Al-Iqd al-Farid, Volume 2

Author: Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Andalusi

The book's value lies in the field of literature and culture; it represents a vast encyclopedia of Arab culture, almost complete with news and literary texts. It is the first book in Andalusia in terms of its comprehensiveness, diversity, and abundant representation of Eastern literature. It is also considered an important source for those who wish to learn about the lives of ancient Arabs from literary, social, political, and other aspects. From beginning to end, the presentation of scholarly material is dominated by a good literary style, with every situation supported by exemplary literature, as its author is a masterful literary figure.

Scholars have praised it in their works, such as Al-Abshihi in (Al-Mustatraf), Al-Baghdadi in (Khizanat al-Adab), Ibn Khaldun in (Al-Muqaddimah), Al-Qalqashandi in (Subh al-A'sha), and Ibn Manzur, author of (Lisan al-Arab). Among modern scholars, some have created excellent selections from it to make it more accessible to readers.