Hazz al-quhuf

Hazz al-quħūf, also known by its full title Hazz al-quħūf bi šarħ qaṣīd ʾabī šadūf (Brains Confounded by the Ode of Abu Shaduf Expounded), is a humorous 17th-century Arabic literary text written by Yusuf ibn Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Jawad ibn Khidr al-Shirbini. The main subject of the book is everyday Egyptian rural life.[1] It is known to contain some of the best samples of colloquial Arabic to have survived from before the 19th-century and is considered unusual in pre-20th-century literature for its focus on rural rather than urban themes.[2]

  1. ^ Davies, Humphrey (2005). "Introduction". Yusuf al-Shirbini's Kitab Hazz al-Quhuf bi Sharh Qasid Abi Shaduf (Brains Confounded by the Ode of Abu Shaduf Expounded). Vol. 1. Leuven: Peeters. p. xv. ISBN 9042915277.
  2. ^ Davies p. xv, xxxiv