The Stingy

Book name: The Stingy People Author: Al-Jahiz Editing: Karam Al-Bustanani Number of books: 1 Publisher: Dar Sadir Overview: Al-Jahiz is Abu Othman Amr ibn Bahr Al-Jahiz from about Kinana, he was short in stature, stern-faced, ugly in appearance, nicknamed Al-Jahiz for the protrusion of his eyes, meaning bulging. However, his lively spirit, witty speech, good companionship, and natural humor made his ugliness tolerable, and people were eager to socialize with him to enjoy his conversations and jokes. Some of these are collected in his book The Stingy People, in which he depicted the stingy people in the best possible way. He did not take his examples from history books but from his environment, especially mentioning the stingy people of Basra, his hometown, and Khorasan, especially its capital Merv. He named the stingy people without hesitation. He portrayed his stingy characters with realistic, sensory descriptions and psychological portrayals. His cheerful, carefree personality, inclined to sarcasm and satire, mixed seriousness, playfulness, and criticism of customs and morals with humor. He highlighted their movements, anxious or calm gazes, and their psychological whims, exposing their secrets, hidden corners of their homes, and conversations, whether about their private or public affairs. In this book, he also described their mental states and conditions, emphasizing their greed, frugality, and tricks to keep guests away from food. A close look at Al-Jahiz’s stories reveals short comic plays and amusing little anecdotes, as funny as the story of the Merv rooster narrated by Thumama bin Ashras. In every place, the rooster picks up a grain with its beak and then spits it out in front of the hen, except for the Merv rooster, which steals the grains from the beaks of the hens. Another story is that of Ramadan Al-Sheikh Al-Ahwazi on the ship, and how Ramadan ate the chicken alone and did not let his companion share in his meal, and how the sheikh grabbed Ramadan’s beard with his left hand, took the chicken with his right hand, and started hitting Ramadan’s head with it until it broke in his hand. The book "The Stingy People" is also distinguished as a human book, even though it does not cover all human aspects. Al-Jahiz dealt with human wealth, studied their psychology, morals, instincts, and habits, and made his characters human, capable of living in any time and place, as shown in his portrayal of beggars.