Showing results by author "Abdullah Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ" in All Categories

Dive into the enchanting world of the Fables of Pilpay, a collection of timeless moral tales that trace their origins back to the ancient Sanskrit text, Panchatantra (200 BC – 300 AD). These captivating stories were first translated into Arabic by the Persian scholar Ruzbeh, who titled it the Book of Kalilah and Dimna. Subsequent translations by Abdullah Ibn al-Muqaffa and Joseph Harris in 1679, followed by a reimagining in 1818, have kept these fables alive through the centuries. Notably, Max Mueller highlighted La Fontaines indebtedness to this work, while other scholars recognize the ...

Kalila wa Dimnah is a collection of fables of Indian origin translated into Arabic in the eighth century by Abdullah Ibn Al Muqaffa. The work was translated into many languages and is said to have inspired Jean de La Fontaine and other compilers of fables. Kalila wa Dimnah belongs to the "mirror of princes" literature genre, and its stories put moral and political advice into the mouths of animals to explain questions of social life and princely wisdom.