without the senses. This is indeed a far cry from Plato’s well-known suspicion of evidence or knowledge gleaned via the senses, and his overwhelming exaltation of the intellect.

It would seem that the epistemology of the Ikhwan as-Safa laid down the foundations of the Illuminationist (Ishraqi) school of Theosophy, which was officially founded by Shihabuddin Yahya Suhrawardi (1153/5 - 1191 CE), which focused on spiritual ascent via learning (enlightenment). For the Brethren, philosophy was the handmaiden of a precise theological goal: salvation for the soul.

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Soteriology

The incorporation into the Encyclopædia of syncretic philosophical and theological themes, motifs, elements and doctrines was done with a particular soteriological purpose. The Brethren did not compile the epistles solely from a pure love of knowledge. The magpie eclecticism with which they surveyed and utilised elements from the philosophies of Pythagoras, Plato, Aristotle and Plotinus, and religions such as Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism, was not an early attempt at ecumenism or interfaith dialogue. Their accumulation of knowledge was ordered towards the sublime goal of salvation. They perceived their Brotherhood as a “Ship of Salvation” that would float free from the sea of matter; the Ikhwan, with their doctrines of mutual cooperation, asceticism and righteous living, would reach the gates of Paradise in its care.

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Versions and translations

The work has never been completely translated into English. Susanne Diwald is working towards a modern, critical German translation from the Arabic, which might supersede the only other complete Western-language translation - the German translation by the German scholar Friederich Dieterici. It would seem that Dieterici's translation is not of the complete work, and the researcher could investigate this.

The editio princeps of the partial Arabic text and its Hindustani translation, both published in Calcutta, served as the basis for the first English translations. At least seven translations were published during the second half of the nineteenth century, and all were of the epistle on the debate between man and animals.

Translations of selected epistles into Spanish, German, Italian and English as well as a substantial number of monograph studies and articles have been published. Scholars such as Adel Awa, Alessandro Bausani, Abbas Hamdani, Yves Marquet, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Ian Netton, Samuel Stern and many others have made important contributions to the study of the Ikhwan as-Safa and their Encyclopædia.

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References & Further Reading

Diwald, S. (1975) Arabische Philosophie und Wissenschaft in der Enzyklopädie Kitab Ihwan as-Safa III: Die Lehre von Seele und Intellekt (Arab Philosophy and Science in the Book of the Brethren of Purity III: Teachings on the Soul and the Intellect), Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. (A German translation of the third section of the Rasa’il with extensive notes.)

Goodman, L.E. (1978) The Case of the Animals versus Man Before the King of the Jinn, Boston, MA: Twayne Publishers. (An English translation of a major portion of the second section of the Rasa’il with extensive introduction and notes.) [Not necessary to purchase, as the text is being offered in this bundle]

Ikhwan as-Safa (1957) Rasa’il Ikhwan as-Safa (Epistles of the Brethren of Purity), Beirut: Dar Sadir, 4 vols. (The complete text of the 52 epistles in the original Arabic.) [Not necessary to purchase, as the text is being offered in this bundle]

Marquet, Y. (1975) La philosophie des Ihwan as-Safa (The Philosophy of the Brethren of Purity), Algiers: Société Nationale d’Édition et de Diffusion. (A major study by France’s leading expert in the field.)

Nasr, S.H. (1978) An Introduction to Islamic Cosmological Doctrines, revised edn, London: Thames & Hudson. (Contains a major section on the cosmology of the Ikhwan.)

Netton, I.R. (1982) Muslim Neoplatonists: An Introduction to the Thought of the Brethren of Purity (Ikhwan as-Safa), London: Allen & Unwin; paperback edn, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1991. (A major introduction in English to the thought of the Ikhwan.)

Netton, I.R. (1996) ‘The Brethren of Purity’, in S.H. Nasr and O. Leaman (eds) History of Islamic Philosophy, London: Routledge, ch. 15, 222-30. (Concise and clear outline of their views.)

Tibawi, A.L. (1955) ‘Ikhwan as-Safa and Their Rasa’il: A Critical Review of a Century and a Half of Research’, Islamic Quarterly 2 (1): 28-46. (A very useful and neat survey of Ikhwan scholarship up to 1955.)

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ARABIC TEXT

Kitab Ikhwan al-Safa' wa-Khillan al-Wafa'

li-Ahmad ibn ‘Abd Allah

Matba’at Nukhbat al-Akhbar (Bombay), 1305-1306 [1887-1888 CE]

Note: The sample page images from the text, shown above, are of deliberately reduced quality

The complete printed Arabic text of the Encyclopædia was first published in a 4 volume set between 1887-88. It is this Arabic editio princeps of the complete text which is presented here. Other Arabic editions were published in the first half of the 20^th century. The three complete editions published in Bombay (1888), Cairo (1928) and Beirut (1957) have no indices and contain only a few linguistic explanations.

In this 1888 edition, the Encyclopædia of the Ikhwan as-Safa is called “Kitab” instead of the more common “Rasa’il”, as it is also done in the Turkish MS Atif 1681 completed in 578 AH / 1182 CE and as al-Ghazali (d. 505 AH / 1111 CE) referred to it in his al-Munqidh. However, the very first line of the Encyclopædia begins with the words: “Hadhihi fihristu Rasa’il Ikhwan as-Safa ...”.

CONTENTS

Here is a breakdown of the contents of the Rasa’il Ikhwan as-Safa:
 
14 epistles on Mathematics.
17 epistles on Natural Sciences.
10 epistles on Psychological and Rational Sciences.
11 epistles on Theological Sciences.

The  Encyclopædia also classifies the sciences in 3 major groups:-
 

a) Mathematics: includes theory of number, geometry, astronomy, geography, music, theoretical and practical arts, ethics and logic.

b) Physics: includes matter, form, motion, time, space, sky, generation, minerals, planets, animals, human body, senses of life and death, microcosm, pleasure, pain and language.
 

c) Metaphysics: divided into psycho-rationalism and theology:
i) Psychics, rationalistic, being, macrocosm, mind, love, resurrection and causality.
ii) Belief, faith, Divine Law, Prophethood, magic, etc.

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3 ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS

Throughout the Encyclopædia there is the use of fables, parables and allegories to illustrate deeper concepts. One such allegorical story is the lengthy debate between man and representatives of the animal kingdom, which occupies a large part of the 22^nd epistle and is a central feature of the work.

Of the numerous editions and translations of the Encyclopædia, this epistle has enjoyed the widest circulation. It was first translated into Hebrew by the 14th century CE author Kalonimos ben Kalonimos, and printed many times. It also formed the first partial printed edition of the Arabic text of the Encyclopædia, published in Calcutta in 1812. In the second half of the 19th century, this epistle was translated into Urdu (“Hindustani”) and French.

The 1812 Arabic partial edition and its 1810-1811 Urdu translation, both published in Calcutta served as the basis for the first English translations. At least seven translations were published during the second half of the nineteenth century, and all were of the 22^nd epistle, on the debate between man and animals.

Here are 3 such English translations. Notice that Chapter 21 of the Dowson translation is called “the Chief of the Flies”. Could William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies” (1954) (like the debate of the 22^nd epistle, a political tale) have been inspired by the Ikhwan as-Safa’s description of the “king-bee, the monarch of the flies”?

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THE
IKHWAN-OOS-SUFFA,

TRANSLATED FROM THE

ORIGINAL OORDOO INTO ENGLISH PROSE,

AND FOLLOWED BY
A VOCABULARY OF THE DIFFICULT WORDS AND PHRASES OCCURRING IN THE TEXT,
 

BY
THOMAS PHILIP MANUEL,
AUTHOR OF "SELECTIONS FROM THE EPICS OF EUROPE," "THE RUBY'S SMILE," "SACRED LYR1CS," TRANSLATION OF "GOOL-I-BUKAWULLEE," "THE POETRY OF OUR INDIAN POETS," &c. &c. &c.

" The soul, of origin divine.
                God's glorious image, freed from clay.
                In Heaven's eternal sphere shall shine
                    A Star of Day!
    The sun is but a spark of fire,
    A transient meteor in the sky;
    The soul, immortal as its Sire,
                                                Shall never die." – Montgomery.

CALCUTTA:
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY D'ROZARIO & CO. TANK-SQUARE.
1860

Note: The sample page image from the text, shown above, is of deliberately reduced quality

CONTENTS
 

Translator's Preface

Chapter I. Man's creation; his controversy with the beasts. Reference made to Beorasb the king of the giants, who summons a human philosopher. - p. 1
Chapter II. The controversy between men and beasts continued. - p. 2
Chapter III. On the difference of features and statures. - p. 3
Chapter IV. Complaints against man continued. - p. 4
Chapter V. [untitled] - p. 5
Chapter VI. [untitled] - p. 6
Chapter VII. The contention between men and giants. - p. 7
Chapter VIII. The consultation held among mankind. - p. 9
Chapter IX. Consultation held amongst animals. - p. 10
Chapter X. [untitled] - p. 10
Chapter XI. [untitled] - p. 11
Chapter XII. [untitled] - p. 13
Chapter XIII. [untitled] - p. 14
Chapter XIV. [untitled] - p. 15
Chapter XV. [untitled] - p. 16
Chapter XVI. [untitled] - p. 16
Chapter XVII. [untitled] - p. 18
Chapter XVIII. [untitled] - p. 20
Chapter XIX. [untitled] - p. 21
Chapter XX. [untitled] - p. 22
Chapter XXI. [untitled] - p. 23
Chapter XXII. [untitled] - p. 25
Chapter XXIII. [untitled] - p. 28
Chapter XXIV. [untitled] - p. 32
Chapter XXV. [untitled] - p. 35

Vocabulary - p. 37
 

QUOTE
 

p. 1:

The king, as already mentioned, was not only famous for his justice, but renowned likewise for his bravery and generosity. The poor found a patron in him, and the weak under his protection had nought to dread from the domineering tyranny of power.

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IKHWÁNU-S SAFÁ
OR,
BROTHERS OF PURITY.

TRANSLATED FROM THE HINDUSTÁNI,
BY
PROFESSOR JOHN DOWSON, M.R.A.S.,
STAFF COLLEGE, SANDHURST.

LONDON:
TRÜBNER & CO., 60 PATERNOSTER ROW.
1869.

 

Note: The sample page image from the text, shown above, is of deliberately reduced quality

TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE
 

THIS translation has been made to supply a want which has often been represented to me. The "Ikhwánu-s Safá" is a standard Hindustani work, which is used as textbook both in India and England. Those who have to prepare themselves for examination in it, are often placed in situations where no competent instruction can be obtained. A translation, therefore, at once accurate and exact, with which the student may compare and correct his own work, will doubtless prove a great help and advantage to him. Such being the object of this translation, a close adherence to the text has been throughout maintained, as strict as the necessity of making the English clear and intelligible would allow. The version, therefore, is not so smooth as it might have been made, but it will give to the English reader a clear idea of the style and manner of the original.
     When I commenced this work I was not aware that any previous translation existed; but there are at least three different versions. One, attributed to Mr James Atkinson, the translator of parts of the "Sháh-náma," was published in an India newspaper, and reprinted in vol. xxviii. of the Asiatic Journal for 1829. This translation is accurate and spirited, but it is imperfect, and for all practical purposes it may be considered buried. I had nearly completed the work when a translation by Mr T. P. Manuel came to my notice. That version was published at Calcutta in 1860 and is not very generally known. It gives a very fair idea of the work, but the translation is not sufficiently close to answer the purpose for which this work is intended. I am told there is another translation, published in India, by a Muhammadan gentleman, but I have not met with it.
     The original Arabic work has been translated into German by Professor Dieterici of Berlin. Our Hindustani translator, in his Preface, tells us something of the great work from which it is derived. It is a kind of Encyclopædia of considerable extent. Notices of the work have been published by Professor Flügel in vOl. xiii., and by Professor Dieterici in vols. xv. and xviii. of the Zeitschrift des Deutschen Morgenlandische Gesellschaft.
     The present translation has been made from the excellent edition of the Text published by Drs Forbes and Rieu, and the chapters and paragraphs follow the arrangement there observed.
     The style of the Hindustani translation is considered very pure and elegant, and the language is generally clear and perspicuous, but it contains a very large proportion of Arabic words. The nature of the subject rendered the introduction of many Arabic scientific terms a matter of necessity, but still these foreign words are often employed when pure vernacular words might have been used with advantage. This, however, is the general fault of these translations.
 

CONTENTS
 

Translator's Preface - v
Contents - vii
Original Preface - p. 1

Chapter I. Creation of Man, the contention with the Animals, and their appeal to the King of the Jins - p. 5
Chapter II. Proceedings of the King of the Jins - p. 13
Chapter III. On the Varieties of Forms and Figures - p. 15
Chapter IV. Complaints of the Animals - p. 20
Chapter V. Account of the Horse - p. 26
Chapter VI. Consultation of the King with his Minister - p. 31
Chapter VII. Dissensions between the Men and Jins - p. 36
Chapter VIII. Consultation of the Men - p. 44
Chapter IX. Consultation of the Animals - p. 48
Chapter X. The First Messenger - p. 50
Chapter XI. Delineation of a Messenger - p. 54
Chapter XII. The Second Messenger - p. 60
Chapter XIII. The Third Messenger - p. 67
Chapter XIV. The Fourth Messenger - p. 70
Chapter XV. The Fifth Messenger - p. 74
Chapter XVI. The Sixth Messenger - p. 79
Chapter XVII. The Locust's Speech - p. 81
Chapter XVIII. Pleadings before the Court - p. 88
Chapter XIX. Account of the Lion - p. 98
Chapter XX. Account of the Dragon and Sea-Serpent - p. 100
Chapter XXI. The Chief of the Flies - p. 106
Chapter XXII. Pleadings before the Court - p. 109
Chapter XXIII. Disputation between Man and the Parrot - p. 127
Chapter XXIV. The White Ant - p. 143
Chapter XXV. The World of Spirits - Decision - p. 153
 

QUOTES
 

p. 24:

The pig said to the camel, "I know nothing about it; what can I say, or of whom shall I complain? There is much variety in their way of treating me. Musulmans consider us deformed and accursed; they deem our figures detestable and our flesh unclean, and they abstain from mentioning us. The Turkish Greeks eat our flesh with avidity; they consider it as holy, and the making sacrifices of it they deem very meritorious. The Jews have great aversion and hatred of us; they abuse and curse us inoffensive animals because they are at enmity with the Nazarenes and Greeks. The Armenians esteem us even as oxen and goats; nay, they even prize us more in consequence of the fatness and thickness of our flesh, and the abundance of our offspring. The Greek physicians employ our fat in many of their remedies; nay, they even put it in their medicines. Herdsmen and grooms keep us in their stables and pastures near to their animals and horses, because by our staying there the horses and animals are preserved from many evils. Enchanters and magicians cover their books and magical instruments with our skins. Saddlers and shoemakers pull out the bristles of our necks and whiskers with great avidity and eagerness, for these are very serviceable to them. we are bewildered, we can say nothing; whom shall we praise, whom shall we blame ?"


p. 41:

When the Lord Jesus came into the world, and offered to all the Jins and men the invitation to Islám, he taught to every one the way of salvation, and showed the way to heaven and the mode of obtaining association with the angels. Many Jins then came into his religion, and becoming devout and temperate, they began to go to heaven. Hearing the intelligence of heaven, they came down here (to the earth), and made it known to the magicians.


p. 90-91

"He is an inhabitant of Irán, and lives in the territory of 'Irák." The King said, "Tell him to say something." The wazír made a sign to him. He, having paid his respects, delivered a speech, of which this is the epitome:-

"Praise be to God, who for our dwelling-place gave us those cities and villages whose climate is superior to that of the whole world, and who bestowed on us superiority over most of His servants. Praise and laudation be to Him who gave us intellect and intelligence, thought, wisdom, and prudence; all those various talents, under whose guidance we established rare arts and wonderful sciences. He gave to us empire and prophecy; from our race all these prophets were born, Noah, Enoch, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad the Pure, (the peace of God be upon him, and rest!). In our tribe many kings of great dignity have been born, Farídún, Darius, Ardashír, Bahrám, Naushírwán, and several kings of the Sassanian line, who regulated the kingdom and government, army and people. We are the quintessence of all men, and men are the quintessence of animals. Briefly, of the whole world we are the essence of the essence ..."
 

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THE
IKHWAN-US-SUFFA,

A
TRANSLATION INTO ENGLISH

BY
JOSEPH WALL,

LATE SENIOR MASTER OF THE NATIVE DEPARTMENT
OF LA MARTINIERE COLLEGE.
LUCKNOW.
_________________

SECOND EDITION
_________________

LUCKNOW:
RE-PRINTED AT THE "NEWUL KISHORE" PRESS.
_____
1880.

Note: The sample page image from the text, shown above, is of deliberately reduced quality

CONTENTS
 

Preface
Introduction - p. 1

Chapter I. Of the beginning of the Creation of Man and of their quarrels with the Animals and of their demanding justice in the presence of Bewarasb, Hakeem, King of the Genii, and of the Judge summoning them. - p. 6
Chapter II. This Chapter gives an account of the King of the Genii listening to the quarrel between Men and Animals in order to decide between them. - p. 17
Chapter III. This Chapter is about the difference in stature and shape. - p. 19
Chapter IV. This Chapter gives an account of the separate Complaints made by all the Animals against Man. - p. 25
Chapter V. This Chapter is in praise of the Horse. - p. 33
Chapter VI. This Chapter is on the consultation of the King with his Minister. - p. 40
Chapter VII. The Contention between Man and the Genii. - p. 46
Chapter VIII. This Chapter is on the Consultation held among Men. - p. 58
Chapter IX. On the Consultation among the Animals. - p. 64
Chapter X. Of the first Messenger. - p. 67
Chapter XI. Of the Qualifications of an Emissary. - p. 73
Chapter XII. The Adventures of the second Emissary. - p. 81
Chapter XIII. The Adventures of the third Messenger. - p. 92
Chapter XIV. The Tale of the fourth Messenger. - p. 96
Chapter XV. The Story of the fifth Emissary. - p. 102
Chapter XVI. The Adventures of the sixth Messenger. - p. 109
Chapter XVII. The Sermon of the Locust. - p. 110
Chapter XVIII. This Chapter is a description of the gathering together of the Representatives of the Animals. - p. 121
Chapter XIX. Description of the Lion. - p. 135
Chapter XX. An account of the Serpent and Dragon. - p. 137
Chapter XXI. A description of the Chief of the Flies. - p. 146
Chapter XXII. An Account of the Obedience of the Genii to their King and Rulers. - p. 151
Chapter XXIII. [untitled] - p. 160
Chapter XXIV. This Chapter is on the Dispute between Man and the Parrot. - p. 181
Chapter XXV. An account of the White Ant. - p. 206
Chapter XXVI. A Description of the Spiritual World. - p. 221

QUOTE
 

p. 41

... the King ordered thus: "Yes, let the ministers of the Genii be present," and (those who came were) as follows: The judges of the race of Birjis, the lawyers of the race of Nahid, wise men of the tribe of Baida, philosophers of the school of Æsop, the experienced sons of Haman, the learned children of Kaiwan, and the enterprising men of Behram. The King said to them, "These man and animals have come complaining to us, and entered our country and taken shelter. All the animals complain of the tyranny and oppression of man. Advise us what should be done with them, and how their case should be decided."

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