Treasury of Muslim Literature: The Golden Age 750-1250 CE Paperback – March 8, 2013

Imagine the common ground we find with someone who can quote a few phrases from Shakespeare and the common understanding we have with others of our culture when we mention Abraham Lincoln or refer to the Renaissance or our Founding Fathers. In today's world of global interactions, we need to broaden our knowledge to include some of those references from other great cultures. This book gives a taste of the cultural background of Muslims that comes from the 500 years the Abbasid dynasty ruled much of the Muslim world, known as the `Golden Age of Islam'.The literary output of that period was vast due to the many schools, including the world's first universities. The editor has pared her selection down to just 19 different kinds of literature, including poetry, biography, and folk literature, but also more unusual forms, like fiqh, hadith, geography, governing, adab, and religious discourse. A time line situates each piece. A brief history of the period and short biographies of each author are provided as well. The excerpts are not limited to those written in the Abbasid Empire alone, but include pieces from three continents across the breadth of the Muslim world of that time.It seems the pieces were also selected for their adaptability to discussion. An essay by Al-Jahiz, "Superiority of the Blacks to the Whites", will certainly be thought provoking. The early style of historical writing exemplified by Al-Tabari and the various hadith authors is noteworthy for its lack of commentary by the authors. The frame tales of Al-Muqaffa would make an interesting intellectual and artistic challenge to a modern writing class. Some selections like fiqh and hadith might seem too religious to be included in a literary anthology, but they were important pieces with legal and moral implications and they are known and read commonly today, just as they were so many centuries ago. These pieces permeate the optic through which Muslims view events in the world today.

Treasury of Muslim Literature by Freda ShammaThis book is indeed a treasure. For decades Shamma has been collecting literature from Muslim regions. Her book includes examples throughout Muslim history from many literary genres. Of particular significance is the thoughtful introductions to individual entries providing a short biography of the author and placing each piece in historical context. Frequent appearances of Joha, the folk character also known as Goha, Hodja, or Nasreddin, lightens the mood and provides timeless examples of oral story telling.

The book was in great condition. Good stories. The writing is interesting and fun to read. I recommend this book to anyone.

This book is just what is needed to bring to light the contributions in literature, history and the arts of the Muslims in the past. The topics are varied and enjoyable. The book is well written and easy for the young reader to comprehend.Highly recommended for the young Muslim child to know his/her own heritage.

Great review of the wide variety of literature produced during the Abbasid dynasty. It is a great contrast with modern literature. Islamic schools would find this a very good text to accompany their Islamic history curriculum. Anyone interested in the history of the Islamic world would find this a good start into understanding the cultural background of the area. These are the works that school children throughout the Islamic world read to appreciate their literary heritage.

excellent addition to our home library.

Great addition to our homeschooling library.

Love it.