A Collection of Arab Poetry

This book includes a collection of Arab poetry from the pre-Islamic and Islamic periods. The author mentions transmitted reports, preserved poems from them, their words that conform to the Qur’an, what was narrated from the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding poetry and poets, what was narrated from his Companions and those who followed them, what each of them was described with, the first to compose poetry, and what was memorized from the jinn. The number of these poems reaches forty-nine poems in seven categories or sections, and so on, in each section seven of the greatest poets, pre-Islamic and Islamic. The author of this book is Muhammad ibn Abi al-Khattab, known among literary authors as Abu Zayd al-Qurashi. He was one of the most famous narrators of poetry. He was also a scholar with a deep knowledge of poetry and poets. He combined his knowledge of poetry with a taste for poetry, a delicate sense, and an awareness of the importance of this art form and its place in the Arab world and its significance in reflecting the reality of this environment. He set about selecting the elite or cream of the crop from pre-Islamic and Islamic poems, arranging them according to his own criteria, and categorizing their authors according to their purposes and poetic schools. This book thus became a compilation.