Kalila wa-Dimna
The Kalila wa-Dimna is a collection of fables based on the Sanskrit text Panchatantra, which was later translated into Arabic by Persian philosopher and translator Ibn al-Muqaffa'.[1]
The collection tells the story of a king who seeks the counsel of a wise old man, who responds with a number of stories featuring animals, in particular the two jackals named Kalila and Dimna. Kalila wa Dimna has inspired other collections, including Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince and Jean de la Fontaine's Fables.[1]
In the 860s, the famed author Al-Jahiz sought to collect the book to add to his library in the House of Wisdom. The Hidden One Basim Ibn Ishaq found a copy of the book in a residence southwest of the Great Mosque and delivered it to him.[2]
Basim's description[edit | edit source]
My friend would tell me these when we wandered the streets looking for morsels to steal. He told me he had made them up! Only later did I realise that some people can recite these tales almost as readily as the Quran. My favorite tale is the one with the carpenter and the monkey and to me it teaches an important lesson about patience and walking before you run.