Ibn al-Muqaffa

Likewise, Al-Muqaffa’s position as kuttab (secretary) during both the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates make of him an active figure in this process of change, and not only a passive spectator. His main mission was to serve the rulers in the education of the princes as well as in different political missions. This goal is reflected in the purpose of the book.
In fact, the Abbasid authorities turned this book into a veritable “manual” of political science, used for the basic training of young princes, some of whom had to learn it by heart along with the Qur’an.
The Persian scholar was thus influenced both by these political changes and by the important intellectual synergies of his time, which pushed him to reflect on the relationships between the different social classes and political power, and to study the nature of the pillars on which a society must stand in order to sustain itself over time.
From the beginning of the work, Al-Muqaffa’ announces his will to use this double language, which is expressed in dichotomous terms, in a way that reflects a permanent opposition between the apparent meaning of the fable and its hidden meaning (the lesson of morality, of good conduct).
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