This is the first detailed study that critically compares and contrasts the wisdom sentences of the Book of Proverbs with classical and post-classical Arabic proverbs; reference is also made to current Arabic proverbs. The wisdom tradition of Solomon is examined and is compared to that of the Arab sage Luqmân. The book deals with three main themes that are of special significance both in the Book of Proverbs and in Arabic proverbial works: royalty, speech and silence, wealth and poverty. The book concludes with a study of some form-critical and traditio-historical aspects of the treated proverbs. Hundreds of classical Arabic proverbs and wisdom sayings of Prophet Muḥammad appear for the first time in English.

Proverbs bring color to our speech. A way to understand a foreign culture is to learn some of its proverbs. This book presents a selection of more than 700 proverbs and wise sayings from the Arabic world. The dialectal forms are changed and presented in Modern Standard Arabic. The Arabic expressions are paralleled with transliterations, translations into English, and often explanations and English equivalents. The aim of the study is to enlarge the reader's vocabulary in Arabic and to stimulate cross cultural discussions.

The book also includes: - Selected hadith utterances: the Prophet's counsel as traditionally related by Islamic peoples.- Quatrains by Omar Khayyam and Abul Alaa Al-Ma'arri, free-thinking poets of the 11th C.- Couplets by the erudite Sheikh Sadi of Shiraz, a famous Sufi poet of the 13th C.- Stories of Bahlool, a figure from folklore, and his amusing encounters in ancient Baghdad.

Completed just before his death in 1817 by one of the foremost European pioneers in Arabic studies. Reprint with Introduction by C.E. Bosworth.