Selections from the Art of Party Crashing in Medieval Iraq
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al-Hibri, Tayeb. Reinterpreting Islamic Historiography. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999.
Malti-Douglas, Fedwa. "Structure and Organization in a Monographic Adab Work: Al-tatfil of al-Khatib alBaghdadi." Journal of Near Eastern Studies 40, no. 3 (1981).
Perry, Charles, trans. A Baghdad Cookery Book. By Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Baghdadi. Devon: Prospect Books, 2005.
Robinson, Chase. Islamic Historiography. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003.
van Gelder, Geert Jan. "Edible Fathers and Mothers." In El Banquete de las Palabras, edited by Manuela Marin and Cristina de la Puente. Madrid: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, 2005.
"Forbidden Firebrands: Frivolous Iqtibas (Quotations from the Qur'an) According to Medieval Arab Critics." Quaderni di Studi Arabi (Istituto per l'Oriente) 20-21 (2002-3).
Of Dishes and Discourse: Classical Arabic Literary Representations of Food. Richmond and Surrey: Curzon, 2000.
Emily Selove received her PhD from the University of California at Los Angeles. Her dissertation focused on Hikayat Abu al-Qasirn, an eleventh-century Arabic text about a Baghdadi party-crasher in Isfahan. She is currently a research associate at the University of Manchester.
2. In calling this time period "medieval," I am applying Western terminology where it does not necessarily belong. For a full condemnation of those who use Western terminology in this fashion, see Thomas Bauer's review "In Search of `Post-classical Literature."' I persist in my error, however, in order to promote awareness of the fact that medieval European literature evolved in tandem with, even partly as a result of, contemporaneous Arabic literature, the authors of which, in turn, drew no less from classical texts for inspiration than did their European fellows. No line need be drawn down the center of the Mediterranean when discussing certain elements of literature produced during this time period, which is known to English speakers as "medieval."
1. Al-Khatib is referring to anecdote number 145, which likely proved interesting to him because it involves hadith transmission, his main area of study.
2. `Ali was the prophet Muhammad's cousin.
1. The explanations provided in anecdotes 7 and 8 contradict one another, but al-Khatib and his contemporaries often strove less in presenting a single narrative and more in "preserving disagreement-indeed, even accentuating it," as Chase Robinson writes of medieval Arabic historians (Islamic Historiography, 73). This translation does not always include similar but different repetitions of the same tale; thus, skipped numbers often represent repeated anecdotes with slight variations in word choicedifferences carefully preserved in the original Arabic text.
3. Ibn means "son of"; thus, the father's name, Zallal, is found in the name of the son (al-Tufayl ibn Zallal).
1. The original Arabic word is imma`a, seemingly a contraction of "He is with him."
2. `A'isha was the prophet Muhammad's favorite wife.
3. Al-Khatib, a scholar of the hadith, takes special pains with the chains of transmission for these stories about the Prophet. Many of the skipped anecdotes in this early section are repetitions with varying chains of transmission.
1. See anecdote 145, in which this hadith and one of its transmitters, Durust ibn Ziyad, become the subject of a heated debate at a party.
2. Shafi'i (d. 820) was a famous jurist, after whom was named the Shafi'i branch of Islamic law.
3. Here al-Khatib provides his opinion on the unexpected guest, as Shafi'i was too miffed to supply his own in the preceding anecdote.
4. Abu Haytham was indeed a true friend of the Prophet and happily offers him hospitality in the rest of the hadith.
1. Al-Jahiz (d. 868-69) was the most famous writer of classical Arabic prose. He introduced "high" literature to "low" or "unpoetic" subject matter, like party-crashing, and was the first to compose a book on the subject, but that manuscript is not extant.
1. This is a verse from the Qur'an chapter "The TableSpread" (5:114).
2. Bunan was a famous party-crasher, featured in a later chapter of this translation.
1. `Abd Allah ibn Ja'far (d. 699) was "the most generous man in Islam." Tatfil (1999), 83n. He also has the honor of being the only party-crasher in this collection with a guilty conscience.
2. Dhu al-Rumma was a nickname for Ghaylan ibn 'Uqba, a famous poet who lived in the eighth century.
3. Zakariyya ibn Manzur was a transmitter of hadith whose transmissions were not considered trustworthy. Ibid., 84n.
4. Raqaba was a trusted hadith transmitter who also liked jokes. Ibid., 85n.
5. Faludhaj is a pastry made from almonds and sugar.
6. Al-Ma'mun was the Abbasid caliph from 813 to 833, two hundred years before al-Khatib al-Baghdadi's time. This story also appears in the "Barber's Tale" in the 1001 Nights.
7. Ibrahim ibn al-Mahdi (d. 839) was the son of the caliph al-Mahdi and briefly the successor of al-Ma'mun. He was illsuited to political life because of his consuming passion for singing and music, and he spent his later years as a court poet and musician. D. Sourdel, The Encyclopaedia of Islam (1971), s.v. "Ibrahim ibn al-Mahdi."
8. As the most recent editor of this text, al-Jabi, notes, in earlier editions all mention of wine is removed from this and other stories. He strongly condemns this act of censorship (Tatfzl, 93n). Van Gelder calls modern attempts to deny the presence of alcohol consumption in medieval Arabic literature "naive and disingenuous" (Of Dishes and Discourse, 69).
10. Abu al-Faraj (al-Isbahani) (d. 967) was the author of the famous Kitab al-aghani (The Book of Songs), in which he described famous poets (such as the hero of this anecdote) and their songs.
11. Ibrahim al-Mawsili (d. 904), the narrator of this anecdote, was "one of the greatest musicians and composers of the early Abbasid period ... whose melodies were so entrancing that they were ascribed to the inspiration of the Devil himself." J. W. Fuck, The Encyclopaedia of Islam (1971), s.v. "Ibrahim alMawsili, Abu Ishak." Ibn means "son," so Ibrahim's son Muhammad (Ibn Ibrahim al-Mawsili) is the first transmitter of his story.
12. Mukhariq (d. 845), originally a slave to the female singer and lutenist `Atika hint Shudha, and a student of the famous musician Ibrahim al-Mawsili (of the previous anecdote), was so skilled in singing and playing the oud that the caliph Harun al-Rashid granted him his freedom and made him a favorite of the court. H. G. Farmer, The Encyclopaedia of Islam (1993), s.v. "Mukhari."
13. Al-Rusafa was a quarter of the city of Baghdad.
14. This aside seems to be an interruption of the narrator, Ahmad ibn Muhammad al Tusi, whose father first heard and related Mukhariq's tale (see the chain of transmission at the beginning of the anecdote).
1. Abu Hurayra (introduced in the previous anecdote) was a companion of the prophet Muhammad and a transmitter of his sayings and deeds. He was a poor man and fond of jokes. When herding goats, his kitten would keep him company, hence the name Abu Hurayra, which means, loosely, "guy with a kitten." Ja'far was a cousin of the Prophet.
2. Abu Hanifa (d. 767) was an Islamic jurist after whom was named the Hanafi school of law.
3. Al-Hudhali was a hadith transmitter.
4. Qur'an 2:155: "And surely We shall try you with something of fear and hunger, and loss of wealth and lives and crops; but give glad tidings to the steadfast" (Pickthal's translation).
5. Qur'an 9:91: "Not unto the weak nor unto the sick nor unto those who can find naught to spend is any fault ... if they are true to Allah and His messenger. Not unto the good is there any road (of blame). Allah is Forgiving, Merciful" (Pickthal's translation).
2. Abu al-Harith Jummayn was a well-known jester, and Harun al-Rashid (d. 809) was the fifth and most famous of the Abbasid caliphs. His was a life particularly prone to "dramatic enhancement," and Tayeb al-Hibri writes that authors were fond of portraying the idealized caliph as "accessible to every fortune-seeking poet and jester between the Nile and the Oxus" (Reinterpreting Islamic Historiography, 28).
1. Both faludhaj and lawzinaj are pastries
made of sugar, nuts, and rose water. For recipes, see Charles Perry's translation of a medieval Arabic cookbook, A Baghdad Cookery Book, in the chapter on sweets.
4. Qur'an 36:14.
5. Qur'an 36:14.
6. Qur'an 2:260, as translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali: "When Abraham said: `Show me, Lord, how You will raise the dead,' He replied: `Have you no faith?' He said `Yes, but just to reassure my heart.' Allah said, `Take four birds, draw them to you, and cut their bodies to pieces. Scatter them over the mountain-tops, then call them back. They will come swiftly to you. Know that Allah is Mighty, Wise."'
3. All of these quotes are fragments of Qur'anic verses. Although some found such playful misuses of the holy text objectionable, they were fairly widespread. Geert Jan van Gelder, "Forbidden Firebrands: Frivolous Igtibas (Quotations from the Qur'an) According to Medieval Arab Critics," 3-14. This quote is from 2:163.
8. Qur'an 18:22, which says (as translated by Yusuf Ali): "(Some) say they were three, the dog being the fourth among them; (others) say they were five, the dog being the sixth,doubtfully guessing at the unknown; (yet others) say they were seven, the dog being the eighth. Say thou: `My Lord knoweth best their number; it is but few that know their (real case). Enter not, therefore, into controversies concerning them, except on a matter that is clear, nor consult any of them about (the affair of) the Sleepers."'
9. Qur'an 67:3, as translated by Yusuf Ali.
10. Qur'an 6:143, which says (as translated by Pickthall): "Eight pairs: Of the sheep twain, and of the goats twain." The Sura contains laws concerning cattle.
7. Qur'an 58:7.
It. Qur'an 27:48, as translated by Yusuf Ali.
12. Qur'an 2:196.
13. Qur'an 12:4, referring to Joseph's prophetic dream in which he sees eleven stars and the sun and the moon bowing before him.
14. Qur'an 9:36.
16. Qur'an 37:147.
15. Qur'an 8:65.
1. The entire anecdote parodies religious language. The final instructions, for example, mimic the traditional instructions, as established by Muhammad, given to Muslims before prayer. Van Gelder writes that prayers such as these are "at the same time pious and parodic" (Of Dishes and Discourse, 91).
3. Qur'an 37:68.
2. They are discussing a passage from the Sura 12, Yusuf, verse 82 in the Qur'an.
4. Qur'an 37:91, as translated by Pickthall. In this verse Abraham addresses false idols who cannot eat the food offerings of their worshipers. It was traditional to inscribe Qur'an verses on signet rings, though this seems a frivolous choice.
5. Abu Bakr and `Umar were the first two successors of the prophet Muhammad.
6. Not only does this proposition sound especially cozy, but rain was a common metaphor for openhanded generosity, the hope of all party-crashers.
1. The Qur'anic verse that Bunan quotes is 11:79, Hud, in which the lusty crowds of Sodom respond to Lot, who has attempted to appease them with his daughters. These crowds, unlike the party-crasher, were not after food.
2. The party-crasher's name is actually "Nuh" (Noah), which sounds like the verb to mourn or to wail.
3. Dukayn al-Rajiz was a poet from the eighth century.
2. Although Sulayman al-Minqari was unable to find the party-crasher's hadith, al-Khatib al-Baghdadi evidently managed to do so and provides it below.
3. This is the anecdote that first drew al-Khatib alBaghdadi's interest to the subject of party-crashing, possibly because it involves a discussion of hadith and al-Khatib alBaghdadi was a hadith scholar. See the introduction for his first mention of the tale.
1. Qur'an 18:62.
2. These h#ri dates are equivalent to about 811 and 912 CE.
3. Sufis and mystics were often mockingly likened to party-crashers and accused of posing as poor holy men to obtain free food. In an article van Gelder translates the following eleventh-century quote criticizing Sufis, which might remind readers of the party-crashers (see anecdotes 111, 166, and 197, for example): "Because eating much is their religion ... they specialise in taking large mouthfuls, in a good digestion, and being opportunistic eaters.... They are so much concerned with eating and spending most of their time eating, that one of them inscribed his signet-ring with `Food Perpetual' [Qur'an 18:62], another inscribed `Bring Us Our Breakfast' [Qur'an 18:62]" ("Edible Fathers and Mothers," 109).
4. Sufyan ibn al-Thuri was a famous Islamic scholar from the eighth century.
5. Recipes for sikbaj, hisrimiyya, and madira can be found in the chapter on sour dishes in Charles Perry's Baghdad Cookery Book, a translation of a thirteenth-century Arabic cookbook. A recipe for `adasiyya can be found in the chapter on plain dishes.
6. Harisa is made of meat and wheat pounded together. Charles Perry's Baghdad Cookery Book includes several recipes.
7. Anecdote 187, missing because it defied my powers of translation, can be found translated by Fedwa Malti-Douglas in her article "Structure and Organization in a Monographic Adab Work: Al-tatfil of al-Khatib al-Baghdadi," 235-36. It has to do with Bunan's citation of a property law in defense of his stealing meat from a fellow diner.
8. Qur'an 20:131.
9. The date wine mentioned was probably less fermented than the grape wine. As for the hadith prescribing punishment of chronic drunkenness with death, it was "added in some traditions that capital punishment in such cases is not according to the sunna of the Prophet." The Encyclopaedia of Islam, s.v. "Khamr." Indeed, it seems that the implementation of such a punishment would have resulted in a veritable massacre.
10. In his article "Edible Fathers and Mothers," van Gelder describes the widespread use of these nicknames for food, particularly among party-crashers, and provides a complete list. Abu and Umm, here translated as "Mr." and "Mrs.," actually mean "father" and "mother."
11. All of these quotes are passages from the Qur'an, taken amusingly out of context. This quote is from 26:94 and refers to hellfire (though in this context, it refers to the pan).
12. "They heard it raging" is from Qur'an 2 5:12 and also refers to hellfire (used here for the sounds of the cooking butter).
13. "The ruined well" is from Qur'an 22:45 and refers to the disobedient civilizations destroyed by God (used here for the dwindling butter supply).
14. "Did you tear it" is from Qur'an 18:71 and refers to a ship (here used for the butter bowl, and the butter from now on is likened to water).
15. "We lead the water" is from Qur'an 32:27 and refers to God causing rain.
16. "Two springs are gushing" is from Qur'an 55:66 and refers to Paradise.
17. "Two springs are flowing" is from Qur'an 55:50, earlier in the same description.
18. "We caused the water" is from Qur'an 54:12.
19. "And then led it" is from Qur'an 35:9 and also refers to water.
20. "It was said, `O Earth"' is from Qur'an 11:44 and refers to Noah's ark (used here for Bunan's triumphant conclusion of the butter contest).
1. In the year 967, `Izz al-Dawla reigned in Baghdad. An ineffectual ruler, absorbed by petty pleasures and prone to meddle frivolously in government affairs, `Izz was nonetheless responsible for the following invaluable document, which, in the course of appointing Baghdad's first official officer of partycrashing, offered instruction in this obscure, but profitable, refinement. Written by Secretary Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn Hilal al-Sabi in the voice of `Aliyyaka, a party-crasher, the document appointed Ibn `Urs al-Mawsili officer of party-crashing.