Stories of piety and prayer: deliverance follows adversity, hardcover/al-muhassin ibn 'ali al-tanukhi

Description Uplifting tales from one of the most influential Arabic books of the Middle Ages One of the most popular and influential Arabic books of the Middle Ages, Deliverance Follows Adversity is an anthology of stories and anecdotes designed to console and encourage the afflicted.

Regarded as a pattern-book of Arabic storytelling, this collection shows how Gods providence works through His creatures to rescue them from tribulations ranging from religious persecution and medical emergencies to political skullduggery and romantic woes.

A resident of Basra and Baghdad, al-Tanukhi (327-84/939-94) draws from earlier Arabic classics as well as from oral stories relayed by the authors tenth-century Iraqi contemporaries, who comprised a wide circle of writers, intellectuals, judges, government officials, and family members.

This edition and translation includes the first three chapters of the work, which deal with Quranic stories and prayers that bring about deliverance, as well as general instances of the workings of providence.

The volume incorporates material from manuscripts not used in the standard Arabic edition, and is the first translation into English.

The complete translation, spanning four volumes, will be the first integral translation into any European language.

About the Author Al-Muhassin ibn Ali al-Tanukhi (327-84/939-94) lived in Basra and Baghdad.

As a judge and man of letters belonging to a family with many connections, he was well placed to record the literary trends of his day.

Deliverance Follows Adversity is one of two anthologies he compiled.