Adab is a concept situated at the heart of Arabic and Islamic civilization. What became of it, towards modernity? The question of the civilising process (Norbert Elias) helps us reflect on this story.

The notion of adab is at the very heart of the Islamicate cultures. Born in the crucible of the Arabic and Persian civilisations of the Late Antiquity period, nourished by Greek, Syriac and Indian influences, this polysemic notion could cover a variegated range of meanings, ranging from good behaviour, good manners, etiquette, proper knowledge of the rules, to belles-lettres, and finally, literature. This volume addresses the notion of adab through four perspectives, which correspond to the four parts into which it is divided: “Origins”; “Transmissions”; “Metamorphosis” of the “Origins” and finally “Origins” through the lens of modernity.

The notion of adab is at the heart of Arab-Islamic culture. Born in the crucible of the Arabic and Persian civilization, nourished by Greek and Indian influences, this polysemic notion could cover a variegated range of meanings: good behavior, knowledge of manners, etiquette, rules and belles-lettres and finally, literature. This collection of articles tries to explore how the formulations and reformulations of adab during the first centuries of Islam engage with the crucial period of the first great spiritual masters, exploring the importance of normativity, but also of transgression, in order to define the rules themselves. Assuming that adab is ethics, the articles analyse the genres of Sufi adab, including manuals and hagiographical accounts, from the formative period of Sufism until the modernity. Contributors are: Alberto F. Ambrosio, Nelly Amri, Francesco Chiabotti, Rachida Chih, Ralf Elger, Eve Feuillebois-Pierunek, Maria Chiara Giorda, Denis Gril, Paul L. Heck, Nathan Hofer, Ahmet T. Karamustafa, Annabel Keeler, Pierre Lory, Catherine Mayeur-Jaouen, Erik S. Ohlander, Samuela Pagani, Luca Patrizi, Michele Petrone, Stefan Reichmuth, Lloyd Ridgeon, Elisha Russ-Fishbane, Florian Sobieroj, Renaud Soler, Jean-Jacques Thibon, Mikko Viitamäki.

Social Etiquette (Adab al-Mu'asharat) by the erudite sub-continent scholar, Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (may Allah be pleased with him) is a brief treatise on on nurturing and perfecting our social conduct. The esteemed author presents anecdotes and practical examples from personal experience, critiquing scenarios and interactions that are often overlooked and seemingly harmless but contradict the spirit of Islam. Whilst this publication is an easy read, it calls for practical expression; to uplift the Islamic requirements in the domain of social life and interactions, to develop healthy communities and foster peace, harmony, love and cohesion. In order to make this translation accessible to the many millions of Muslims living in Western countries, examples (not in the original work) have been added in the footnotes discussing contemporary contexts relevant to our current times and places.

'Abbasid literature was characterized by the emergence of many new genres and of a scholarly and sophisticated critical consciousness. This volume of The Cambridge History of Arabic Literature covers the prose and poetry produced in the heartland and provinces of the 'Abbasid Empire from the mid-eighth to the thirteenth centuries A.D. Chronologically organized, the book explores the main genres and provides extended studies of major poets, prose writers and literary theorists. To make the material accessible to nonspecialist readers, 'Abbasid authors are quoted in English translation wherever possible, and clear explanations of their literary techniques and conventions are provided. The volume concludes with the first comprehensive survey of the relatively unknown literature of the Yemen to appear in a European language since the manuscript discoveries of recent years.

This volume provides a thorough analysis of the "Origins", "Transmissions" and "Metamorphoses" of the Islamicate notion of Adab through a variety of multidisciplinary up-to-date research perspectives, from the Middle Ages up to the Modern era.

The aim of this volume is to raise and discuss questions about the different approaches to the study of pre-modern Arabic anthologies from the perspectives of philology, religion, history, geography, and literature.