On Generosity

The Egyptian judge and man of letters, Ibn Abi al-'Id al-Sakhawi al-Maliki, who lived in Cairo and Medina in the ninth/fifteenth century and who practised charity his whole life, compiled a work titled the Hilyat al-kurama', literally "The Ornament of the Magnanimous." On Generosity comprises an introductory study of this work and its author, the first reliable and critical edition of the Arabic text, an annotated English translation, and glossaries designed to make the text more accessible to non-specialists. In Arabic-Islamic culture, generosity is held in the very highest regard and descriptions of charity, hospitality and largesse are consequently an important component of Arabic literature. A significant example of a flourishing genre devoted to generosity and a testament to the intense cultural and literary activity of the author's time, the Hilyat al-kurama' includes aphorisms, poems, and anecdotes about benevolent individuals whose generosity is exemplified by the gifts and money they lavished on others and by the many ways they provided aid to the needy. The lively examples of the liberality exhibited by everyone, from rulers to ordinary people, are intended to urge others to similar acts of generosity, charity and assistance.