The Assemblies of Al Hariri

    Translator:  Amina Shah

    Grade Level: 9-12

    Subject:  Misc. tales

    Rating:  4 stars

    "The Assemblies of Al Hariri", a very apt title, for the reader finds himself/herself drifting from one conversation to the next. It is such a wonderful book full of wisdom & humor. Good food for thought and an interesting piece of literature for high school students and up.

]    The writer, Amina Shah, has done a favor to all literary readers by translating the tales into such a beautiful and lucid style. If collected together, the tales make a wisdom bowl of grapes sweet and sour. It talks about life and human nature.

    This book was originally written in Arabic by Al Hariri a well known writer of Arabic Literature from Basra, a city in Iraq. His hero, Abu Zayd, is a very crafty man of learning. He amuses people and also stirs their conscience.  The narrator of of these tales characterizes the quest for knowledge. The depiction of these characters is marvelous, they help the reader to reach the moral lesson beneath the play of words.  Let me share a few interesting lines from ,"The third Assembly", regarding money. 

    "Ruin on it for deceit and insincerity,  the yellow one with two faces (the coin) like a hypocrite!  It shows forth with two qualities to the eye of him that looks at it,  The adornment of the loved one, the color of the lover.  Affection for it, think they who judge truly, tempts men to commit that which shall anger their Maker".

    I truly enjoyed reading this book and feel the need for more writers who can bring us the forgotten Arabic Classical Literature of the Muslims.  A type of literature with which we can identify our social, cultural, moral and most important religious standing. For literature is not just art but, a part of life presented artistically. 

Reviewed by : Sr. Sawleha.