A treasury of virtues - al-Qadi al-Quda'i

A Treasury ofVirtues is a collectionby the Fatimid Shafi'i judge al-Quda'i (d. 454 H/1062 AD) of sayings, sermons, and teachingsattributed to 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (d. 40 H/661 AD). Ali was the cousinand son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, the first Shia Imam and the fourthSunni Caliph. An acknowledged master of Arabic eloquence and asage of Islamic wisdom, Ali was renowned for his words, which were collected, quoted, and studied over the centuries, and extensively anthologized, excerpted, and interpreted.

Of the many compilations of 'Ali'swords, A Treasury of Virtues arguably possesses the broadest compass of genres, and the largest variety of themes. Included are aphorisms, proverbs, sermons, speeches, homilies, prayers, letters, dialogues, and verse, all of which provide instruction on how to be a morally upstanding human being. The shorter compilation included here, One Hundred Proverbs, is attributed to the eminent writer al-Jahiz (d. 255 H/869 AD). This volume presents a new critical edition of the Arabic based on several original manuscripts, the first English translation of both these important collections, and an extended introduction.