Book of Arabic Wisdom

Squeeze the past like a sponge, smell the present like a rose, and send a kiss to the future

Proverbs are universal manifestations of human wisdom, humor, customs, and myths common to all the peoples of the world. Proverbs have been Hussain Mohammed Al-Amily’s passion since he was a small boy, listening to the grown-ups chatter in his Lebanese village. Later, in his homeland of Iraq, he became enchanted by the witty folk sayings that were part of everyday discourse. Now, for this book, he has brought together over 3,000 proverbs, humorous and wise anecdotes, and popular quotations from throughout the vast Arab and Islamic world.

Within this intriguing compilation are proverbs that have their roots in the ancient civilizations of Persia and Sumeria, along with those of Kurdish, Turkish, and Andalusian origin. 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 eleventh century.

• Couplets by the erudite Sheikh Sadi of Shiraz, a famous Sufi poet of the thirteenth century.

• Stories of Bahlool, a figure from folklore, and his amusing encounters in ancient Baghdad.

This book is a treasure trove of Arabic wisdom, ancient and modern, surprising at times, but with a ring of truth that resounds across cultures.