Kitāb al-Ḥayawān | work by al-Jāḥiẓ | Britannica (original) (raw)

Learn about this topic in these articles:

scientific views

• 
  In biology: Arab domination of biology
  Among his biological writings is Kitāb al-ḥayawān (“Book of Animals”), which, although revealing some Greek influence, is primarily an Arabic work. In it the author emphasized the unity of nature and recognized relationships between different groups of organisms. Because al-Jāḥiẓ believed that earth contained both male and female elements, he…
  Read More

style

• 
  In Islamic arts: Development of literary prose
  His masterpiece is Kitāb al-ḥayawān (“The Book of Animals”), which has little to do with zoology but is a mine of information about Arab proverbs, traditions, superstitions, and the like. Al-Jāḥiẓ’s style is vigorous, loquacious, and uninhibited. His work, however, is not well constructed, and it lacks the…
  Read More