The small manners and the great manners

The Little Literature and The Great Literature by Ibn al-Muqaffa' ... The compiler of this book is Abu Muhammad Abdullah ibn al-Muqaffa', the famous writer known for eloquence and the master of epistles, and he is among the people of Persia who were accused of heresy and faced much hostility after his death. As for his book The Little Literature and The Great Literature, it is a great and valuable book with significant benefit. In it, Ibn al-Muqaffa' aims a well-aimed arrow and a keen insight at the overall life of a human being, in his dealings, morals, manners, livelihood, and thoughts. He also dedicates himself to goodness and good character, and encourages the ambitions of the aspiring and the determined, and urges righteousness, piety, and patience in every step a person takes, and in every word he speaks. He elevates the status of the mind and wisdom, and protects the dreams of the wise from excess and falling into recklessness, impulsiveness, and desire. He addresses the mind with his lofty ideas just as he addresses the heart with his eloquent and noble language. His style is flowing and calm like a sea breeze, free of pretension and ornamentation, and does not burden the reader with the roughness of the path to reach his goal, but guides his meanings with simplicity in his expressions. Therefore, the book is great in its value, especially when we add that it sheds much light on the literature of an important stage of our Arab era, within the framework of prose and epistles, covering many topics starting from entering the courts of kings and rulers, and ending with the simplest affairs of life. Dar Sader