{"product_id":"the-excellence-of-the-arabs-9781479899265","title":"The Excellence of the Arabs","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA spirited defense of Arab identity from a time of political unrest\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn ninth-century Abbasid Baghdad, the social prestige attached to claims of Arab identity had begun to decline. In \u003ci\u003eThe Excellence of the Arabs\u003c\/i\u003e, the celebrated litterateur Ibn Qutaybah locks horns with those members of his society who belittled Arabness and vaunted the glories of Persian heritage and culture. Instead, he upholds the status of Arabs and their heritage in the face of criticism and uncertainty. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Excellence of the Arabs\u003c\/i\u003e is in two parts. In the first, Arab Preeminence, which takes the form of an extended argument for Arab privilege, Ibn Qutaybah accuses his opponents of blasphemous envy. In the second, The Excellence of Arab Learning, he describes the fields of knowledge in which he believed pre-Islamic Arabians excelled, including knowledge of the stars, divination, horse husbandry, and poetry. By incorporating extensive excerpts from the poetic heritage--\"the archive of the Arabs\"--Ibn Qutaybah aims to demonstrate that poetry is itself sufficient evidence of Arab superiority. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eEloquent and forceful, \u003ci\u003eThe Excellence of the Arabs\u003c\/i\u003e addresses a central question at a time of great social flux, at the dawn of classical Muslim civilization: What does it mean to be Arab? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAn English-only edition.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=AUTH-10997903\"\u003eIbn Qutaybah\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e New York University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/04\/2019\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 224\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.70lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.20h x 5.60w x 0.70d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781479899265\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1479899267\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBISAC Categories:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-LCO\"\u003eLiterary Collections\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-LCO012000\"\u003eMiddle Eastern\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-HIS\"\u003eHistory\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-HIS037000\"\u003eWorld | General\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-HIS\"\u003eHistory\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-HIS026000\"\u003eMiddle East | General\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"New York University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42639426191597,"sku":"9781479899265","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0550\/8097\/6621\/products\/img_432d47b4-77c0-40df-8b6e-5fd81e1d88d7.jpg?v=1649052843","url":"https:\/\/sureshotbooks.com\/products\/the-excellence-of-the-arabs-9781479899265","provider":"SureShot Books Publishing LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}