Journal Screenshot

International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

Open Access Journal

ISSN: 2222-6990

Understanding the Elements of Developing a Harmonious Society in the Literary Masterpiece of Kalilah wa Dimnah

Pabiyah Toklubok, Kamariah Kamarudin, Zaitul Azma Zainon Hamzah, Raihan Marzuki

http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v10-i11/7747

Open access

The Abbasid caliphate was the longest reigning caliphate in the history of Islamic civilization. The reign of the Abbasid caliphate began in 132H but collapsed in 656H. The turbulent situation that has plagued the Abbasids has prompted some authors to produce literary works in various genres, both prose and poetry. Among them was Abdullah Ibn al-Muqaffa’ who shifted his focus towards translating the Kalilah Wa Dimnah (KWD) book from Persian to Arabic. This effort is aimed at educating Abbasi leaders and communities by channeling moral values through the KWD book. This work is considered a masterpiece because it contains significant content based on moral values and guidance conveyed implicitly through the voices of animal characters. A total of five stories in the book of KWD was analyzed based on the moral values highlighted by Imam al-Ghazali. The eight aspects of these moral values are identified and classified based on four essential elements namely al-Hikmah (wisdom), al-Syaja'ah (courage), al-'Iffah (purity) and al-'Adlu (justice). The results of this study indicated that the author aligned al-Hikmah elements with the wisdom of setting strategies and the ability to trigger accurate thoughts. Meanwhile, Al-Syaja'ah elements were in line with the values of bravery in overpowering the enemy as well as inferiority. The al-'Iffah elements were in line with mutual aid values as opposed to maliciousness. The al-'Adlu element was next in line with unconditional love and generosity values. It can be concluded that these four elements contributed to translating the values contained in the KWD and in turn served as a guide to the general readership of leaders in exercising their responsibility to their communities in the pursuit of developing a harmonious society.

Al-Fakhuri, H. (1991). Al-Mujiz fi al-Adab al-Arabi wa Tarikhihi. (Vol.2). Beirut: Dar al-Jil.
Al-Ghazali, A. H. M. (n.d.). Ihya Ulum al Din.(Vol. 3). Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiah.
Al-Muqaffa’, A. I. (n.d.). Kitab Kalilah Wa Dimnah. Beirut: Al-Maktabah Al-Thaqafiyyah.
Al-Qasimi, M. J. (2006). Mau’izah Al-Mukminin Min Ihya’ Ulum Al-Din: Intipati Ihya’ Ulumuddin: Pengajaran Bagi Orang-Orang Mukmin. (Abu Hasan Din Al-Hafiz, Ed.) (1st ed.). Kuala Lumpur: Dar al-Fajr.
Al-Rafei, M. (1968). Hadarah al-Arab fi al-usur al-islamiyyah al-zahirah. (2nd ed.) Beirut: Dar al-kitab al-lubnani.
Al-Subayel, W. I. (2007). Animal Fables between “ Panchatantra (Kalila wa Dimna)' and “ Tales of Aesop ”-A Literary Study. (Doctoral Dissertation). Al-Imam Muhammad Ibnu Saud Islamic University.
Al-Thubaity, N. (2006). Tanawwu’ Al-Ada'i Al-Balaghi Fi Adabi Ibnu Al-Muqaffa'. (MA thesis). University of Ummu Al-Qura.
Al-Zayyat, A. H. (1999). Tarikh al-Adab al-Arabi. (5th ed.). Beirut: Darul Ma'rifah.
Omar, A. (2015). Pendidikan Sastera Remaja Di Malaysia Dalam Membina Generasi Unggul Berasaskan Falsafah Pendidikan Negara. Jurnal Pendeta Vol. 5, 1-22.
Bertens, K. (2002). Etika. Jakarta: Gramedia Pustaka Utama.
Hancock, Z. D. (2004). The Spanish Shahrazd And Her Entourage: The Powers Of Storytelling Women In Libro De Los Engaños De Las Mujeres. (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Maryland.
Iwadh, A. (1982). Dirasah Tahliliyyah Li al-Qiami al-Saidah Fi Qisasi al-Athfal al- Mansyurah Min Qibali Kuttab Urduniyyin Fi al-Muddah Ma Baina 1950-1980. (MA Thesis). The University of Jordan.
Janos, J. (2012). The Origins of the Kalilah wa Dimnah: Reconsideration in the Light of Sasanian Legal History. Journal of Research in Ayurvedic Sciences. Vol.3, pp 505-518.
Kamus Dewan Edisi Keempat. (2005). Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
Hasan, L. (1984). Masadir al-Hikmah fi Qisas Kalilah wa Dimnah. Amman: Dar al-Fikr li al-Nasyr wa al-Tauzi’.
Lunde, P. (1972). Kalila Wa Dimna. Jurnal Saudi Aramco World, 23(4), 18–21.
Radzi, M. (2008). Kalilah wa Dimnah Dari Sudut Pandangan Teori Persuratan Baru. Retrieved from http://my/201505/kalilah-wa-dimnah-dari-sudut-pandangan.html..
Marroum, M. (2011). Kalila wa Dimna Inception, Appropriation and transmimesis. Comparative Literature Studies. 48 (4), 512-540.
Musa, I. A., Otunuyi, A. K. T., & Ahmad, A. F. (2012). Introducting Arabic Stories. Lagos: National Open University of Nigeria.
Khalid, O. (1989). Kesusasteraan Arab di zaman Abbasiah, Andalus dan zaman Moden
. Johor: Darul Nadwah Muadzam Shah.
Marzuki, R., & Toklubok, P. (2107). Elemen pembinaan akhlak al-Imam al-Ghazali menerusi karya klasik Kalilah wa Dimnah. Malaysian Journal for Islamic Studies. 1 (1) 25-44.
Sidik, R. (2012). Relevansi Faktor Kegemilangan Sains Islam Dengan Dunia Islam Masa Kini. Jurnal Al-Tamaddun, 7 (1), 1–13.
Shalabi, A. (1970). Al-Tarikh al-Islami Wa al-Hadharah al-Islamiyyah. (Vol.3). Qaherah: Maktabah al-Nahdhah al-Misriyyah Qaherah.
Sheikh, S. U., & Ali, M. A. (2019). Al-Ghazali's aims and objectives of Islamic education. Journal of Education and Educational Developement, 6 (1), 111-125.

In-Text Citation: (Maon, Hassan, & Jamaluddin, 2020)
To Cite this Article: Toklubok, P., Kamarudin, K., Hamzah, Z. A. Z., & Marzuki, R. (2020). Understanding the Elements of Developing a Harmonious Society in the Literary Masterpiece of Kalilah wa Dimnah. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences. 10(11), 1-15.