Ajā'ib al-Ash'ār wa Gharā'ib al-Akhbār - عجائب الأشعار وغرائب الأخبار

Author: Abu al-Ghana'im, Muslim bin Mahmud bin Ni'mah al-Shayzari (7th Century AH). (Note: His famous nisba [surname indicating origin] is "al-Shayzari," referring to the city of Shayzar. In some sources or manuscripts, it may be misspelled as "al-Shirazi".)

Subject: Literature, anecdotes, and poetic witticisms.

Brief Definition: It is an enjoyable book falling under the genre of "Adab" (Literature/Belles-lettres). The author compiled unique literary selections, focusing on the "wondrous" and "strange" aspects of language and stories. The book is typically divided into two main sections:

The Wonders of Poetry: This section cites verses containing complex and clever linguistic craftsmanship, such as palindromic poetry (which reads the same forward and backward), undotted poetry, or poems with double meanings (serving as both praise and insult simultaneously).

The Curiosities of Tales: This section recounts rare anecdotes and witty stories about caliphs, writers, lovers, and strange historical events that evoke astonishment in the reader.

Purpose: To entertain the soul and to demonstrate the vastness of the Arabic language and the poets' ingenuity in the art of composition.

اسم الكتاب: عجائب الأشعار وغرائب الأخبار.

الهدف منه: الترويح عن النفس، وإظهار سعة اللغة العربية، وبراعة الشعراء في التفنن بالنظم.