The manners of the two ministers

The title of the book in the original manuscript is: "The Morals of the Companion and Ibn Al-‘Amid," and it is believed that Abu Hayyan was the one who gave it this title for his book. Therefore, the editor chose to keep it, and he refrained from naming it something like "The Faults of the Two Ministers," as others who came after Abu Hayyan did about two hundred years later, because Abu Hayyan's words support this naming. In a conversation with Minister Ibn Sa’dan (who was killed in 375 AH), he says: "... I have written a treatise on his morals (meaning the Companion) and the morals of Ibn Al-‘Amid." The word "morals" that Abu Hayyan chose is broad enough to encompass the scope outlined at the beginning of this book. He did not limit his discussions to the two ministers; his words are: "On what he sought in their blame, and called for disparagement of them, and incited to bad speech and beliefs about them," but he added to these discussions, and this is also his statement: "What has been said about their virtues, none in their time or many before them has surpassed them in those virtues." From here, he discusses generosity and meanness in their morals, deficiencies and excesses, piety and abandonment, seriousness and foolishness, intelligence and foolishness, bravery and cowardice, loyalty and treachery, politics and neglect, chastity and lust, cunning and heedlessness, eloquence and flaw, guidance and deviation, error and correctness, patience and foolishness, frivolity and composure, modesty, mercy, and harshness. Whether Abu Hayyan fulfilled this plan or not, he intends, in his publication, to appear as faithful to it, and his work in this book follows this approach. Abu Hayyan is a broad-minded and cultured writer, whose connection with people from different classes and his participation in their lives—telling their stories and penetrating their depths—has given him extensive experience. He is a seasoned critic whose eye hardly misses flaws, with a sensitive feeling that reacts to the slightest influences, recording the swiftest and most hidden movements, equipped with a superb linguistic ability that helps him convey his feelings toward people clearly and transparently, no matter how subtle. With all these talents, he attended the Companion’s council, saw and heard what filled his senses, and recorded the painful impact on himself in this book, presenting it in expressive, wonderful, speaking images that reveal Abu Hayyan’s timeless artistic originality. As for Abu Al-Fadl Ibn Al-‘Amid, Abu Hayyan, according to his own account, attended his council only twice. In one of these, he saw Abu Fadl’s aides leaving his council, with a scene involving him—an unfamiliar fasting man, on a Ramadan evening at sunset. In the second, he witnessed a poet from the hut praising Ibn Al-‘Amid, Abu Fadl, and was not pleased with him despite his need and his demands in front of the audience. Nevertheless, these two incidents left a deep impression on him, to the extent that he saw fit to compare him to the Companion in morals, and he began tracking his news and scrutinizing his flaws, based on reports from his associates and close friends, until he gathered what is written about Abu Fadl’s morals in this book. Abu Hayyan, having connected with Abu Fath Ibn Al-‘Amid, sat with him, and was impressed by him, decided to mention him in his book after discussing Abu Fadl’s words. He praised him and spoke at length, then criticized him, and used his story as a means to turn against the Companion and to criticize him after he had finished with him.