Identification and Critique of the Treatise "The Superiority of Dogs Over Many Who Wear Clothes" (A Critical Example of Ethical Allegories in Abbasid Prose)

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Associate Professor of Persian Language and Literature Faculty of Literature and Humanities University of Qom, Qom, Iran

10.22091/npa.2026.15180.1051

Abstract

Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Khalaf ibn Marzban, who in a sense continues the tradition of Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ and Ibn Qutayba in the realm of Arabic translation and prose, is considered a prolific writer of the third century AH (ninth century CE). In one of his epistles, using a satirical, critical, and allegorical language, he enumerates the virtues of dogs in contrast to the moral vices of certain humans—particularly hypocrites, sanctimonious ascetics, and ostentatious jurists. In his epistle "Faḍl al-kilāb ʿalā kathīr mimman labisa al-thiyāb" (The Superiority of Dogs Over Many Who Wear Clothes), this Iranian writer employs a comparative structure and literary language to praise values such as loyalty, humility, honesty, and purity in dogs, considering them superior to the reprehensible ethics of pretentious humans. This article attempts to introduce the life and literary standing of this lesser-known figure, trace references to him in biographical dictionaries, and then provide a brief overview of the structure and content of the epistle, examine its socio-ethical themes, and situate the text within the tradition of Islamic allegorical literature. Findings indicate that Ibn Marzban, with an incisive yet instructive language, challenged the prevailing standards of virtue in Abbasid society and proposed a rethinking of human values. Additionally, gaining a deeper understanding of the social and literary context of the Abbasid era and the place of this text within the tradition of Arabic prose are among the further outcomes of this research.

Keywords


Article Title [العربیة]

رسالة “فضل الکلاب على کثیر ممن لبس الثیاب” تعریف ودراسة (تحلیل التمثیلات الأخلاقیة فی النثر العباسی)

Abstract [العربیة]

أبو بکر محمد بن خلف بن مرزبان، الذی یُعد امتدادًا لمنهج ابن المقفع وابن قتیبة فی مجال الترجمة والنثر العربی، هو من الکتاب البارزین فی القرن الثالث الهجری، حیث تناول فی إحدى رسائله بأسلوب ساخر ونقدی وتمثیلی، فضائل الکلب مقابل الرذائل الأخلاقیة لبعض الناس خاصة من أهل الریاء والزهد المزیف والفقهاء المتظاهرین. هذا الکاتب الإیرانی فی رسالته “فضل الکلاب على کثیر ممن لبس الثیاب” یستخدم البناء المقارن واللغة الأدبیة لیُبرز قیمًا کالوفاء والتواضع والصدق والطهارة فی الکلب، ویرى أنه أسمى من أخلاق المتظاهرین من البشر. تسعى هذه الدراسة إلى تقدیم وتعریف لهذا الوجه الأدبی غیر المعروف وإظهار مکانته، والبحث عن آثاره فی کتب التراجم، ثم إلقاء نظرة موجزة على بنیة الرسالة ومضمونها، وتحلیل الموضوعات الأخلاقیة والاجتماعیة فیها، وموقع هذا النص فی تقالید الأدب التمثیلی الإسلامی. تظهر النتائج أن ابن مرزبان بتعبیره اللاذع ولکن المفید، تحدى معاییر الفضیلة السائدة فی المجتمع العباسی، ودعا إلى إعادة النظر فی القیم الإنسانیة. کما أتاحت هذه الدراسة فهمًا أعمق للسیاق الاجتماعی والأدبی للعصر العباسی وموقع هذا النص فی تقالید النثر العربی.

Keywords [العربیة]

  • ابن مرزبان
  • "فضل الکلاب علی کثیر من لبس الثیاب"
  • الأدب التمثیلی
  • الأخلاق الإسلامیة
  • الأدب العباسی
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Volume 2, Issue 4 - Serial Number 4
December 2025
Pages 54-67
  • Receive Date: 24 September 2025
  • Revise Date: 06 November 2025
  • Accept Date: 29 November 2025
  • First Publish Date: 06 December 2025
  • Publish Date: 06 December 2025