Description

Category:SciencePopular SciencePopular Science-Gsc
Publisher: Penguin Classics | ISBN: 9780143136613 | Pages: 288

Six hundred years ago, Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani - an esteemed Islamic scholar and poet - survived the bubonic plague, which took the lives of three of his children, as well as millions of others throughout the medieval world. Holding up an eerie mirror to our own time, al-Asqalani reflects on the origins of plagues, from those of the Prophet Muhammad s era to the Black Death of his own. Weaving together accounts of evil jinn, religious stories, medical manuals, poetry, and the author s personal experiences, Merits of the Plague is a profound reminder that with tragedy comes one of the noblest expressions of our humanity: the practice of compassion, patience and care for those around us.

About the Author

Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (1372 - 1449) was an Islamic poet, scholar and judge. Born in modern day Egypt, in his lifetime al-Asqalani authored some 150 works of history, poetry and biography, as well as many influential treatises on Islamic jurisprudence.